Wesley Yambuk's Nick Blacker says an offer to play cricket in Mildura was "too good of an opportunity to turn down".
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The talented 18-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman departs the Beavers after five seasons to play for Nichols Point in the Sunraysia Cricket Association.
The club reached out to the year-12 student after seeing his profile on the Cricketer Exchange website.
He is hoping to play cricket in England during the UK summer but in the meantime felt like playing in Mildura "would be a good challenge".
"I've played in Warrnambool my whole life so trying somewhere different, different conditions (was appealing)," he said.
"Obviously it's going to be a lot hotter up there and working through different pitches, facing bowlers I've never faced before."
Blacker scored 170 runs at 21.25 across last year's Warrnambool and District division one season, including a top-score of 44 in the Beavers' grand-final loss to Russells Creek.
He will keep wicket at Nichols Point and assumes he will bat somewhere inside the top-six.
The exciting prospect will commute to Mildura on game-day while he completes his high-school studies and will relocate there once completed.
Accommodation details are still being ironed out but he already has a job lined up through labour hire provider Prestige Staffing.
On his stint at Wesley, Blacker couldn't be more appreciative of the club and its role in his development.
"I had a great time at Wesley, I couldn't be more thankful for the past five years that I've had there," he said.
"There's a lot of great people at the club.
"It is a great club to play at.
"People like Matthew Owen and Nick Bolden, I owe a lot to for steering me through the past five years."
Blacker visited his new club during the week and said it was "really welcoming" and made him feel "at home".
He is aiming to at least play finals with Nichols Point and then head to the UK almost immediately after.
"I don't exactly know where I'll go but I know a lot of people who've been over and Nichols point was saying they've got a lot of connections, so I shouldn't have any trouble finding a club," he said.
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Matt Hughes
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
