 In the 2003–04 SuperSport Series, after a missable first innings, de Bruyn top scored with 169 to help Easterns claim the title for the first time.His first-class batting average prior to this was a meagre 29.61, while his batting average since is over 40.In 2003–04 he became only the second player in South African cricket, after Barry Richards, to score 1000 domestic first-class runs in a season, in either the SuperSport Series or the Currie Cup.