Brigands v Stragglers of Asia, 27 July 2025

The Stragglers of Asia, who mark their centenary in 2025, do not measure success in silverware. Like the Brigands, they value the memories and friendships gained from playing timed-cricket, but the Stragglers fixture list is more international and exotic.

The club was forged in the Simla Hills where a Colonel in the Royal Artillery accepted an invitation from the Maharajah of Patiala to bring a team to a newly-built mountaintop ground. There, cricket met cocktails, with matches punctuated by billiards, hockey, and the legendary “Patiala Peg” – a whisky measure requiring both pinky and index finger.

Stragglers elected to bowl first, and with the new ball, overcast conditions, and accurate bowling, runs were hard to come by early on. Mo Ali was wrapped on the pads LBW, then Guy Ladenburg was run out coming back for an ambitious second.

Dave Henderson and Charlie Peach dug in, the former blocking his first 14 balls without scoring as the score crept slowly up to 21-2 off 12 overs. Then leg spin came into the attack, and both batters hit over the infield and pounced on anything overpitched.

After drinks, in the 23rd over, Peach was stumped and Harry Woolvine mis-timed a mid-wicket pull and was caught at mid-wicket. 77-4.

Henderson and Jake Peach know each other's game well, and put on a stand of 95 in just 13 overs, interrupted only by a splendid lunch of coronation chicken and summer pavlova. After lunch, Henderson was judged LBW for 72 off 68 balls off Danny Dawson, and Dave Turner and Lee Gray came and went in quick succession.

With a century seemingly inevitable, and the declaration on hold, Peach hit a skier towards the farmer's field and was brilliantly caught by Faris Kaider on the boundary to end the innings.

In another act of jug avoidance, Jake Peach out for 96 off 118 balls

Brigands come out to defend 247 runs

Ed Hands opened the bowling down the hill and, like Steve Harmison in The Ashes, his first ball set the tone with a leg-side wide. He was so off form he took himself off after 2 overs.

Stragglers' veteran opening batter Tim Lerwill, 76, is strong on the off-side and he cut and cover drove at will. Conventional fields don’t apply here. He and Harry Everett took the score to 80 in just 14 overs before Lewill was run out.

At tea, there were cakes, speeches, and a port toast; a hat tip to the Beardall and Northwood families for such an incredible spread. The game was evenly poised with eight wickets remaining and the run rate required just under 7 runs per over.

Rafi Abdeen was introduced to slow the pace of the ball, and “Baby Murali” managed to get the ball to turn and induced a catch to Henderson at long on. Another run out in the next over, Mike Beardhall took a wicket with a Woolvine catch at mid-wicket, and then a smart stumping from Charlie Peach of Abdeen.

Six wickets down, the Stragglers decided to drop anchor and play for a draw, so the Brigand's got into an on-pitch huddle to talk tactics.

Ali came on, bowled slowly, and the ball spun immediately. Ladenburg too took the pace off. Wickets fell steadily and it was down to the last pair, Kabir Haider and Danny Dawson, to survive 6 overs. There were a few near misses, and the tension was evident as Haider prodded the pitch between balls. "More gardening than Monty Don" was heard. Then a Haider defensive shot bounced backwards and glanced the off stump, and dislodged the bail.

Brigands victors by 90 runs, an early enough finish to watch the Lionesses triumph in a penalty shoot-out against Spain in the Final of Euro 2025, and early enough to enjoy the company of two teams who live and breathe the spirit of cricket.

Stragglers started well and were on target until Harry Everett was out

Changing room team talk, Gerry Northwood mowing the outfield, The Toss, The Centenary Coin, Huddle-cam. The Bat & Ball

Brigands 247-9 declared beat Stragglers of Asia 157 all out by 90 runs