CITY Colts stalwart Kent Braden will enter the club and league’s history books when he steps out for his 300th A grade game on Saturday.
Braden has had one of the great all-time careers which has spanned across two decades after he made his A grade debut in 1999.
Since then the hard hitting all-rounder has gone on to make 6488 A grade runs and take 545 poles.
With City Colts he has won 10 club championships along with numerous other awards, while he has also won 17 league awards, including two Chronicle Trophies and six player of the year awards.
It’s an impressive line of stats and something Braden could never even dream of happening.
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“As a kid coming through you’re just hoping to play one A grade game let alone 300,” Braden said.
“Early days I loved playing with mates and legends of the club, people like Gary Lidgerwood and Mick Lappin were people I’ll treasure playing with.
“I also got to play with my old man (Maurie), myself and Aaron (brother) played with him for a couple of years and those were great times – apart from when I dropped a catch off his bowling.”
Braden’s maiden premiership in the 2018/19 season marked a stunning run through the 2010s when the Colts played in six grand finals before winning one.
He made nine and took 1/20 from 24 overs in that 2018/19 premiership win.
“It got to the stage where you just didn’t think it would happen,” he said.
“I walked into that 2018/19 grand final against Yarrawonga almost not caring about the result because we’d lost that many that it didn’t matter if we’d lose another one, it was a bit of a weird feeling and it sort of took the pressure off a little bit.
“To finally get that flag was really special.”
While it was a tough time when the Colts couldn’t win the final game of the season year after year, Braden remembers them as some of his favourite times.
“Yes it was tough but it wasn’t hard turning up year after year because they were some of the most fun times playing,” he said.
“A few years we got really lucky to make the final through a few extraordinary results in the semis, we won from places we shouldn’t have.
“They were really enjoyable times.”
Braden has made four 100s and taken five wickets on 20 occasions, along with two 10 wicket hauls but his top score of 124 against Corowa stands out the most.
“I made 100 against Corowa, 120-odd and that’s an innings with the bat that stands out the most I reckon,” he said.
“I also made an 80-odd in the early days against Wangaratta Magpies when they had the likes of Duane Kerwin and Ian Rundell bowling so that one told me I could compete at the level.
“And then with the ball I had a couple of 10 wicket matches which resulted in outrights which were special.”
Throughout the years he has played in a mammoth 19 country weeks and won the competition’s individual player award on one occasion.
While for some, Country Week is not worth the effort, for Braden it was never one to be missed.
“I really enjoyed Country Week,” Braden said.
“For me it was a no-brainer, as someone who loved cricket going down and playing four or five games in Melbourne with like-minded people was really enjoyable.
“You’d get to play on good grounds against some of the better players in the state and have to back it up day after day so they were good times.”
Braden partnered with some City Colts legends throughout his career and will forever cherish those moments.
“There’s so many gun players that I’ve played with,” he said.
“Early days playing with Jeremy Carr was great and then the likes of Sandy Waters, Nathan Younger and learning from Gary Lidgerwood was awesome.
“Mick Lappin is someone who has had a huge impact on me as well.
“’Slimma’ (Justin Solimo) and I have played around 250 A grade games together, we did a lot of travelling to away games together and share a lot of interests so he’s a great mate and not having him in the A grade set up has been a bit strange.
“And then in more recent times both of the Willett boys (Isaac and Oliver), Hayden Murray and Nick Norris are all guns.”
Along with his list of accolades, Braden also captained City Colts for nine years in total which he believed was best for his cricket.
“Being captain seemed to bring the best out of me,” he said.
“Having some responsibility really drove me and I feel like I played my best cricket as captain.
“Mitch (Giggins) is doing a really good job now and Josh Nanson is someone who I see could be a really good captain.”
And now with limited time left in the game, it’s the escape that cricket provides that gives Braden the most pleasure.
“Cricket’s an outlet from work and life for me now,” he said.
“I made 40-odd the other week and even though that’s only a start, the feeling of batting for 20 overs is something you can only get from cricket.
“I love hanging around with mates and having a beer with the opposition and teammates after the game.
“Cricket has given me a lot and I’m incredibly grateful for it.”
City Colts have been in a rebuild since their premiership win but look to have a plethora of talented youngsters that can take the club forward.
“There’s a lot of young guys at the club now that can get the club back to where we belong,” he said.
“Jed Marek has really stepped up, we’ve introduced Allister Brett in recent times and Archie Crispin has been really impressive.
“The Nanson boys (Josh and Tyler) are super talented too so if they all stick around and apply themselves I can really see the club rising again.”
