Rylan rises to Dizzy heights- photos

IN the trip of a lifetime, a Mildura teenager has travelled to Abu Dhabi and Dubai to play cricket under Aussie bowling legend Jason “Dizzy” Gillespie.

As part of the Under 18 Gillespie Academy team, Rylan Newey experienced a new part of the world while doing the thing that he loves most.

The young Nichols Point all-rounder found the experience difficult to put into words but said the trip was “a great experience”.

“I honestly don’t know how to explain it … but being around some new mates while experiencing a different country was a lot of fun,” he said.

The South Australian squad competed against other prestigious academies from around the country that included Dubai college, Rajasthan Royal, Zenith, Zenithj X1, Zayed and ICC.

When asked about the conditions when compared to Australia’s, the swing bowler said that there was plenty.

“It was basically a spinners’ pitch at most places and it was really hot,” he said.

“On the pitches it would stay low and pop up sometimes. It was very different for me.”

Despite this, Newey still had good figures with the ball, recording 2/3 and 2/7 as his best returns.

As a team, the Gillespie Academy managed to win five of their seven games.

Newey and his teammates were given a busy schedule that outside of cricket included trips to the world’s tallest building (Burk Khalifa), largest water park (Aqua Venture Water park) and fastest rollercoaster (Ferrari World) as well as cultural and religious icons such as the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.