The Netherlands� newest international recruit, 20-year-old Sydney-born fast bowler Timm van der Gugten, will play for VOC in the Topklasse next season, the Rotterdam club has announced.

Van der Gugten, who made his first-class debut for New South Wales in November, has been included in the Dutch squad which will be participating in the Calypso Cup in the West Indies from next week. He is currently the leading wicket-taker in the Sydney first-grade competition, with 28 wickets at 14.21.

In Rotterdam he will be able to form a new-ball partnership with another Dutch international, Ashan Malik Jamil, and a strong VOC seam attack will also include the promising youth international Dirk van Baren.

The fact that he will be playing in the Netherlands in the summer also raises the prospect of his inclusion in the Dutch side for the coming season's Clydesdale Bank 40 League.

VOC supporters will be further encouraged by the news that last season�s player-coach, Wade Townsend, who made the most runs in the competition in 2011, hitting 796 runs at 66.33, including four centuries, and helped them to fourth position in the table. He has again been in good form in the Australian summer, making 502 runs in six Sheffield Shield games, with an undefeated 166 against South Australia his best first-class score.

Townsend has also done well in the Brisbane grade competition, and has made 383 runs for his Toombul club, at an average of 47.88.

With other young players from their own junior ranks, like batsman Tim de Kok and wicketkeeper Tim Ruyters, and plenty of experience in the form of captain Maarten van Ierschot � not to mention former international Bas Zuiderent � VOC seem likely be a force to reckon with in the Topklasse in the coming season.