UNTIL recently, Toby Gray commuted between Newcastle and Sydney for cricket.
Summer after summer, kilometre after kilometre, Belmont product Gray was putting in the hard yards and long hours to follow a sporting dream.
The 21-year-old, having turned down an unofficial chance at relocating states and also overcoming stress fractures in his back, now finds himself within reach of a Sheffield Shield debut.
"It's a pretty awesome feeling," Gray told the Newcastle Herald after Blues training on Monday.
"Just to get the recognition for all of the hard work that I've put in over the last few years.
"You make a lot of sacrifices to be down here in Sydney and put all the time into training and playing and going away to competitions.
"It's good to get noticed for that."
Whether or not he gets named on the teamsheet at Tuesday's coin toss remains to be seen, however, rookie Gray dreams of having his maiden run for NSW at some stage.
"At the moment I'm just focusing on this game and if I get the chance to play, the NSW side has been something that I've been aiming for and I've been looking forward to for a long time," he said.
"I've just got to soak it up and do the best I can if I get an opportunity."
Gray, a Valentine junior and Belmont senior, was only 14 when making his first-grade debut in Newcastle under former NSW Country all-rounder Mark Littlewood.
The following campaign in 2016-17 he helped Belmont clinch the minor premiership and although missing the two-day and T20 finals with other commitments, played in a Tom Locker Cup one-day decider.
Gray, a former member of the Cricket Australia pathways group, joined Sydney club Northern Districts full-time in 2019-20 and was part of last season's first-grade showdown.
He has now clocked up half-a-dozen Second XI appearances for ACT, starting last summer and continuing in 2022-23, but only last week was elevated for NSW against hosts Tasmania in the same national competition.
"I've kind of known for a little while that I was there or thereabouts being in the Second XI squad and around the guys at Blues training," he said.
"But it happened fairly quickly over the last month or so with availabilities, an injury or two and a couple of guys in the Aussie squad."
Gray and Thunder offie Chris Green, also in line to make his Shield debut for NSW, form the spin attack at club level with NDs. He was alongside Blues vice-captain Jason Sangha in Darwin during the winter break.
