South Australian opening batter Emma de Broughe has strengthened her position as one of the brightest future stars of the game, named the Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year at the annual Australian Cricket Awards night.
Joining the likes of SA teammate Darcie Brown and international stars Georgia Wareham, Georgia Redmayne and Sophie Molineux as winners of the player voted award, de Broughe paid tribute to her teammates and coaches for the roles they have played in her success.
“It means a lot. It’s pretty cool that it is voted by peers, so obviously a lot of highly respected players have voted, so it is a really cool thing and I am honoured to have won the award,” de Broughe said.
“Plenty of hitting balls, lots of coaches and teammates throwing me balls, so it has been a lot of sessions, but I get something different from every coach and player I work with. Even chats with bowlers after they’ve steamed in at me, so everyone has played a huge part and thank you to them.”
Opening the batting for South Australia in the WNCL, de Broughe has been a consistent and solid performer with the blade, amassing 278 runs this season, including a highest score of 90 off 120 deliveries against Queensland. Not dismissed until the final over of the innings, the right-hander anchored the Scorpions as wickets fell at the other end, ensuring her side set the Fire a defendable total.
A matchup against ACT at Karen Rolton Oval also drew out her best as she tallied 77 from 95 balls at the top of the order, building a partnership of 142 with fellow opener Bridget Patterson to set the foundation for victory.
Weber WBBL|09 also provided a platform for de Broughe to showcase her talent, playing seven games for the Melbourne Renegades, moving between an opening and middle-order position in the line-up. Her best moment came in a thrilling two-run victory over the Brisbane Heat, timing her knock of 42 off 35 deliveries perfectly.
A tough loss to the Hobart Hurricanes also presented an opportunity to stand up for the Renegades, sending eight deliveries crashing into the rope as she belted an unbeaten 40 from just 19 balls, a strike-rate of 210.
Spending time with past winners Sophie Molineux and Georgia Wareham while at the Renegades, de Broughe said WBBL|09 was a great opportunity to learn more about her game.
“I have played with Soph and Wolf with the Renegades, so it has been great to get to know them and build a relationship. They are outstanding players and so it is really cool to have won the award and it is awesome they have won it in the past. I am really grateful for that," she said.
“In cricket, you get better each season and develop your game a bit more and so hopefully things keep trending upwards. I hadn’t thought of myself winning this award, but it is cool to be recognised.”
The SA Scorpions have two WNCL fixtures remaining, taking on NSW at Cricket Central on 15 and 17 February.