The 34-year-old always planned to return to Dunedin and resume his career with Otago. But he left it too long to get the band back together.
The left-armer was a regular member of the Otago first-class team in the mid-2000s and forged an impressive partnership with medium pacer and great friend Warren McSkimming. The pair reigned supreme on the then fledgling University Oval pitch. Neither was express in pace but their niggly line and length was just the ticket on what was often a green seamer.
The wickets flowed. McSkimming took 67 wickets at an average of 14.38 at the Oval, and Scott has 54 wickets at 17.24, though not all of them have been for Otago.
Scott broke up the partnership when he moved to Hamilton with wife Jennie in 2008. The couple and their three daughters - Maia (5), Lucie (2) and Olivia (1) - returned to Dunedin last year.
Chronic back pain got the better of McSkimming and he retired last summer. The pair had hoped to play together again.
''That won't happen again. Maybe at the Masters Games?'' Scott said.
Scott is a fulltime teacher at King's High School but has remained committed to cricket and should get an opportunity to add to his 143 wickets for the province when Otago hosts Auckland at the University Oval in a Plunket Shield fixture beginning tomorrow.
Otago will name its side today but the Volts are desperately short of frontline seamers. James McMillan, Blair Soper and Ian Butler are sidelined with injury, and Neil Wagner and Jimmy Neesham are on test duty for the Black Caps.
''It is nice to get an opportunity but it is unfortunate that four or five contracted bowlers are out,'' Scott said.
''It is not the ideal way to get an opportunity but hopefully I can take it with both hands and represent those guys as well as myself.''
Scott has been training with Otago and has been playing club cricket for Green Island. But whether he is up to the rigours of a four-day game remains to be seen.
He played for Otago in its opening Plunket Shield game against Wellington at the Basin Reserve in October and had trouble with both his Achilles tendons.
Balancing his busy family life with work while trying to squeeze in bowling practice is a juggling act but he is happy to do it.
''Cricket is not forever. I always wanted to come back to Otago if I could and am just excited about getting that opportunity.
''I guess I played [for Otago] at a time when the University Oval wicket was still settling down and I was fortunate to get a few bags here. Hopefully we can turn back the clock.''
Conditions have changed at the University Oval. Wickets do not come quite as easily as they did when McSkimming and Scott were operating in tandem.
''It flattens out pretty quickly these days and you've got to go a bit straighter and be disciplined in terms of not giving any freebies away.
''Four-day cricket, to me, has always been about being more patient than the opposition. That is how I've always picked up my wickets, as well as bowling on a couple of dirty green ones.
''That is the game, isn't it? It is a game of patience.''
Actually, Otago cannot afford to be that patient. Canterbury has an 18-point buffer at the top of the table with just two rounds remaining. Otago leads the chasing pack and will be desperate for an outright victory against Auckland to help close the gap.
Plunket Shield: University Oval, starts tomorrow
Otago (possible): Aaron Redmond, Neil Broom, Michael Bracewell, Jesse Ryder, Brad Rodden, Nathan McCullum, Sam Wells, Derek de Boorder, Mark Craig, Bradley Scott, Jacob Duffy, Nick Beard.
Auckland: Jeet Raval, Tim McIntosh, Martin Guptill, Anaru Kitchen, Craig Cachopa, Colin Munro, Colin de Grandhomme, Gareth Hopkins, Michael Bates, Matt Quinn, Bhupinder Singh, Dean Bartlett.
