Brigands v The Authors, 19 July 2026

Dave Henderson
Jul 22
4 min read

Sportsmanship is a mysterious business. Hard to define, yet everyone knows it the instant they see it. This weekend, we observed it at the World Cup when Jude Bellingham picked up the ball for a late penalty glanced across at Bukayo Saka on a hat-trick, and simply handed it over. "Go and get it," he said. Saka scored.

Cricket had offered its own version a year earlier, when South Africa's Wiaan Mulder, unbeaten on 367 and 33 short of Brian Lara's world Test record, declared rather than chase it down. "Let the legend keep the record," said his coach, and Mulder did. Reach further back and you find Luz Long, the German long-jumper, quietly advising his rival Jesse Owens on his run-up at the 1936 Berlin Games, then embracing him as Owens took the gold Hitler had hoped to deny him.

And the rugby players and footballers of Argentina reminded us that sportsmanship is always a choice, never a given.

At Broadhalfpenny Down, the Brigands chose it early, rejigging the batting order to give others a turn against The Authors and, in time, declaring in a manner both sides afterwards agreed was thoroughly sporting.

Up stepped Paul Whittle with a hard-fought half-century, only his second ever at the cradle of cricket, which he enjoyed all the more after recent battles with cancer and the ballot box. Whittle approaches a knock rather as Sun Tzu approached a campaign in The Art of War, surveying the purpose, the terrain and the method, carefully choosing which ball to defend, which to play a shot.

Authors' off-spinner, Tom Eadon, had come on licking his lips at the prospect of bowling to Whittle. Ten overs later he stood on the boundary: "Never have I been hit for so many runs by someone who looked least likely to score any."

Paul Whittle on his way to a half-century

Around him, Henry Moore was undone by an LBW that struck him on the thigh, an injustice the afternoon would repay. Dave Henderson hit 35 at a run a ball, two of them sixes, before falling to the historian Tom Holland. Holland bowls as Odysseus fought: all guile and appetite, a warrior who will do anything for the cause.

Guy Ladenburg looked the part for his 34, and Rob Manson biffed a quick 22. The Authors caught and fielded well; Charlie Campbell used masterful footwork on the long off boundary to stop a boundary that drew warm applause. The Brigands moved from 35 off 10 overs to 91 off 20, 134 off 30, and declared on 188 off 40.

Brigands never got above 5 runs an over in their innings; fine fielding from Campbell, Kojima & Eadon

The Authors' reply was built on Adam Hart's 56 and quickened by Andrew Kojima's 39, until Lee Gray trapped him plumb in front of middle stump. The sublime cricket writer John Hotten was given out lbw to the left-arm-over Neil Wood, whose delivery appeared to pitch somewhere in Clanfield before homing in on the stumps.

Brigands and Hampshire cricket supporter, Dr Chris Ayling, recalls learning his cover drive in the garden as a boy, taught to caress rather than clout the ball lest he shatter the greenhouse glass raised on its brick base. The Authors' opening batter, William Fiennes, grew up behind the moat at Broughton Castle and, like Ayling, strokes rather than hits: a hard hit at his castle ended up in the water. He scored 18 elegant runs before missing a ball that turned from Jake Peach.

With 20 overs left and The Authors ahead, wickets were wanted. Neil Wood shelled one at cover and a sharp chance went down behind the stumps. Henderson did cling to his on the rope, juggling to keep his feet in front of the picnickers. No byes came in the first nine overs, then 24 in the following 30 as bowlers and fielders wilted.

The Authors got home with four wickets in hand. There were 24 fours in the innings and not a single six. Peach was the pick of the bowling with 3 for 26, while Rob Manson conceded just 23 from eight tidy overs, his run-up marked out lovingly by his adorable daughter.

Peach and Manson were the pick of the Brigands bowlers

Off the field, baby Bea Turner gurgled her way through the Authors' innings, at one point belching and burping simultaneously, "just like her father," said Mum. Peter Danks and Peter Harding kept the book. There was an ironic heatwave cheer when a teenage Harris arrived in a sweatshirt: "haven't seen one of those in a while," someone remarked.

Afterwards at the Bat & Ball, stories were shared of how we met our partners. Umpire Nick Harris was heard speaking fondly of "Sonic Lass" before it emerged he was talking about a greyhound he once owned that would race around Copnor dog track from time to time.

Young Sophie Wyld helped set up and close the ground, and produced a carrot cake worthy of a royal warrant, ranking alongside last week's Lovett-Turner carrot cake. Her father and Match Manager, Barney Wyld, was injured, but he gave up his whole day so two teams could have a lovely afternoon. That, too, is sportsmanship.

Brigands 188-7 declared lost to The Authors 189-6 by 4 wickets

The Harris family on the Monument, and Captain Ladenburg consults the local pirate for advice

Photo credits: Graham Peach and Dave Henderson

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