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Young Player of the Year 2005

Nathan Brodie

Nathan Brodie: Debut: 2003.

Time may not yet have wearied him but it has certainly mellowed the man called Bloodaxe. In the early stages of his career he was inclined to stomp around the outfield like a distempered rhino. However, in recent times he has calmed the volcanic temper that earned him his original nickname and while he is still prone to the odd Freeman-related eruption (to say nothing of advising the occasional departing batsman to put that on their onion bhaji) it is a much more relaxed individual who now prowls the covers.

While his bowling has yet to develop as once anticipated, Brodie’s batting and fielding continue to go from strength to strength. The club’s Young Player of the Year in 2005, Brodie overcame a duck-strewn start to the 2006 campaign to top 500 runs for the first time. He has essentially eliminated his unfortunate habit of charging down the track and missing the ball but there remains an element of all or nothing about his batting. While some batsmen do not feel established at the crease until they have reached 20, seasoned Brodie watchers can generally tell if the man is in line for a big innings. If he gets past five he has a fair chance of going on to make a half century.

Despite a number of fifties Brodie has yet to secure his maiden century for the club. He may have a cover drive like Michael Vaughan but he also has the same number of one day centuries as the England star managed in the shorter version of the game.

However, despite his fine displays at the crease Brodie is perhaps at his best in the field where he is indisputably regarded as the club’s premier fielder. He claimed a staggering 25 catches in 2006 and consistently saves runs in the covers and in the outfield, throwing himself around with reckless abandon and an enthusiasm that some could only dream of replicating. Despite his prowess in the field he will never be able to live down his infamous lecture on fielding at Therfield where he postulated loudly and at length on why everyone dropped chances but he never missed one – until he grassed a sitter some 10 minutes later.

When he arrived at the club as a fresh-faced teenager in 2003 Brodie used to shun the bar vowing that he would never succumb to the demon rum. He has been as good as his word – rum is never on the menu as he settles for a healthy blend of Stella Artois and Jack Daniel’s.