Bruce was a hard tackling midfield back with an attacking flair he successfully hid from spectators and team mates alike. During his off seasons with Rugby he turned out for the Union Cricket Club where remarkably he was able to get a spot in the senior team. He was an opening batsman at the non striking end, especially if his brother Russell was the facing batsman. Bruce never figured out that his verbal sparring spurred the quick's to bowl faster, meaner and shorter to Russell.

Bruce scored 2 senior centuries and finished his career in the top 30 runs gatherers for the club. Opposition bowlers concluded he probably never played a shot in anger, and that his bat was merely an extension of his pad.

Bruce was occasionally asked to bowl his medium pacers with a propeller like action that was largely ineffectual. However thanks to his best friend who could catch anything and everything, Bruce managed to take wickets with some regularity. Bruce and Legs Lambert were likened as a partnership to Lillee and Marsh, and less flatteringly to Hudson and Halls.

Bruce was a keen Easter Tourist, and there are many tales that cannot be repeated in a public website. He won several trophies on his regular tours to Naseby, most of them in the Mai Mai's rather than on the cricket pitches throughout Central Otago.

Bruce would have been rewarded for the amount of time and effort he put into producing the best wicket in Oamaru. Unfortunately until Bruce left the region (under dubious circumstances) no-one had any idea how much time he put in. The groundsman who picked up after him considered Bruce would have put in up to 15 hours per wicket to produce such good wickets. Thankfully he was so lonely that this had no impact on his social life.(May 2008)

(Thanks to John Crombie for submitting this profile).