Brigands Touring Team to Porto

Brigands CC
Aug 18
5 min read

Like fine wine and vintage port, Brigands have selected a well-aged beautiful squad for the forthcoming tour to Porto.

Mike Beardall; A spin bowling stalwart, with some nice batting partnerships, who is set to make a strong contribution on tour. With the Brigands since 1992, a previous Royal Naval Cricket Club chairman and Life Member of the MCC, this is a fitting end to a fun season of successes and failures - treating those two impostors just the same, before heading even further afield as one of the 'Brigands representatives' at the forthcoming Ashes Down Under. He's keeping his eye on both line and length just in case he's asked to step up whilst there. Ever hopeful and a top teamie, his motto is "it's the cricket that always wins".

Steve Blackburn; The Swiss-Army knife of the Brigands, who can turn his hand to whatever is required for the cause. An attacking batter, a dangerous slow bowler, a lovely smile, good energy, a deep-sea diver, a fair Umpire, and an assistant groundsman too.

Danny Dawson; Mainly a bowler who also enjoys batting, Danny gave up the ‘battle’ of league cricket 4 years ago to enjoy more ‘jazz hat’. Mainly play for Stragglers of Asia, South Oxford Amateurs, and Ibiza CC. He bowls straight and appeals convincingly, so he should be an asset.

Tom Ellis; A criminologist and the last remaining academic from Portsmouth University in the Portsmouth Academics. A late promotion to upper tail-end batting this season has been enjoyable, interspersed with bewitching loopy bowling when required. Has played cricket in Ireland and Belgium and as a speaker of seven languages and a fan of travel, wine, port, and cricket, he is looking forward to cricket in a fabulous location and meeting kindred spirits.

Mark Flewitt; A former all-rounder until his knees expressed negative opinions about bowling. Now an elegant batter, Mark is multi-lingual, green-fingered, and recently drove aid to Ukraine on a charity mission. Mark has been a Brigand for over 15 years but can claim no Royal Navy connections, other than a retired Commodore as a neighbour, and an ex-Royal Marine as a Godfather. Mark’s cricketing geography includes England, Wales, Germany, Holland, France and Argentina, and he is excited at adding Portugal to the list.

Dave Henderson; A cricket badger, Portugal marks the thirteenth country he will have played in. Dave's last weekend tour was in Belgium, where he Captained two successive tied matches in a weekend, and earlier this season he played (and got concussed) in the Rhino Cup in Kenya. Having retired from League cricket seven years ago, he fell into the Brigands and enjoys aiming for the Bat & Ball pub whenever he is at the crease.

Dougie Henderson; The youngest member, and fastest runner, of the touring Brigands, he is a hockey-playing mercurial batter who will need to mind the windows of the beautiful Oporto clubhouse if he gets going. If. Known for his witty banter from the boundary, he his looking forward to his first Port tasting, but under strict instruction to keep an eye on Dad.

Jim Morris; Once a Royal Marine, Jim returned to cricket at the Brigands in recent years in the pursuit of camaraderie and to bowl leg spin again. The former has been considerably more successful than the latter. He is looking forward to both the cultural aspects of the tour and how the Porto weather will affect the flight and the turn of a cricket ball if it lands!

Gerry Northwood; There is a vague and enduring memory of watching a bat be cut down for a three-year-old boy; he considers himself "extraordinarily lucky to become a left-handed batter and to be introduced to the finest ball game ever invented". Across the next 60 years, he has had the privilege to play, with mixed results, cricket on four continents, and had the joy of playing with fellow cricket travellers on many a beautiful ground in England, including at the “cradle of the game” on Broadhalfpenny Down.

Rupert Preece; A well-coached batter whose technique has for years masked a distinct lack of natural talent and has now passed the point where experience overcomes capability. Speed between the wickets is frequently overestimated by teammates. Currently participating in pre-tour heat and rehydration training while reading Lara’s biography, in his minds eye, there is a big innings still to be played. Hope springs eternal!

Dave Turner; All round impact, like Ian Botham or Ben Stokes, is what Dave brings to the Brigands. He is handy with both edges of the bat, deceptive with the ball, static behind the stumps, and unabating with his banter. It will be interesting to see if he can perform without his family fan club that attends most Brigands matches. A huge asset to the touring party.

Paul Whittle; A left-hand batter who once scored over 1,000 runs in a Surrey League season. For the last two decades has been leading the averages at Fareham, Paul also plays for Brigands, Portsmouth Academics, Forty (XL) Club, Further Friars, and Hampshire Hogs. A regular cricket traveller, he has played in Malta, Dubai, and Rwanda. Known for his signature “paddle” shots square and behind the wicket, Paul is a qualified umpire, so it's advisable not to question the judgements of the councillor magistrate!

Neil Wood; Woody was introduced to the Brigands in 2015 and the club has been on the up ever since. Nellie has more nicknames than he has runs and can be found most Sundays with a double-figure batting number. A founder member of the Brigands All Rounders Club, Woodster can often be found in All Rounders Corner reminiscing with like-minded All Rounders. Like Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, the Wood End at Broadhalfpenny Down is named after a crowd favourite.

Caroline Beardall (Scorer); Always trust the numbers is her motto. Diligently following the game on Broadhalfpenny Down or at Lord’s all will be fine unless you forget to provide her with the bowlers name, offer useful advice (such as why is the man in the white coat waving at you), or offer her a glass of champagne (or worse don't offer her a glass of champagne). Caroline is looking forward to helping England recover the Ashes Down Under.

Graham Peach (Man About Tour); The only bloke among a bevvy of glamorous female supporters, Graham counts his blessings. Twenty plus years a Brigand, his best shots are now played in his head from beyond the boundary rope! He was a Brigands co-captain, a middle-order batter with more ducks than tons, bowled tripe off-spin which yielded 260 wickets. His greatest claim is siring 3 talented Brigand sons! He is grateful to be alive and proud to represent the Peach clan on tour.