Brigands v Seagullians, 13 July 2025
- Dave Henderson
- Jul 18
- 3 min read
On the 250th anniversary of John Small’s first hundred in first-class cricket, achieved at Broadhalfpenny Down, it was fitting that a three-figure score was recorded in the match against the alumni of St Andrews University.
Unfortunately for the Brigands it was scored by the Seagullians' opening batter on a day when the extreme heat, short boundary, and parched outfield got the better of the home team.
The customary byes and dropped catches were compounded by a late arrival and then a pulled calf muscle that forced the Captain, Ewan Lovett-Turner, off the field and substituted by his talented teenage daughter, Martha.
The runs came thick and fast; the hundred came up in the fifteenth over, the two hundred in the twenty-eighth over, and a sporting declaration came after 32 overs at 252-2 (the highest score of the season).
Liam Shrehorn bowled better than his figures of 0-53 off 8 overs whilst Neil Wood was flattered by his figures of 1-47 off 7 overs. Mike Beardall leaked 65 runs and the only positive from the below-par Dave Henderson dropping a catch and conceding 22 runs in 1 over was that it brought forward the declaration.
After tea, Brigands front-loaded the batting order; Guy Ladenburg and Adam Jay opened and took the score, effortlessly, to 36.
But in the blink of an eye, Ladenburg (23) was bowled middle stump, then we lost Adam and his son, Zeb Jay, in the same over.
Dougie Henderson (31) and Dave Turner (52) came together in a partnership of 80 runs scored quickly; both hit the ball over the top of the infield and were prepared to take risks. For the first time in living memory, there was a “7” recorded in the scorebook when 4 overthrows were added to 3 runs hit to long-on.
The pitch side barbecue was fired up, and Seagullians rotated their bowlers as Brigands chased down 135 from the last 20 overs.
Turner raised his lovely new bat to celebrate his half-century, and there were emotional tears and loud applause from his family around The Monument. At last. Meanwhile, Liam Shrehorn was going well and hit six boundaries and ran on every ball as the run rate came down, but he was losing batting partners.
It was 16 runs to win from 12 balls with 2 wickets in hand. A swipe, a miss hit, some quick singles, and then a caught and bowled as Wood trudged back to the pavilion after a useful 17.
With Shrehorn on strike and 10 needed from the last over all results were possible; two singles scampered from the first two balls, a two, a dot ball, and then Shrehorn was caught by the wicketkeeper on 48, which meant substitute Richie Hay came in, last man, with four runs needed to tie. Hay, an unlikely hero sporting a white wide-brimmed floppy hat, drove the last ball for a single, and the match was drawn.
The players retired for a cold shower and a hot dog or two, and reflected on how timed cricket can throw up an enjoyable, and close, 500-run match despite the gulf in talent between the two teams. More of the same next year please.
Seagullians 253-2 declared drew with Brigands 250-9
With thanks to Kris Newton for additional photographs
Some excellent action photos!