On Sunday evening, Robbie Savage opened his radio phone-in with a question for the nation: which square on the Monopoly board best describes each of the four World Cup semi-finalists? The first caller offered England as Coventry Street. At Broadhalfpenny Down this weekend, the Brigands were Pall Mall and the Old Seagullians were Park Lane. The Old Seagullians are alumni of St Andrews University. In the Eighteenth Century, when the Hambledon Club was shaping the laws of cricke

Esteemed historian and author, Stephen Saunders, sent in an amateur radio "postcard featuring The Monument to the Glory of Cricket at Broadhalfpenny Down. Amateur radio postcards carried more than times, dates, and crackling voices. They carried place. This 1988 "QSL card", sent after a contact on 3.723 MHz, turns a routine confirmation into a small act of local pride. The sender, E. J. Gamble, asks for a reply, lists Hambledon as the station location, and frames the exchange

Cricket doesn't get closer than this, and Simon Arnold was there with his camera for both innings 31 May 2026, Brigands 210-7 beat Wellington Wanderers 209 all out by 1 run Broadhalfpenny Down, with flags flying, is ready to host a touring team from New Zealand Northwood starts to accelerate. Blackburn survived an early edge but went on to hit a magnificent 25. Brigands going for attacking shots are out! Abdeen, Turner and Peach all bowled, Wood caught at Long Off. The elega

Broadhalfpenny Down, 4.30pm on 11th June 2026 Hear ye, Hear ye, calling all Brigands, Hambledon Cricketers and villagers, especially our ladies and our youngsters. If you would like to learn how cricket was played on Broadhalfpenny Down in the 18th Century, please join us for an early evening of fun on Thursday, 11th June, as we replicate cricket played to the original laws of 1772, with two stumps and underarm pitch bowling. If you would like to join in, please contact Mike

Nine men and a boy with links to the theatre and stage arrived at Broadhalfpenny Down to find eleven Brigands with links to a bat and a ball. There were picnics in the shade of the trees, kids with ice lollies, games of Kwik Cricket by the Monument, 80th birthday celebrations, and the sound of champagne corks popping alongside the occasional sound of leather on willow. Club favourite, Nick Harris CB MBE, umpired "both ends". He was seen wiping his brow in sweltering temperat

Over thirty years, an American coach, Bruce Brown, observed the impact parents have on their sport-playing adolescents. Athletes were asked what their parents said that made them feel great or amplified their joy during and after a game. Their overwhelming response: "I love to watch you play." Parents were in good number at Broadhalfpenny Down for the visit of the Sons of Bacchus, a jovial multi-generational team who sported an array of interesting cricket caps and more lawye

Before Lord’s, before Test matches, before the Ashes, there was a chalk ridge in rural Hampshire. Hambledon’s Broadhalfpenny Down became cricket’s first big stage, and where the modern game began to take shape.

Broadhalfpenny Down Marks a Landmark Year in Style Following last year's fundraising, we have been busy during the winter months upgrading the pavilion. We have begun improving the car park area to cope with wet days, thanks to the support of Winchester City Council. We have installed a new hot water system and heating to ensure our visitors are comfortable. Thank you to everyone involved who have put in so much time and effort over the winter. 2026 is a celebratory year with

On match days in the 18th century, cricket at Hambledon was as much about money as runs. For a typical fixture, about 20,000 people would descend on Broadhalfpenny Down, two miles outside the village, arriving with horses from as far away as Reading, Tonbridge Wells and London. The crowd needed feeding and watering, and an entire pop-up economy obliged: tents and banners selling food and drink, punch and pies, and stalls offering bats alongside bookmakers’ ledgers. Tradesmen