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Broadhalfpenny Down is playing host to a pair of charity matches – on Friday 24th & Saturday 25th June – to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the original First-Class match, played at Hambledon in 1772. Broadhalfpenny Down, the home of the Hambledon Club, was the location of the inaugural First-Class match in June 1772 between Hampshire and an All-England team and the famed ground will be hosting two celebratory matches this June to mark the 250th anniversary of that first-ever match. Tickets for these charity matches – with all proceeds going to support the work of the Broadhalfpenny Down Preservation Trust – are on sale now and available to purchase below. The first match is to be played on Friday 24th June and will see a Hampshire All Star XI – including the likes of Mark Nicholas, Chris Tremlett and Sean Ervine – contest a 30-over match against an All England XI. The match starts at 1:30pm and will finish by 6pm. The following day (Saturday 25th June) will see a Hampshire/Southern Vipers women’s XI face an All England women’s XI – with the match again consisting of 30-overs per side and starting at 1:30pm. Tickets for Friday’s match – priced at £10 for Adults – also grant admission to Saturday’s match, while standalone tickets for Saturday’s match (£5) are also available. Under 17s go free to both matches and don’t require a ticket. The All England XI teams will be announced in the coming days and will include ex-England internationals and representatives from England Disability cricket through to deserving Club cricketers and actors that have appeared in the most English of all movies!

T20 comes to the Down In a change to the usual timed format, a sunny Thursday evening saw the first T20 of the season as Winchester College sent a team to play Brigands on a wicket freshly prepared by Harry Bates. Winchester batted first and were soon in trouble as Hay and Sargant both picked up a wicket in their first over. Some big hitting saw the score rise but wickets fell regularly with Henderson and Turner both claiming 2 catches each before Turner turned bowler and was on a hat-trick with only his 3rd ball. The Winchester innings finished on 123-9. Brigands started brightly with Preece and Blackburn adding 21 for the first wicket before Preece fell LBW. That brought Peach C to the wicket and the runs continued to flow and Blackburn (32) and Peach (33) both retired before Northwood and Peach J saw Brigands home with 4 overs to spare finishing on 128-2.

A glorious spring day at the Down with nature to the fore; the errant badger damaging the outfield was seen and chased across the road by the Ground Member before the start of play, whilst a pair of male Jays, Garrulus glandarius, the mature male in full plumage offering only a fleeting appearance and totally outshone by the juvenile looking confident and displaying with a flourish. Bacchus (who disappointingly did not produce the wine or grapes that their name would suggest they might) started poorly thanks, appropriately enough, to safe hands from Ed but despite several near misses during opening spells from Ed and Os moved steadily on to 40 for one. Good tight bowling from the Brigands chipped away and steadily reduced them to 72 for 6, but strong innings from James Danson of 44 enabled a declaration at 175 for nine wickets. Highlights included Hendo making a relatively straightforward catch more difficult, only taking it for the points, a maiden Brigands wicket for Jake Heslop, fittingly enough his victim being a turncoat Brigand and the Chairman whilst umpiring at the pavilion end showing athleticism of a man of far more tender years to avoid a hard hit straight drive. After a tea, Brigands started their response even more poorly than Bachus with Adam Jay failing to trouble anyone, let alone the scorers, and Ed and Hendo following swiftly leaving the Brigands staring down the barrel at 17 for 3. Cometh the hour, cometh the men; Northwood resplendent in new boots (with an unusual velcro cross strap, height of fashion, or a secret Malvolio emerging?) and Turner righting the ship with a splendid stand of 98 ensued with a mixture of delicate placement and bludgeoned power moved the game firmly back Brigands way. Both reached their fifties before falling leaving matters in the hands of Os and Zeb Jay, the latter producing some sparkling drives and looking as if he would be there to take the Brigands home but sadly it was not to be, departing for a well crafted 13 leaving the Brigands on 174 for 7 . This swiftly became 174 for 8, Neil, “not in it for the points this time” Wood departing caught behind first ball before the calm head of skipper Beardall saw the Brigands home Sons of Bacchus 175 for 9 declared (James Danson 44 no . Ed Hands 4 for 30) Brigands 176 for 8 (Northwood 57, Turner 59) Brigands won by 2 wickets. From top left; Jake on debut, Umpires Nick Harris and Bryan Burns, Man of the Match Dave Turner, the beautiful Bailey tea, Jay and Hands digging a hole, the partnership of Northwood and Turner, Turner out, Zeb Jay the magnificent, Neil Wood out first ball.

We are delighted to announce that the Barmy Army are supporting the 250th anniversary of first class cricket, and are busy promoting the game and the historic importance of Broadhalfpenny Down to their members. The Barmy Army is the official England Supporters Club, organise amazing travel experiences to follow England all over the world, and they are generously providing kit for the All England players on the anniversary weekend too. https://barmyarmy.com/

On a fresh yet sunny Easter Monday afternoon the Brigands opened the auspicious "250th season" against Nomads CC. Broadhalfpenny Down was resplendent in the spring sunshine, with the newly laid pitch beautifully presented by ground member Harry Bates and his assistants Nina and Rod. Eager to test the batting potential of the new pitch, Brigands skipper Dave Henderson elected to bat. Brigands openers Gerry Northwood (19) and Neil Wood (13) made a useful contribution to blunting the Nomads initial opening attack before Dave Turner (35) and Ed Hands (57) stepping up to the plate, took the Brigands score to 149 by the fall of the fifth (Hands) wicket. A score of 180 was surely on the cards, a sum which skipper Henderson would perhaps be comfortable with as a declaration total. Unfortunately, the Brigands engine stuttered and then stalled, with the next five wickets falling cheaply. Indeed, so cheaply that the Brigands were all out for 159 after 42 overs of play. Victims all to generally accurate Nomads bowling on a wicket that at least initially favoured the seamers. The standout bowling performance went to Page, with destructive figures of 5 for 42 off 10 overs. After a delicious and sumptuous tea, the Brigands set out with an asymmetric attack - Sam Sargant's pace from the copse end juxtaposed with the laser like off spin of Mike Bath (2 for 22) from the Mercury end. The first break through came to Bath when he removed Lascelles bowled (4) in the eighth over with the score on 25. First change Ed Hands (1-29), opened his account from the Mercury end with an explosive first over which nearly claimed the wicket of opener Kandampully (58no) and clean bowled Bilimoria (12) placing the visitors on 57 for 2 after 14 overs. At that point the game might have been evenly balanced, but Kandampully and his new partner Marshall (80) were having nothing of it. While Kamdampully anchored the innings, Marshall batted with increasing belligerence to close in on the total, with the pair achieving a partnership of 100 before Marshall fell LBW, in the closing stages, to Bath in his second spell. Result: Nomads (160 - 3) beat the Brigands (159 all out) by 7 wickets.

On only their second visit to Broadhalfpenny Down, their first being New Year's Day 1929, The Invalids brought down a spritely and well-tailored XI. Having inserted Brigands into bat, Ladenburg and Whittle succumbed to accurate bowling on a day that was difficult to score runs. A steady flow of wickets was slowed by Charlie Peach (26) and a few aggressive drives from Dave Turner, and a lovely last wicket stand of 20 from Neil Wood and Dave Hemsley. Tea featured sandwiches, posh crisp, amazing sponges, rocky road and almond biscuits. With only 141 runs to defend special measures were needed; bowling tactics were to lull the opposition into thinking they would get home easily and then surprise them with rippers. First over; a full toss was despatched for four, then the surprise long hop was despatched straight into the hands of the fielder behind square leg. Genius. Ed Hands bowled with menace up the hill (but with the wind) and catches were taken including Inglis and Northwood holding on at cover and extra cover respectively. The tactics continued; Ladenburg started with a lulling full toss and then got two in two balls cheered on by the locals. Hemsley was no-balled for a beamer and then again for a double-bouncing ball, followed by two snorters including the last wicket which saw off stump out cartwheeling out the ground. The Invalids had inexplicably collapsed to 59 all out leaving more time for photographs, drinks at The Bat and Ball, and a record evening of sales for the Broadhalfpenny Down merchandise shop.

Thank you to everyone that spent time at the ground getting Broadhalfpenny Down ready for the season. From gardening to pavilion painting and from erecting the scoreboard to installing the net, the Cradle of Cricket is now ready for a historic season ahead.

It all began with Subbuteo Cricket and Howzat growing up. Peter scored for his local village side, then went on to playing and skippering in village cricket prior to joining Royal Navy. His playing career included scoring 133* for Nomads in Hong Kong where cricket was sponsored for scores over 70, taking 5 wickets, and holding 3 catches. Peter was Secretary of the Royal Navy Cricket Club for 12 years and arranged 5 overseas tours, with Indian teams providing the stiffest opposition. Peter is a qualified umpire, coach, and an Advanced Scorer; he has tutored many young scorers and his highlights include scoring for the Rest of the World during their tour to commemorate MCC Bicentenary when Allan Border was captain, scoring 6 matches in the 2019 World Cup, and last year scoring in the Test Final between India and New Zealand. A master of his craft, Peter encourages potential scorers to become qualified to their best. He feels that the introduction of computers scoring programme has made the easier but less personal; "computers provide excellent information to the first-class counties but I enjoy the traditional score book and the satisfaction of balancing the books on completion of the match". Peter is a much-loved part of Brigands Cricket and believes good communications between Captains, Umpires and Scorers make for a better game of cricket. It all started with Subbuteo ... Peter has a pre-match discussion with Umpire and Chairman Nick Harris, and scoring with Sue Bailey with Editor of The Cricketer, Huw Turbervill, distracting!

Nick, like many Brigands, first played cricket for the Brigands during his service in the Royal Navy. He remembers it being probably in the late ‘70s or early ‘80s, encouraged along by Roy Newman. By then he’d played up to Navy standard mostly as an opening batsman and close-in fielder, but his submarine career had since taken over, and he was to move home many times allowing only occasional Brigands appearances for equally many years. But in 1994, returning from the USA (for the first time) he started playing for the Brigands a little more regularly again, and aided the admin of RN Cricket, soon becoming its Chairman until 2000. In that time he restored women’s cricket to the RN, throwing down the gauntlet to the other two services to provide opposition! But then a further 3 year period in the USA, and then Scotland, kept him away again for six years until 2007 when at last he returned to the Brigands permanently. He played regularly from then on, always standing at gully and occasionally hitting solid runs opening the batting. He was honoured to be asked to become Chairman of the club in 2011, and hung up his playing boots in 2019. He is an ACO Level 1 umpire. Nick and the Brigands are always tirelessly supported by his wife Jenny, and both of their daughters revised for GCSEs and A Levels on the boundary! Now he hopes that least one of his four grandchildren might appear as players on the ground one day.

In the fourth of his six-part series, esteemed crickety historian Stephen Saunders tells tales of the famous cricketers who are buried near the cradle of cricket. Edward Aburrow's father was reputed to be a smuggler by the name of “Cuddy”, who played cricket for Slindon and All England. Edward, junior, was born in Slindon on 24 March 1747. By trade, he was a shoemaker and linen draper in Hambledon. He was a right-hand bat and useful change bowler who played 44 first-class matches for Hampshire between 1772 and 1782. He is sometimes referred to on scorecards by his nickname “Cuddy” Aburrow. He died on 6 October 1835 and was buried in Hambledon with his wife, Elizabeth, who predeceased him in 1831, and their son who died aged six in 1788. Their headstone is the only one of the famous 18th century players to survive and can be located in section F row 383. George Leer was born in Hambledon in 1748. He played 44 first-class matches for Hampshire in the same period as Aburrow and was known as an excellent long stop behind the wicket-keeper. He was a fine singer and often entertained in the post-match get-togethers. He moved to Petersfield where he was a brewer. He died on 1 February 1812 and his wish was carried out “to be taken” to Hambledon. Peter Stewart was born in Hambledon in 1730 and was given the nickname of “Buck” as he was such a natty dresser. He worked as a carpenter, shoemaker and finally as the landlord of the Green Man in Hambledon (now a private home listed Grade II). He was known as a humourist, forever cracking jokes. He played 16 first-class matches for Hampshire between 1772 and 1779. He died in 1796 and was buried in the churchyard. Peter Stewart had three nephews: Henry Stewart was born in Hambledon in 1763 and played three first-class matches for Hampshire. He died in 1837 and the headstone to him and his wife is in the same section F and row R as Aburrow. John Stewart, his brother was also born in Hambledon in 1768. He played two matches for Hampshire. He was also buried in the churchyard, but no headstone remains. John Goldsmith was born in Hambledon in 1766 and lived at West End, Hambledon where William Cobbett visited and mentioned in his “Rural Rides”. He played one first-class match at Windmill Down in 1792; however, he played for Surrey, against Hampshire, batting at number eleven, probably because they were a man short. He died in 1845 and his headstone together with his wife can be found in section D. Thomas Sueter was born in Hambledon in April 1750 and was an architect and surveyor. He was a left-handed batsman and a reliable wicket-keeper playing 54 first-class matches for Hampshire between 1772 and 1786. He then played six matches for Surrey in 1788/9. In 1786 on Windmill Down he had the distinction of being the first player given out “hit ball twice”. In 1788 there was a catastrophic fire at the parish church with the loss of much of the medieval structure and upper stages of the tower. Sueter was involved in the rebuilding and there was a plaque over the door saying: “Thomas Sueter and Richard Flood, Builders, AD 1788”. Sueter was in the church choir and left a sovereign so that an anthem could be sung over his coffin and this was done. He died in Emsworth in February 1827, but is buried in Hambledon. His headstone read: “Sacred to the memory of THOMAS SUETER, who departed this life on the 17th day of February 1828, aged 77”. Its current whereabouts is unknown. The Hambledon Club minute book records that on May 4 1773, Mr Tooker was elected a member of the Club and on July 6 1779, Mr Whalley was elected. Both these families lived in Hambledon and one of the few Armigerous Memorial in the church is to members of the Tooker family. Their descendant Edward Whalley-Tooker became the lifeblood of the Hambledon Club and Broadhalfpenny Down at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century. He played his first first-class match for Hampshire against Sussex in 1883 and then against the same opposition two years later, in 1885. Together with C B Fry he was the instigator of the Memorial Stone and captained Hambledon against England in the match played at the unveiling in September 1908. This was his third and last first-class match. Edward Whalley-Tooker was captain of Hambledon from 1896 to 1936 and then President from 1937 till his death in 1940. He was succeeded by his wife, Dorothy, as President, until her death in 1962. Their grave and headstone is located in Section F, Row Y.

It's snowing this week so we have exclusive bobble hats back in stock It's bound to be warm and sunny for the first game of the season on Easter Monday so we have t-shirts in stock too! Support the club and wear with pride! Visit the shop and right now if you buy 2 t-shirts you'll get a classic t-shirt thrown in for free.

Hampshire Cricket are pleased to announce we will be providing an XI for matches celebrating the 250th Anniversary of First-Class cricket at Broadhalfpenny Down. The matches will be played on Friday 24th June (men) and Saturday 25th June (women) at Broadhalfpenny Down, home of the Hambledon Club, and the location of the inaugural First-Class cricket match in June 1772 between Hampshire and an All-England team. In the 18th Century, the Hambledon Club was the acknowledged authority on the Laws of Cricket, and responsible for the development of new techniques and the laws of cricket. These varied from the addition of a third stump to the size of the bat. The Broadhalfpenny Down Preservation Trust (BDPT) are also offering a fantastic opportunity for members of the public to be part of these celebrations. Cricketers can apply to be part of the All England team taking on the Hampshire All Stars to celebrate the game of cricket’s wonderful history, by filling in the application form on the website. David Mann, CEO of The Ageas Bowl, said: “We are delighted that Hampshire are able to support this great initiative, for what will no doubt be a great event that celebrates the birth of our beloved game.” Mike Beardall, the BDPT Chairman said: “2022 marks the 250th anniversary of the first First-Class cricket match. We are recruiting worthy players from across the country to take part in two of our celebration matches in a season of commemoration. This will celebrate all that is good about cricket. We are looking for players of all standards, of all ages, from all backgrounds; we want to form inclusive teams who will be proud to be part of a historical occasion at The Cradle of Cricket.”

We are delighted to announce that Sytner Land Rover Portsmouth has become a friend of Broadhalfpenny Down. In what is a very special season at the Cradle of Cricket, the Broadhalfpenny Brigands will be wearing shirts that commemorate 250 years of First Class cricket supplied by Sytner. Broadhalfpenny Down is host to the ECB Blind Cricket Southern T20 final in September which will also be sponsored by Sytner Land Rover Portsmouth. Ian Bennett, Head of Business at Sytner Land Rover Portsmouth said “We’re delighted to become a friend of Broadhalfpenny Down. This is a cricket venue with the richest possible heritage and we’re looking forward to a fabulous season of cricket at their side. We’re also looking forward to the ECB Blind Cricket Final, as a team we work every day to remove barriers for our colleagues and customers so to be involved with a sporting event which does this so powerfully is also a huge honour.” On behalf of Broadhalfpenny Down and the Broadhalfpenny Brigands, David Henderson said "we are delighted to have a new partner whose love of cricket, and principles, are aligned with ours and we look forward to welcoming them at some of our Summer matches".

We are recruiting and selecting a Men’s and Women’s team to take on Hampshire All Star teams to replicate the glory days of the first First Class game of cricket played 250 years ago. Broadhalfpenny Down, a jewel in the crown of the game of cricket offers the opportunity to celebrate cricket for all and the history of the game. We are recruiting a team from across all of England to do battle taken on the Hampshire All Stars in a celebration match on Broadhalfpenny Down on Friday 24 June (men) or Saturday 25 June 2022 (women). We are recruiting the most worthy players from across the country to take part in two of our celebration matches in a season of commemoration and need your help. We are keen to make this a fantastic event for all. The £250 package to sponsor an All England player includes providing playing kit to the player, two tickets to the VIP marquee for the day, lunch and tea with your player and the teams, two tickets to the end of season cocktail party on 1 Sep, your company logo in the celebration weekend programme and on the Broadhalfpenny Down website. ​ If you are interested in sponsoring a player or would like to discuss any aspect of the 250th celebration weekend please email Michael Beardall on 250thfirstfirst@gmail.com

Back in 2000, a special guest from Kazakhstan came to learn cricket from the indefatigable Christopher Bazalgette. Borat Margaret Sagdiyev, a Kazakh television journalist, was following Cambridge University students around the UK when he made a stop at the Bat and Ball and learned the art of the forward defence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t64pu_BlpS0

John made his first (undistinguished) playing sortie on Broadhalfpenny Down in June 1971 as a young naval Lieutenant. But after a handful of appearances over the next couple of seasons for the Brigands, his appointments with the Navy sent him everywhere except Portsmouth over the next two decades. It was not until the 1992 season that he was finally reunited with the club, since when he has never looked back. He played every year thereafter until 2013, mostly as an opening bat and change bowler, with one century, thirteen 50s, and over 150 wickets. Champagne moments on the field? One has to be the hundred scored on the Down against Winchester College in 2003; and another, an unlikely one-handed full-length catch on the boundary in a close win against Bartestree on the 2005 tour to Herefordshire. Having joined the committee as fundraiser in 1993, John succeeded Anthony Banes-Walker in organising the annual Devon tour in 1998 and then, from 2000 to Herefordshire. At the 2003 AGM he took over from Anthony as Chairman, a role he continued to fill until passing the baton to Nick Harris in time for the 2012 season. Having hung up his boots in the year he took his pension, John joined the club’s umpires’ union and now enjoys several afternoons each season standing at one end on this incomparable ground.

The third in a six-part history of Broadhalfpenny Down from Stephen Saunders Richard Nyren was born in Eartham, Sussex in 1734. The Nyren family can be traced back in Eartham to the Rev. Jasper Nyren who was Curate of Eartham in the seventeenth century. Richard’s father (Richard) married Susannah Newland of Slindon (two miles away) in 1733. Susannah’s younger brother Richard Newland lost his wife after a couple of years of marriage in 1747 and his only child a few weeks later. He then basically became a second father to Nyren. Richard Newland and his two brothers were the mainstays of Slindon Cricket Club, which preceded Hambledon by many years. In 1740 they beat All-England in a match played on Merrow Down near Guildford. Richard Newland was captain of the club, and went on to captain “England” teams. In 1742 Slindon won forty-two of the forty-four matches that they played. It was Richard Newland, a left-handed batsman, who taught Richard Nyren to play and instilled in him the love of the game. It was, no doubt, a result of this tutoring that Richard Nyren also became a left-handed batsman. Richard married Frances Pennicud at Slindon in 12 November 1758 and four years later the Nyrens moved to Hambledon and Richard took over as landlord of The Hut, as the Bat and Ball was then called. Their son John was born in 1764. In the same year it is known that Richard was captain of the Hambledon team that defeated Chertsey. He was referred to as “The General”. Cricket matches were hardly ever recorded in these times and his only recorded appearance before moving to Hambledon was for the Rest of England against Dartford in 1759. From records that have been located he is known to have played in 51 matches between 1764 and 1784 for Hambledon/Hampshire. He played in the 1772 match and is recorded as playing 49 first-class matches scoring 1026 runs at an average of 12.98. He also took 104 wickets with his left-arm fast-medium underarm bowling. He was secretary of the Hambledon Club from 1779 to 1788. In 1772 Nyren took over the George Inn in the village of Hambledon, a larger inn with stabling, which he ran for twenty years before moving to London. The Bat and Ball was taken over by his cricketing companion William Barber. Nyren also owned a small farm with 40 sheep and 8 cows on the outskirts of the village. He died on 25 April 1797. His widow, Frances, moved back to Hambledon to live in a house provided by her son and died in 1808 but was buried in the family grave in Bromley Churchyard. John Nyren was born in Hambledon on 15 December 1764 and brought up initially in the Bat and Ball Inn which, inevitably, involved him in the Hambledon Club. He was also a left-handed bat but his cricketing career was not distinguished. His first recorded first-class match was in 1787 and he played sixteen matches scoring 199 runs. He played for the Gentlemen in the inaugural match versus the Players in 1806 with little effect. In 1791 he married seventeen year old Cleopha Copp with whom he obtained a reasonable fortune. They left Hambledon and settled in Portsea. He was an outfitter for the Royal Navy in partnership with an old school friend James Neale. His wife was of German parentage and highly educated including speaking fluent French, which she used to assist the priests who arrived to Portsea from France. She was also the organist at the local chapel. The couple had seven children. In 1796 the Nyrens moved to Bromley in Kent where John carried on business as a calico printer and then subsequently to London. John was an accomplished musician both on the fiddle and as a composer. He established a great friendship with Vincent Novello who published some of his works and was organist at St Mary’s, Moorfields where Nyren was the choirmaster for thirteen years. From 1801 to 1808 he played a further nineteen matches, principally for Homerton Cricket Club. In 1832 he published a series of articles on his reminiscences of the Hambledon Club in The Town. The following year, in collaboration with Charles Cowden Clarke, whom he met through Novello, he published The Young Cricketers Tutor. This is acknowledged as the first book on cricket and it ran to ten editions, with numerous subsequent reprints. It is for this publication rather than the cricketing prowess that he achieved his fame. The Nyrens moved back to Bromley-in-Bow where Cleopha died on 25 July 1835. John survived her for almost two years dying on 28 June 1837 and was buried with his wife in the family grave. Richard Nyren, and his son John, were instrumental in The Hambledon Club's fame and fortunes

In the second of his six-part series, Stephen Saunders outlines the development and formalisation of the laws of cricket. The origins of cricket are unknown. During the early eighteenth century it was a rustic game mainly played by children that slowly advanced to a sport patronised by the aristocracy. The patronage of the aristocracy was for their own benefit in that they placed significant amounts on the outcome of matches. The game that we are celebrating this year was played for 500 guineas (£83,000 in today’s money). With such sums involved there had to be some rules. There was a version of such rules that appeared in the November 1752 issue of New Universal Magazine as a code of rules under the title “The game at Cricket, as settled by the Cricket-Club in 1744, and play’d at the Artillery Ground, London”. The first published laws of the game were produced on 15 May, 1755 when a booklet was advertised for sale by the Fleet Street bookseller W. Reeve entitled “The Articles of The Game at Cricket, as settled by the several Cricket-Clubs, particularly at the Star and Garter in Pall Mall”. It contains a complete set of rules that regulate every aspect of game and is basically the same as the earlier publication. Possibly a formalisation of “The Laws of Cricket”. The Articles are set out in six sections, paraphrased below: The pitching of the wicket. Determined by the toss of a piece of money. Popping crease three feet ten inches from the wicket. The other wicket directly opposite at twenty-two yards difference. Popping crease three feet ten inches before it. The bowling creases must be cut in direct line from each stump. Stumps twenty-two inches long and the bail six inches. The ball must weigh between five and six ounces. Laws for the bowlers. Four balls per over. No-ball if the bowler’s hinder foot is over the bowling crease. Laws for the strikers. If the wicket is bowled down it’s out. Covers hit wicket, stumped, hindering a catch, run outs, handled ball. All very similar to the present. Bat, foot or hand over the crease. Dead ball rule. Stop ball hitting wicket. If the bail does not fall, not out. Laws for the Wicket-keepers. Shall not move till ball is out of the bowler’s hand. Shall not by any noise, incommode the striker and if his hands, knees, foot or head be over or before the wicket, though the ball hit it shall not be out. No sledging in those days! Laws for the umpires. To allow two minutes for each man to come in and ten minutes between each hand. To mark the ball that it may not be changed. Allow retired hurt striker to return. Sole judges of all decisions. When both umpires call Play three times they that refuse to play forfeit the game. (Pakistan in 2006!) It is these Laws under which the original First Class crickety match was played at Broadhalfpenny Down in 1772. Cricket bats at that time were curved rather like a hockey stick. This required the batsman to stand to the side of the wicket in order to hit the ball. John Small, the eminent batsman of the age, who was a bat maker designed a straight bat. However, this bat required the batter to stand in front of the stumps in order to hit the ball. In a match between Chertsey and Hambledon in September 1771 Thomas White of Chertsey appeared at the crease with a bat as wide as the wicket. Thomas Brett, the Hambledon bowler, objected and supported by his captain Richard Nyren and John Small a protest was raised. These two developments led to a meeting on 25th February 1774 at the Star and Garter in Pall Mall of Noblemen and Gentlemen of Kent, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex and London and they produced the 1774 Laws of Cricket. Interestingly of the twelve members of the committee six were members of the Hambledon Club. The last three “laws” concerned betting. These laws brought in the leg before wicket rule and fixed the width of the bat at four and quarter inches. That it is still the case today. The weight of the ball was stipulated at not less than five and a half ounces, nor more than five and three-quarter ounces. Also the case today. The following year, 1775, playing in a match between five of Kent and five of Hambledon, John Small came in last for Hambledon when they required fourteen runs to win. Lumpy Stevens beat Small’s bat but the ball went through the wicket without dislodging it. This happened twice more before Small scored the runs to win the match. As a result of this the third (middle) stump was added.

Peter is a local legend. He first played on Broadhalfpenny Down in 1966 for Hambledon Vs Brigands after moving to the area from Birmingham, where he had played league cricket for Robin Hood. Peter batted in 50 seasons, in more than 2,500 matches, and figured in Hambledon, Old Hambledonians, Hampshire Over 50s, and Brigands sides over the decades. His playing highlight was the 1977 match Hambledon Vs MCC, the 200th Anniversary of the famous 1777 match which included Colin Cowdrey and Hambledon Roy Newman as a guest. Peter is a car enthusiast and one of the most astute Umpires to officiate on Broadhalfpenny Down; quick to spot the flaw in a batsman's technique, he is always happy to share coaching advice in the Bat & Ball after Brigands matches.

David is a member of the Umpires Panel who hails from Essex and was first introduced to Broadhalfpenny Down by long-time Brigand Peter Tuke. As a player, his debut match for the Brigands was an evening Twenty20 against Cowplain CC and, curiously, in the other two matches that I played for the club in that year I ended up facing the bowling of two Brigands stalwarts; Andrew Polson playing for Portsmouth Solicitors and Bryan Burns playing for the Royal Navy Signals Officers - on both occasions batting was an uncomfortable experience and I was very grateful when I was thereafter able to keep wicket to their bowling. David reflected that "with my eyesight, hearing and reaction times all deteriorating I stopped playing at the end of the 2012 season and decided that this was the perfect time to take up umpiring". David is a qualified Umpire, hard to influence as a bowler, and makes one of the longest commutes to fulfill his duties on Broadhalfpenny Down where he always gets a warm welcome.