Brigands v Stragglers of Asia, 26 July 2026
- Dave Henderson
- Jul 28
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 28
The Stragglers of Asia are perhaps the best-travelled side on the Brigands' fixture list, so we turn to the author Pete McCarthy for guidance. In his 2000 book about a journey round Ireland, McCarthy set down a numbered list of Rules of Travel; never given in full, the numbers jumping about, which was the joke.
He died in 2004, aged fifty-two, with a third book unfinished. The Brigands have taken his list and revised it. A good number were observed on Sunday, and one of them decided the match.
The Stragglers turned a hundred last season. Their origin belongs to Colonel P B Sanger of the Royal Artillery, stationed at Ambala in the early 1920s and invited by the Maharajah of Patiala to bring a side up to Chail each summer; a ground made by cutting the top off a Himalayan peak at seven thousand feet.
They played cricket, they played billiards, and they contested the whisky stakes with enthusiasm. Membership once required two years' residence east of Suez. The rule has relaxed since, but India remains the heartland, with Hong Kong, Singapore and Sri Lanka woven through the club ever since.
The Brigands travel too; naval postings, bucket-list trips, family holidays, winters spent playing in Australia. In the past year photographs of the Brigands cap have arrived from China, Antarctica, India, Norway, Mauritius and Kenya. Rule 14 holds: however remote the outpost, someone will have found the cricket on the radio. Sit down next to them.
Brigands batted. Paul Whittle opened the account with a back-foot cut, Rafi Abdeen hit four boundaries in quick order, and then the afternoon turned. Slow left-armer Tom Whyte found drift with the wind, and the umpire's finger went up four times: Whittle for 10, Rafi Abdeen for 17, Dave Henderson for 13, and Mike Beardall for 6. Four leg-befores and forty-nine runs on the scoreboard.
Enter Jake Peach and Jim Morris. The pair took the score to 100 in the twenty-seventh over and 200 in the thirty-ninth. Morris made 58 from 90 balls, most of them off the front foot: high-elbowed cover drives of the sort coaches photograph, and firm punches through the wide mid-on region where nobody was standing.
Whyte, who finished with 4 for 66, eventually bowled him. The stand of 160 is a new Brigands fifth-wicket record, beating the 119 put together by J Musters and M Sharman in 2015.
Peach finished unbeaten on 105 from 69 balls with three sixes. His father Graham, who was guesting for the Stragglers (both sides were a man short, for different reasons), found himself with the best seat in the house for the most watchable innings of the Brigands' season.
In a frenetic close, Steve Blackburn arrived with a go-big-or-go-home attitude and went home first ball. Dave Turner and John Brehaut lasted four deliveries between them. Neil Wood hit his first ball for four. Interestingly, it was the first time Brigands have lost eight or more wickets without a single batter being caught.
Factoring in the small boundary, fast outfield, ten fielders, and no seam bowling in reserve, Henderson called the batters in at 234 for 8 off 43 overs in accordance with Rule 9: always declare early enough to lose.
At tea there was a toast to Mike Halliwell, who died in June aged 83. A Straggler and a bon viveur, he averaged a modest 16 with the bat and managed this fixture for years. He is better remembered for the bottle of port he kept on the boundary, from which every dismissed batsman received a generous glass on his way to the pavilion. Hence Rule 17: never refuse a glass of port from a man on the boundary; he watched you get out and he means well.
Tea with cake, speeches, and a port toast
Wood and Abdeen opened the bowling, and seven bowlers in all. The Stragglers, who are wily, went about the chase without fuss; 40 for 1 off ten, then 112 for 2 off twenty-three.
Charles Reece made 16, Ian Perry 25, and Matt Suckling anchored it with 60. Turner was sharp behind the stumps, and his catch to remove Tim Harris for 35 was the game's hinge. With 71 runs to win, the score on 169-4 and 9 overs to go, the game was in the balance
Around six o'clock a wedding party appeared at the edge of the ground, men in jackets and ladies in hats, and enquired politely who was winning. They were observing Rule 1; on arrival, go for a drink where you can observe the locals.
The wind gusted all afternoon; a James Dahl high blow towards long on moved so far in the air that the fielder ran round from long off to take it. The constant bowling changes kept umpire Nick Harris busy on the walkie-talkie to the scorers, a job he did with the calm of a man who has seen every kind of afternoon. Wood bowled seven overs for 39. Abdeen bowled ten and conceded 42. Beardall was back to his best, taking 2 wickets for just 10 runs from his five overs.
Eleven to win off the last over, Peach bowling his tenth. Ball one went to long off for two, the fielders too deep; in they came. Ball two was hit harder, past Blackburn, for four. Five off four. A bye. Then a leg bye. Three off two, and a faster delivery, a play and a miss, and a clean take by Turner.
Three runs to win off the last ball.
Andy Cale hit it firmly on the ground to John Brehaut at long off, who took his time, picked the ball up cleanly and threw it in over the stumps as the batters ran two.
Four hundred and sixty-eight runs, eighty-six overs, and nothing to choose between them. Both sides shook hands and thanked the umpires. Players, officials and a fair number of spectators then observed Rule 8 and retired to the Bat & Ball.
Brigands 234-8 declared drew with Stragglers of Asia 234-7. Scores level.
Enter Jake Peach, with his Dad watching closely at point fielding for the Stragglers
Jim Morris made a fine half century, with most of his runs coming from drives through covers and mid-on
Appendix: The McCarthy International Rules of Travel 2000, adapted by Brigands 2026
On arrival, go for a drink where you can observe the locals.
The more bright the primary colours and ancient Celtic symbols outside the Irish pub, the more phony the interior.
Never bang on about how wonderful some unspoiled place is, because next time you go there, you won't be able to get in.
Travel light; leave behind prejudices and any unnecessary kit.
Always pack a notebook, spare shirt and a corkscrew.
Know the local sports team(s) and the most famous person from that place.
Never eat in a restaurant with laminated menus containing photos of food.
Never pass a bar with your name on, or a pub next to a cricket pitch.
Always declare early enough to lose; nobody ever came home with a story about the safe option.
Any Italian travelling abroad will be accompanied by an even more glamorous person of the opposite gender.
Never get drunk with soldiers, and never with the opposition the night before a match.
Never start an argument in Asia.
Never ask British Airways cabin crew for another glass of wine until they are good and ready.
However remote the outpost, someone will have found the cricket on the radio. Sit down next to them.
When perusing a menu, never consider anything containing the words "goujon" or "cheesy".
Tourists don't know where they've been, travellers don't know where they're going; sometimes just enjoy the unknown.
Never refuse a glass of port from a man on the boundary; he watched you get out and he means well.
Respect local customs and always thank the umpire.
Brigands following their own international rules of travel in the past 2 years
Antarctica, 2. Mauritius 3. Falkland Islands 4. Paris Olympics 5. Kenya 6. Porto 7. Greece 8. Mexico 9. Douro Valley 10. Argentina 11 & 12. Norway 13. Adelaide Ashes 14. Sydney 15. Bradman Museum, Bowral
Another entertaining and absorbing read bringing alive a game of 'proper cricket.' Many thanks to Dave for his time devoted to writing up the match in such an engaging style.