Richardson has competed in his home town event “plenty of times before” but this Saturday night at Newcastle Entertainment Centre the 19-year-old will make his debut at the Brendon Clark Invitational.

The event, named in honour of Morpeth raised Clark, brings together 22 of the best bull riders from Australia and across the world.

Richardson’s hat has been thrown in the ring after what has been a stellar 12 months for the softly spoken and shaggy haired teenager.

He joined the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Australia Tour late last year and after strong performances in the regional Touring Pro Series made the decision to test his wares against top quality opposition in the sport’s heartland – the US.

This paid off immediately for Richardson with a startling debut in the Cup Series feeder program with a $38,000 win in Uncasville, Connecticut, where he was the sole rider to cover all four bulls.

People quickly sat up and took notice.

Richardson now sits number one on the rankings for World Title rookie and Australian rookie of the year, while he is second in the race for the Australian title.

In the national standings he is narrowly behind Dave Kennedy, which puts greater emphasis on the upcoming Brendan Clark Invitational and the following Brisbane Invitational (July 14) and PBR National Finals in Sydney (July 21).

But not a bad position to be in for Richardson, who is fulfilling a boyhood dream that was born as a 10-year-old.

“When we were younger me and my two older brothers [Tim and Cliff] used to do our local rodeos in Dungog and after having a go I just kept riding,” he said.

“It [going to the US] was something I always wanted to do – big money, the top bulls and the best riders in the world.”

Richardson joins Clark, Seaham’s Ben Jones and Rothbury’s Jason O’Hearn as the local contingent for Saturday’s event, while Port Macquarie’s Farley brothers, Jared and Pete, are part of the Australian squad.

The international line up includes Matt Bohan, Havre Stewart and Chase Outlaw.

Gates open at 6.30pm.