Brigands v London New Zealand, 17 May 2026

Dave Henderson
May 18
3 min read

There are two nations, both with populations of around 5 million, that the rest of the world finds it impossible to dislike. Norway: stubbornly egalitarian and stoic, and New Zealand: understated, similarly self-reliant, and Olympic overachievers.

May 17 is Norway's Constitution Day, and it also marks a month until the football World Cup. There was a legendary sports broadcast at the final whistle in 1981 after Norway beat England 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier in Oslo. The commentator, Bjørge Lillelien, abandoned all pretence of impartiality and delivered two minutes of nationalist joy, naming every great English institution he could recall, Lord Nelson, Winston Churchill, Henry Cooper, Clement Attlee included, and informing each of them, one by one, that their boys had taken one hell of a beating.

The Kiwi connection with Broadhalfpenny Down runs deep. London New Zealand has visited for many years and in 2021 Kane Williamson brought the ICC World Test Championship mace to the ground. He stood at the cradle of the game his country had just proved itself the world's best at, and posed for photographs. That image hangs now on the wall of the Bat and Ball.

The afternoon began in bright sunshine, twenty degrees and a flat pitch. Satellite maps were consulted, and as a 6pm deluge was incoming, the captains agreed a 30-over game. Brigands won the toss and invited the visitors to bat, reasoning that a roast dinner at the Bat and Ball might take the edge off. It did not.

Ben Fulton hit 55 in eleven overs, clean and authoritative. One of the Kiwi sixes cleared the rope, landed in the pub garden and bounced into the field behind. Neil Wood bowled a rare maiden, dropped a sharp chance at cover, then got two wickets in consecutive balls. Ewan Lovett-Turner typified village cricket with a wide from his first ball, a two-bounce no-ball from his second, and a wicket with his third.

London New Zealand finished on 214-8; more than seven an over required.

The Turner Family Tea fortified the Brigands for the chase: first-class sausage rolls, cupcakes in close contention, and a ginger cake voted sweet-treat of the day. The Lovett-Turner, Bates, and Preece families were among the guests.

Jake Peach was composed, and his authoritative 50 was the backbone of a genuinely valiant reply (a bottle of Kiwi wine, duly awarded). Lovett-Turner hit 28 runs and Dave Turner struck two sixes; Rafi Abdeen added one.

Brigands scored 68 off the first 10 overs, 50 off the next 10, and needed 96 from the final set. A target of 9.6 runs per over against a more athletic side demands sacrifice, and it came: Rafi and Adam Jay ran themselves out in the cause, Guy Ladenburg was caught on the rope from his very first ball.

Mark Flewitt, back from three weeks in Antarctica and playing his first game of the season, conceded that his batting resembled that of a penguin. He was welcomed back regardless.

By the final over and with 27 needed, the sunshine was a distant memory. The temperature had dropped ten degrees, the wind had risen off the hill, and the sky had closed to the colour of a disputed lbw. The scorers, Caroline and James, were wearing coats and scarves and shared an infra-red heater.

Against a side that had the legs and the years on them, the Brigands had given everything the occasion asked. Williamson, from the wall of the Bat and Ball, would have approved of the spirit.

London New Zealand 214-8 beat Brigands 195-8 by 19 runs