Two hundred and fifty years ago, the forebears of the Brigands were arguing about whether to introduce a third stump, while the forebears of the Butterflies were fighting over America. In August 1776, the Hambledon Club were debating matters across the road at the Bat and Ball; the two-stump wicket had been letting bowlers down for years, and a third stump was agreed on the grounds that it would shorten the game. At the same time, politicians who had progressed from one of th