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Clive is a member of the Umpires Panel whose cricketing career included playing for Stoke d’Abernon CC (with a young Bob Willis who was my contemporary) and then Teddington CC in the Middlesex League. Clive moved from Buckinghamshire to Hampshire following his appointment as Deputy Headmaster of The Portsmouth Grammar School. The school had a very active and keen staff cricket side which played all the clubs in the area on Wednesday evenings in the summer term and played against the Brigands in 1987. He was so impressed with the warmth of the club’s welcome and its approach to the game that he decided to stop driving back to London to play league cricket and start playing for the Brigands instead; he said "it seemed the natural thing to do and I have never regretted it". Clive is a member of the MCC and was a member of the working party which negotiated the club’s taking on of the Broadhalfpenny Down lease when HMS Mercury closed in 1992. He has served the Brigands as treasurer and as Editor of the newsletter and became a Life Vice-President of the club in 2017.

Be part of history with your own personalised commemorative granite paving stone installed around the base of the Monument to the glory days of cricket. 2022 will mark the 250th anniversary of the first recognised First-Class cricket match and for the first time since its erection in 1908, Broadhalfpenny Down are offering a unique chance to be part of cricket history. Proceeds from the commemorative paving stones will be shared between developing junior cricket at Hambledon Cricket Club and maintaining the historic ground at Broadhalfpenny Down so that it can be enjoyed by future generations of cricketers and cricket lovers. Stones are beautiful Cornish granite & come in two sizes & a choice of one of 4 crests. Standard stones £150; 200mm x 200mm, 3 lines of max 14 characters per line Large stones £350; 400m x 400mm, 3 lines of max 20 characters per line ​ Installation is planned towards the end of 2022 and will only go ahead once 70 commemorative paving stones have been pre-ordered. email 250thfirstfirst@gmail.com with any queries, or if you'd like to pay in 10 equal installments by standing order, or click the link below for more information and to place an order and be part of cricket history. https://www.broadhalfpennydown.com/stones

Like most cricketers over the years, Bryan was asked to do the odd stint out in the middle to enable a game to progress and actually enjoyed the experience. After nearly 50 years of opening the bowling from school to club cricket, Bryan qualified as a Level 1 coach and qualified as an umpire, whilst still playing for the Broadhalfpenny Brigands. He set up the Brigands Umpire Panel whilst joining the Southern League Panel and the Royal Navy's Officials and being elevated to the Association of Cricket Umpires. Bryan coached and managed District cricket teams in Hampshire and was part of the Hampshire Cricket volunteer group which took Kwik-cricket into Special Educational Needs schools. In 2009 as part of the Brigands Jubilee cricket week, Bryan arranged a Hants v Sussex Visually Impaired match, a first for Broadhalfpenny Down and it turned out it was an ideally quiet venue for players who depend on hearing rather than sight. Now an octogenarian, Bryan enjoys the pace of Brigands cricket and ensures that each match has at least one umpire and sometimes two. Long may it continue.

With the new season approaching, we will soon be profiling the important people behind the Broadhalfpenny Preservation Trust and Brigands Cricket. You'll be surprised just how much goes on behind the scenes and you'll be interested and thankful for the brilliant set of volunteers we have, from umpires to scorers and from trustees and committee members to groundsmen.

By David Henderson Broadhalfpenny Down has been host to diverse forms of cricket in its more than 250 year history, including the venue for some of Hampshire Blind & Visually Impaired cricketers. Blind cricket was invented in Melbourne in 1922 by two blind factory workers who improvised the game using a tin can containing rocks. The Victorian Blind Cricket Association was founded shortly after (in 1922 so this year is a Centenary). The first sports ground and clubhouse for blind cricket was built at Kooyong, Melbourne in 1928. The world's first Test Cricket match for the Blind was played between Pakistan and South Africa in 2000 in which Pakistan defeated South Africa by 94 runs and England take on Australia later this year in the Blind & Visually Impaired Ashes. Most of the laws of cricket are observed with a few notable changes; the ball is a Size 3 ball with a noise making device and balls that burst are replaced immediately. The wickets are slightly larger than sighted red-ball cricket and the ball can bounce up to 4 times when bowled. Photographs kindly provided by PictureExclusive.com

With English cricket in the doldrums, we turn to the final page of David Underwoods story of cricket and culture in eighteenth century England, State of Play, to remind us we have been here before and where we might turn to for help ... "It's easy to be pessimistic, even paranoid, about crickets future, especially in the country where it originated. Anyone who has watched English cricket over the years searches in vain for the players who convey the sense of enjoyment that was recognisable in players of the calbre of Denis Compton, Fred Trueman, David Gower, Ian Botham and Derek Randall. Through all the disasters at the higher levels, cricket has survived in the localities because people want to play it for fun, not money, an outlook which the ninth Earl of Winchelsea would have approved; 'a game for the low, and the great'. If cricket is to survive in any worthwhile form, we need to rediscover its values as it has been (and sometimes still is) played at Taunton, Worcester, Cheltenham, Canterbury and Hambledon. It may help us to do this if we reflect on the way it was played, more than two centuries ago, on Broadhalfpenny Down." David Underdowns "final page" has been edited by David Henderson for brevity.

Lots of winter work has been carried out on the square. The grass coverage is even and has already had a light cut with the mower at a high setting. Next is spiking and the application of fertilizer. Weed control of both the square and the outfield will be undertaken in March. The tree afflicted with Ash Dieback on the West boundary of the ground has been felled as were several other dead ash trees within the copse. Some of the arisings have been removed for conversion into charcoal and the remainder left on site for the benefit of wildlife. We have an upcoming visit from Hillier Nurseries to advise on how we might plant a few new trees on the West boundary. We have had a couple of generous requests to plant commemorative trees during the 250th Anniversary Year and anyone wishing to donate towards this, or other improvements like a new electronic scoreboard, please speak to one of the Committee or use the Donate button on the website; your help is appreciated. The astroturf was cleaned and swept for the highly successful New Year's Day match and Adam and Guy have replaced the pedestrian gate opposite The Bat and Ball. There has been a certain amount of mole activity behind the pavilion and at the edge of the ground. This can be expected when there is no heavy machinery trundling around. However, the moles will be encouraged to seek pastures new! Harry Bates on Sweeping Duty on New Year's Day The stylish Guy Ladenburg and the posh new gate

The Chairman wrote to Paultons tonight to express our sadness, and sent our thoughts and best wishes after a mindless act of vandalism and arson on their club. We hope they will be ready for the start of their cricket season in May.

With a hat tip to Fixtures Secretary, Gerry Northwood, the 2022 fixture list has been published and features a wonderful mix of traditional games combined with some welcome additions. There are new fixtures with Lymington CC, Izingari CCm Five Rivers CC (think Chalkstream trout), Authors XI (you'll have read some of their books) and Hampshire Over 60s (we may be younger than them, just). We also welcome back Invalids CC, who incidentally played in the 1929 New Years Day game. There are three Twenty 20 evening fixtures and the game on Sunday 5th June will be a special celebration of the Queens Diamond Jubilee. The up-to-date list together with provisional start times is on the website under the menu item, Fixtures.

By Stephen Saunders Tuesday 23 June 1772 was market day in Hambledon, Hampshire and on that day the first designated first-class match was due to take place in the village at Broadhalfpenny Down. The official classification of a first-class match is one that is scheduled for three days or more duration between two sides of eleven players each with the opportunity to have two innings each. The origin of the term “first-class match” is unknown but it acquired official status, though limited to Great Britain, in 1895 following a meeting of the leading English clubs and the MCC in May 1894. It was not until 1947 that the term was formally defined by the Imperial Cricket Conference and it was specifically stated then that the definition “will not have retrospective effect”. So how have matches prior to 1895 been classified as first-class? As there is no official definition applicable to this period it has been left to statisticians to come up with the criteria. So the classification is a statistical one, not an official one. As one would expect, in any group of experts, few statisticians agreed. In Playfair Cricket Records Roy Webber says matches should be classified as first-class from 1864, (the introduction of Wisden Cricketer’s Almanac). Bill Frindall in his Wisden Cricket Records says 1815. The Association of Cricket Statisticians said that it should be from the first Gentlemen v Players match in 1806. Stumpsite always maintained that it should be 1772 and that, of course, ties in with the founding of the Hambledon Club. It is this date that has been accepted and acknowledged by cricket historians and statisticians. Cricket matches had been played before this date by many of the players in this match, but 1772 is the first year for which scorecards have survived and this match is the first one of three in that year. There is general confusion as to whether the team playing in this match was Hambledon or Hampshire and even the eminent writers on the history of the game cannot agree. Hampshire is recorded as playing matches before the formation of the Hambledon Club in May 1772. Further on June 2, 1772 a match is recorded at the Artillery Ground, London between five of Kent and five of Hampshire. The five of Hampshire were also all playing in the Broadhalfpenny match. Evidence does, therefore, lead to the team being Hampshire. The Hampshire team had two given men in John Edmeads and William Yalden from Chertsey. Both these gentlemen later played in matches for Hampshire. The team was captained by Richard Nyren, known as “The General”, who was the landlord of the Bat and Ball, Hambledon (previously known as the Hut). His first reported match was in 1759 and his last in 1784. The team contained the following regular Hampshire/Hambledon players: Thomas Brett said to be the fastest and straightest bowler of his generation; John Small generally regarded as the greatest batsman of the 18th century and as such was included in John Woodcock’s “100 Greatest Cricketers of All Time in 1997. He went on to the score the first first-class century in 1775 against Surrey and played his last match in 1798 at the age of 61; Tom Sueter who was the team’s wicket-keeper and a proficient left-handed bat; George Leer whose speciality was fielding at long-stop behind the wicket-keeper, especially to the bowling of Thomas Brett; Peter Stewart (also known as “Buck” as he was a natty dresser) was a good batsman, especially on the off side and had a wicked sense of humour; Edward Aburrow a decent batsman and useful change bowler. He played for All-England against Kent in 1744; William Hogsflesh known as a medium pace bowler; William Barber was a fast round-arm bowler with a high delivery and a free hitter. He took over the Bat and Ball, after Richard Nyren, which he ran for twelve years, being also the groundsman on Broadhalfpenny Down. A formidable team, even without the given men. Their opponents were England (sometimes referred to as Kent, Middlesex and Surrey). From Kent were: John Frame. A bowler of great renown who played for Surrey at the age of sixteen in 1749. He played for Kent in the five-a-side match along with May (Richard), Miller and Minshull. Nyren wrote that “he was an unusually stout man for a bowler”. He subsequently played two matches for Hampshire in 1773. James Fuggles. A batsman who played in the three first-class matches in 1772 and a further one in 1773. His name does appear several times in the press recording matches in the 1760’s. Richard May and his brother Thomas May. The brothers played a lot of matches together. Richard was a noted bowler, who later played one match for Hampshire in 1776. He was a yeoman and gamekeeper at Bourne Park who died in a drunken fit. Thomas was a batsman who is known to have played for Kent in the 1760’s and 1780’s. Joseph Miller. Miller’s first name is confusing as records refer to him both as Richard and Joseph. He was one of the best batsmen in the 18th century and played against Hampshire in the two other first-class matches in 1772. Nyren stated him to be “firm and as steady as the Pyramids”, adding, “he and Minshull were the only two batters the Hambledon men were afraid of.” John Minshull (sometimes referred to as John Minchin). He was employed by the Duke of Dorset as a gardener and playing for the Duke’s XI in August 1769 scored 107 against Wrotham. This is first definitely known century in any class of cricket. He also played in the other two matches in 1772. Nyren described him as “a capital hitter and a sure guard of his wicket” although his style was “both awkward and uncouth”. Surrey provided: William Palmer. He was a noted batsman who played for Coulsdon Cricket Club in Surrey who were Chertsey’s great rivals. Most of his career was in the 1760’s and 1770’s before statistical records began. He continued to play till 1776. Childs. Little is known about Childs not even his initials. This is his first known recorded match and he played four first-class matches for Surrey in 1773. That same year, in August he returned to Broadhalfpenny Down, along with Palmer, White and Stevens, to play for Surrey against Hambledon Town and in September against Hampshire. The Surrey men then played on the Down again in 1774 for England v Hampshire, but Stevens was playing for Hampshire in this match. Thomas White. He was a genuine all-rounder being successful as a batsman and change bowler. Like most of the others he started playing in 1760’s but he is best known playing in a match for Chertsey against Hambledon in 1771 when he appeared at the crease with a bat that was as wide as the wicket. Naturally the bowler, Thomas Brett, objected and a formal protest was made leading to a change in the laws to set the maximum width at four and a quarter inches. The England team were also allowed a given man from Chertsey, Edward (Lumpy) Stevens. Stevens was recognised as probably the best bowler of his era. In 1775 playing John Small in a single wicket match he beat Small three times with the ball going straight through the stumps. This led to the introduction of a third stump. This leaves one player by the name of Gill. This is his only recorded first-class match. He was previously recorded as playing two matches for All-England against Dartford in 1759 and described as a wicketkeeper from Buckinghamshire. Unfortunately Middlesex does not have any records from this period, so it cannot be established that he was from that county. The match was played for a stake of 500 guineas. There were four balls per over and no extras were recorded. The bowlers and the forms of dismissal were not recorded nor was there any report on the match, so all that we have are the individual scores and totals Hambledon T Brett 11 2 W Yalden 5 9 J Small 78 34 T Sueter 2 9 R Nyren 9 4 G Leer 1 0 J Edmeads 0 6 P Stewart 12 11 E Aburrow 27 0 W Hogsflesh 0 4 W Barber 1 0 ___ ___ 146 79 ___ ___ England T White 35 6 J Fuggles 5 12 J Minshull 16 1 J Miller 11 0 Gill 5 2 W Palmer 13 8 T May 15 18 Childs 2 0 J Frame 2 4 E Stevens 5 7 R May 0 5 ___ ___ 109 63 ___ ___ Hampshire scored 146 in their first innings, thanks to John Small who made 78, over half the runs. England were all out for 109; their highest individual score being 35 by Thomas White. In their second innings Hampshire scored 79, again mainly due to John Small who made 34. They then got England out for 63, winning by 53 runs. Later that month, on June 30th, the first fully documented meeting of the Hambledon Club took place in the Broadhalfpenny Hut. The other two matches of the season for which records survive were also Hampshire versus England. The first was in July that year played at Guildford Basin, in Surrey which Hampshire won by 62 runs. The second was the following month at Bourne Paddock in Kent when England achieved their first victory by two wickets. It is planned to celebrate the anniversary by enabling as many different forms of cricket and as many teams as possible to play on the Down during the season. To mark the 250th weekend, preparations are in hand for an Old England XI vs a Hampshire All Stars XI on Friday 24 June, an Old England Women’s side vs a Hampshire Women’s side on Saturday 25 June and a local derby of Hambledon vs the Broadhalfpenny Brigands on Sunday 26 June.

We are giving away a limited edition bobble hat created for the New Year's Day match at Broadhalfpenny Down together with a bottle of Classic Cuvee from our friends at Hambledon Vineyard. All you need to do is: Follow @cradleofcricket on Instagram Like the giveaway post Tag at least two friends who like cricket (or bobble hats) in the comments Entries close at midnight on 19th January and the winner will be announced on 20th January. The winner must be at least 18 years old; we can ship to UK address but overseas winner can collect their prize on a future visit to our beautiful ground in Hampshire. Winners' photo and name will be published on our website.

By Clive Barnett Under leaden skies but watched by a large crowd, the first New Years’ Day cricket match on the Down since the Millenium was heralded by intrepid Mike Beardall climbing to the top of the monument. Thus the teams were summoned to play a game which inaugurated a year of events celebrating the playing of the first-ever First-Class cricket match at the “Cradle of Cricket”. After the obligatory team photos had been taken and fortified by copious quantities of hot coffee, tea and bacon rolls (thanks to Mesdames Beardall and Dingemans), the two teams of ten players took the field with the Huskies batting first having lost a toss using a George III Halfpenny dated 1772. The Huskies included representatives from local clubs including Hursley Park, Havant, Hambledon and Portsmouth as well as cricketing journalists and the MCC. Players batted in pairs for four overs a pair with wickets resulting in the deduction of five runs from the team’s score. Bowlers were restricted to a maximum of three overs each. Given the damp if unseasonably warm conditions, the standard of play was remarkably high although a slippery ball and overcast conditions meant that out-fielders often found difficulty in sighting the ball and a number of catches were dropped by both sides. The Huskies amasses a total of 123 in their twenty overs with important contributions from C Pratt (27), P Hayward (18), H Turbevill (12) and a final flurry from Dave Henderson (32) whilst wickets were shared evenly amongst the Brigands bowlers. Set a challenging target, Brigands started well with an excellent contribution by Ladenberg (28), well supported by Northwood (12), Bailey (13) and Jay (20) which set up the opportunity for the last pair of Wood and Dougie Henderson to win the match for the home side. However, tight bowling by Pete Hayward, Rory Tennant and Huw Turbevill supported by some excellent ground fielding and one stunning catch restricted the victory charge and, with a couple of wickets falling Brigands ended on 107, just 17 runs short. All agreed that the venture had been a great success and an excellent start to a year of celebration. Over 40 players and spectators then retired for lunch at The Bat & Ball at which Huw Tubervill received the Man of the Match award from Hambledon Vineyard for his all-round contribution to his side’s victory. Photo gallery below with thanks to photographers Russell Sach, Dave Vokes, Dave Bodymore and Millly Henderson (individual credits to follow). You can subscribe for regular updates from Broadhalfpenny Down in what promises to be an interesting year ahead. Match Day Team Sheet

We were fortunate to have some talented photographers capture the New Year's Day match; thanks to Russell Sach, Dave Bodymore and Milly Henderson. For anyone looking to buy souvenir prints or hi-resolution digital images Dave Vokes has set up a gallery of 200+ photos at https://davevokes.photography/photogallery/gallery232/

From Vimps At The Crease, 31 December 2021 In the 18th Century, Broadhalfpenny Down was home to the legendary Hambledon Club, then the acknowledged authority on the Laws of Cricket, and was the location of the inaugural First Class cricket match in 1772 between Hampshire and an All-England team. The picturesque ground, next to the Bat and Ball pub, was responsible for the development of new techniques and the laws of cricket, from the addition of a third stump to the size of the bat. The Chairman of the charitable trust that now looks after the ground, Mike Beardall, said: “We hold the unique honour of starting the journey of First Class cricket in 1772 with a famous ‘grand match’ so now, 250 years on, we want to commemorate and celebrate this significant historical event by holding diverse and inclusive cricketing events throughout the year.” Weather permitting, tomorrow will only be the third time that the ground has seen play on New Year's Day. The Broadhalfpenny Brigands will play the Hampshire Huskies, an invitational team of local club cricketers in a 20-over match starting at noon. Among the participants are Havant father and son combo Peter and Matty Hayward, Portsmouth chairman Rick Marston, Hambledon brothers Chris and Jonny Pratt, Huw Turbevill (Editor of The Cricketer magazine) and Rory Tennant, son of the famed Times cricket correspondent. https://www.vimpsatthecrease.com/

The scene is set for the special match at the ‘Cradle of Cricket’ to Launch the 250th Anniversary of First Class Cricket Commemorations between the Broadhalfpenny Brigands and the Hampshire Huskies. The Brigands team includes: Gerry Northwood Guy Ladenburg Dougie Henderson Mike Beardall Neil Wood Ben Jones Adam Jay David Hemsley James Dingemans Paul Bailey The Huskies include local players from Hambledon, Havant and Portsmouth as well as invited Journalists: David Henderson Jon Hotten Huw Turbevill Ben Turbevill Pete Hayward Matty Hayward Chris Pratt Jonny Pratt Rick Marston Simon Jones Umpires: Mark Haylett, Bryan Burns, Nick Harris, Clive Barnett Scorers: Peter Danks, Caroline Beardall Previous New Year’s Day Games featured The Eskimos v The Invalids in 1929, and Hambledon v Adi Aymes Benefit XI in 2000. The format this time is pairs cricket, 4 overs per pair. Coffee at 11.30am, Match commences at Noon, Roast Dinner available in the Bat and Ball at 2.30pm.

As interest builds in the 250th anniversary in 2022, a new book has been published that covers the 250 Hampshire cricketers who played first-class cricket prior to the founding of Hampshire County Cricket Club in 1863. A book will be placed in the Broadhalfpenny Down pavilion and copies are available at £10 plus postage from the author, Stephen Saunders, who is at oastcottage@btinternet.com

First-Class cricket will be celebrating its 250th anniversary in 2022 with the Broadhalfpenny Down Preservation Trust hosting a special New Year’s Day cricket game to kick off a year of celebrations. Broadhalfpenny Down, the home of the Hambledon Club, was the location of the inaugural First-Class cricket match in June 1772 between Hampshire and an All-England team. 2022 will see a number of cricketing events hosted at the ground, known as ‘the cradle of cricket’, with a special cricket match on New Year’s Day kicking off the celebrations. 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. It's only the third time that the ground has seen play on New Year's Day. In 1929 a charity cricket match was played between the Hampshire Eskimos and The Invalids Cricket Club, a club founded in 1919 for players wounded in WW1. At the turn of the millennium Hambledon CC arranged a match commencing at the stroke of midnight using car headlights to light the ground, play was then halted due to bad light and resumed later in the day when daylight illuminated the proceedings. Adie Aymes Benefit Invitation XI beat a Hambledon team by 2 wickets knocking off the 61 required for victory. The two teams who will brave the cold this time are the Broadhalfpenny Brigands and the Hampshire Huskies, an invitational team of local club cricketers and cricket nuts. Extract from www.ageasbowl.com, 16 December 2021

Broadhalfpenny Down, the home of the Hambledon Club known as the ‘cradle of cricket’, was the setting of the inaugural first class 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. On January 1, 2022, Broadhalfpenny Brigands will take on the Hampshire Huskies, an invitational team of local club cricketers and enthusiasts. Brigands chairman Nick Harris said: ‘This is set to be another memorable occasion for the Brigands whose members have enjoyed the privilege of playing on Broadhalfpenny Down and preparing its wickets since 1959.’ Hampshire Cricket Chief Executive, David Mann said: ‘We are proud that this significant moment in the history of our game took place in Hampshire, at a special ground in Hambledon. https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/other-sport/why-hambledons-cradle-of-cricket-is-hosting-a-special-game-on-new-years-day-2022-3497312 Players from the last New Years Day match at Broadhalfpenny Down in 2000 By Simon Carter and published in Portsmouth Evening News, 16 December 2021

A Twenty20 match will be held on Broadhalfpenny Down, Hampshire, on New Year’s Day to mark 250 years of first-class cricket being played by the Bat and Ball Inn. Tom Holland, the historian and marquee player of the Authors XI, suggests, however, that the game’s roots go back much further. In his podcast The Rest is History, Holland says that an Armenian theologian called Abraham Terian has found a non-canonical gospel from the 6th century, translated from an older, lost text, that has a nine-year-old Jesus playing a game in which people throw balls for him to hit. It mentions him walking over the sea to retrieve the ball, which would make him useful at New Road in the spring floods. This fits with other clues in the regular gospels about cricket. St Luke writes of Simon Peter complaining about having caught nothing, to which Christ says: “Go into the deep and have another net.” Perhaps there is a textual error in Acts. Where it says Peter “stood with the eleven and was bold” it should read “bowled”. Author; Patrick Kidd, The Times 11 December 2022

The cradle of cricket as we know it today is to host a special 250th anniversary match on New Year’s Day 2022 to kick off a season of celebrating two and half centuries of First-Class cricket. In the 18th Century, Broadhalfpenny Down was home to the legendary Hambledon Club, then the acknowledged authority on the Laws of Cricket, and was the location of the inaugural First Class cricket match in 1772 between Hampshire and an All-England team. The picturesque ground in Hampshire, next to the Bat and Ball pub, was responsible for the development of new techniques and the laws of cricket, from the addition of a third stump to the size of the bat. The Chairman of the charitable trust that now looks after the ground, Mike Beardall, said “We hold the unique honour of starting the journey of First Class cricket in 1772 with a famous ‘grand match’ so now, 250 years on, we want to commemorate and celebrate this significant historical event by holding diverse and inclusive cricketing events throughout the year.” It's only the third time that the ground has seen play on New Year's Day. In 1929 a charity cricket match was played between the Hampshire Eskimos and The Invalids Cricket Club, a club founded in 1919 for players wounded in WW1. Ex-Sergeant Major Newland, fondly known as Picolo Jim, climbed on top of the monument and beckoned the players to the field to start the match. The game, which was interrupted by the Hampshire Hunt, was a cold and low scoring affair with The Invalids scoring 89 all out and the Eskimos scoring 78 in reply. It was so bitter and cold that as soon as the last wicket fell the players went straight to the Bat and Ball and drank the pub dry. At the turn of the millennium Hambledon CC arranged a match commencing at the stroke of midnight using car headlights to light the ground, play was then halted due to bad light and resumed later in the day when daylight illuminated the proceedings. Adi Aymes Benefit Invitation XI beat a Hambledon team by 2 wickets knocking off the 61 required for victory. The two teams who will brave the cold are the Broadhalfpenny Brigands and the Hampshire Huskies, an invitational team of local club cricketers. The Chairman of the Broadhalfpenny Brigands, Nick Harris, said “this is set to be another memorable occasion for the Brigands whose members have enjoyed the privilege of playing on Broadhalfpenny Down and preparing its wickets since 1959”. The Twenty over a side match commences at Noon with refreshments available from 11.30am. The Bat and Ball are serving up Roast Dinner for £17 a person after the match. For more information contact Mike Beardall or David Henderson, and Gerry Northwood is assembling the Brigands team and collating lunch reservations.