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29 JOIN OUR MAILING LIST FOR ALL THE LATEST: TRENTBRIDGE.CO.UK/MAILINGLIST KATHRYN BRYCE F rom leading Scotland to the ICC T20Women’sWorld Cup, to winning Player of the Final andTournament in the Charlotte Edwards Cup and secur- ing the PCA Player of theYear title – the list of accolades chalked up by Kath- ryn Bryce this season is, quite frankly, mind-blowing. And that’s not even all of them. It’s safe to say, she’s been deserving of every single one. Her rich vein of form has been nothing short of sublime – her consistency unparalleled. Such is the breadth of her achievements this year, it’s difficult to know where to start as we chat in the public address room at Trent Bridge. She, however, is not overawed by the season she’s enjoyed – more focused, instead, on the new surroundings. “You know, I’ve never been up here before!” she exclaims. She is often too busy, in fairness, contributing match-winning performances at the ground she is now looking over – and several others around the world. “Leading Scotland to our first T20 World Cup was pretty special,” she finally admits, reflecting on the nation’s success in the IT20 Global Qualifier Tournament in May, where she won her first of multiple Player of the Tournament titles this year. Reaching theWorld Cup was a momen- tous achievement for the ScottishWomen’s side; they were seeded fifth for the qualifier tournament. That fact instils immense pride in their captain, who took 4-8 against Ireland to book her side’s place on the biggest stage. “When you think about it, the honour it is to say you’ve been able to captain your country in aWorld Cup is brilliant,” Bryce says. “I’ve really grown into captaincy in the last couple of years – I understand my role as a player well but I’ve been able to take who I am as a person into my role as a captain, rather than doing what you think other people think a captain should do.” The responsibility clearly has not proved too much for Bryce, who also led Lightning prior to best friend and former flatmate, Kirstie Gordon, taking the reins when they became The Blaze. Her fellow Scot has led the side with aplomb, with theTrent Bridge-based outfit finishing as runners up in both the Charlotte Edwards Cup and Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in Gordon’s first year in post. This year,The Blaze secured convincing wins over Central Sparks and South East Stars on Finals Day at the County Ground, Derby, to lift the T20 trophy after winning 10 of their 11 group stage games. “We really wanted to go out, put our foot down and show what we can do,” Bryce states. “It’s hard going into a final like that when you’ve dominated the tournament, because really it doesn’t matter what’s come before. “We were really proud with how we “I’VE REALLY GROWN INTO CAPTAINCY IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS – I UNDERSTAND MY ROLE AS A PLAYER WELL BUT I’VE BEEN ABLE TO TAKE WHO I AM AS A PERSON INTO MY ROLE AS A CAPTAIN.” Kathryn Bryce