Eventually you get to that point in your career when you look around the changing room and realise you have been in the team longer than just about everyone else.
That is Neil Broom's lot now.
The experienced middle-order batsman has returned to Otago this season after spending last summer playing for Canterbury.
A veteran of 110 first-class games, 78 of them for Otago, the 31-year-old left Dunedin last year to begin preparing for life after cricket.
He moved to Christchurch to finish off his carpentry apprenticeship but wife Melissa was keen to return.
The couple have two boys, Connor (4) and Luie (2), and Dunedin feels more like home.
So the Brooms returned.
The right-hander has put his apprenticeship on hold while he pursues his dream to play county cricket in England.
He has signed a two-year deal to play for Derbyshire.
But in the meantime, he is focused on scoring runs for Otago and helping the province lift some silverware.
He has made a good start, scoring an unbeaten 131 in Otago's opening Plunket Shield match against Central Districts last week.
His innings was crucial in helping the team escape Napier with a draw.
''You probably did not want to miss out that pitch,'' Broom said.
''It was good to be back in Otago colours and score another 100.''
It was Broom's 16th first-class hundred and 13th for Otago.
He is now level with Glenn Turner, who also scored 13 hundreds for Otago.
Only Craig Cumming (21), Bert Sutcliffe (17) and Ken Rutherford (14) have scored more hundreds for the province.
Broom has scored 4749 first-class runs for Otago (at an average of 42.40) and could end the season as Otago's third-most prolific scorer.
Cumming tops the list with 6589 runs from Bert Sutcliffe (6028).
Their totals are safe for now, but Bruce Blair (5057), Ken Rutherford (5051) and Aaron Redmond (4795) may shuffle down one by autumn.
Broom could eclipse Redmond's total today.
The Volts' round-two match against Canterbury at Hagley Oval gets under way this morning and Broom, along with Brad Wilson and Sam Wells, is one of the key players in a very green line-up.
A raft of early-season injuries and New Zealand A and Black Caps commitments have stripped the Volts of 16 players.
Understandably, the team has a cobbled-together look.
''Obviously they are going to look to guys like us to step up, not only with the bat in hand but to help these inexperienced guys through.
''It is good to see some older faces back in, like Dion Lobb last week, and Sean Eathorne is back.
''He is a player I always rated quite highly. It is a good chance for these guys.''
It has been nine years since Eathorne last played a first-class game, although he has played in some limited-over fixtures during that time.
Broom said there were two sides to the pitch block at Hagley Oval. One half is Kakanui clay and the other is Waikari clay.
The Kakanui side produces more pace and bounce and he is hopeful the game will be played on that half to help Otago's inexperienced seam attack.
Canterbury suffered a nine-wicket loss to Auckland in the opening round. Like Otago, the defending champion has also had to reshuffle its line-up.
Black Caps Tom Latham and Matt Henry are unavailable due to national duty, Todd Astle, Henry Nicholls and Edward Nuttall have New Zealand A commitments, and spinner Theo van Woerkom is ruled out with a rotator cuff injury.
Otago v Canterbury
Hagley Oval, October 23-26
Otago: Ryan Duffy, Brad Wilson, Sean Eathorne, Neil Broom, Sam Wells (captain), Josh Finnie, Roald Badenhorst, Nick Beard, Adam Miles, Michael Rae, Jack Hunter, Rhys Phillips.
Canterbury: Peter Fulton (captain), Leo Carter, Andrew Ellis, Cameron Fletcher, Ronnie Hira, Tim Johnston, Ken McClure, Cole McConchie, Ryan McCone, Henry Shipley, Logan van Beek, Will Williams.
