An opening bowler blessed with pace and hostility as a young cricketer, Broadhurst was described as ‘fast medium’ when he joined Nottinghamshire – that perceptible distinction being perhaps indicative of the problems he was having with his action and his confidence.
He made his First-Class debut for Yorkshire in 1991 and appeared for England Young Cricketers and the country's Under-19s, with some notable successes but never secured a regular spot in the First XI. He was released by his native county - he was born on 20 June 1974 in Worsborough, Barnsley - at the end of 1994, having played in just five First-Class games and a single Sunday League match.
He moved to Trent Bridge in 1995 but a shin muscle injury developed during pre-season practice and he missed virtually the whole summer. His only First-Class match for Notts was v Oxford University at The Park in May 1996, when he failed to take a wicket - not entirely surprising as fewer than 43 overs were played in a scheduled three-day fixture.
Mark Broadhurst was released by Notts after two seasons and left the professional game until 1999 when Kent offered him a trial, having scouted him in league cricket. Again, his fragile confidence and form meant that he could not take advantage of that opportunity and his county career ended.
He moved to Canada in 2010 and has made a life and career, now running his own IT company.
In 2021, Mark Broadhurst gave an honest and occasionally raw interview to The Cricketer magazine about his mental health problems and his unfulfilled cricketing promise: read Mark's account here
March 2021
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 537
See Mark Broadhurst's career stats here