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First, the outfield mower broke, then the square mower wouldn't start-up, then the floor fell out the heavy roller; bad things come in threes. And yet, somehow, Broadhalfpenny Down looked beautiful in time for the visit of the Old Wykehamists and the documentary maker from the International Cricket Council. Behind the scenes there was a monumental effort from Harry, Nina and Gerry; good things come in threes too. Jay and Flewitt laid the foundations for the Brigands who pushed onto 198 with a fifty for Ladenburg and a forty for Northwood. At tea-time players, officials and supporters enjoyed beautiful homemade sausage rolls and cake whilst caps were presented by Nick Harris, the Brigands Chairman, to Guy Ladenburg for his "consecutive fifties and important wickets" and to Dave Turner for "turning up". Old Wykehamists went for it from the start with Wood despatched for 12 in his first over. Peach managed to keep one end tight whilst runs flowed and wickets fell at the other; there was a high catch caught by Henderson Senior, a smart low catch by Flewitt and a full toss leg-before as Henderson Junior picked up three wickets. The match turned on a smart run out by Peach who was fielding at mid-off and whose pick up and throw clipped the bails and left the Old Wykehamists needing 20 with 2 wickets to spare. The pressure was mounting on both sides; Old Wykehamists were taking risky singles whilst Brigands fielders started moving themselves. With only 5 runs needed a ball was hit skywards to long-on where Turner avoided the catch and yet, whilst horizontal on the ground, picked up the ball and threw to the bowlers end to Ladenburg who ran out the number 11; it sealed a 4 run Brigands victory and redemption for match-winner Dave Turner. Bad things might come in threes, but good things come in

At the end of May 2021, it's a two horse race at the top of the fantasy league table between Neil Wood on 277 points and Jake Peach on 275 points. Neil has 13 wickets at 10.77 and Jake has 7 wickets at 6.86 a piece. Dougie Henderson leads the run scorers with 113 (including 5 sixes) and Mark Flewitt tops the batting averages at a very respectable 42.5. So far this season, on average, Brigands score 183 for 7 and opposition 141 for 8 in each innings.

It's often the small things in life that, when taken away, are missed the most. This weekend saw the return of sunshine, refreshments on the pitch, home-made cakes in the marquee and supporters on the boundary. Every Brigand batted; Paul Whittle hit a six, Dave Henderson hit three in three balls and both Barney Wyld and Gerry Northwood scored elegant twenties. The Brigands declaration came at 190-9. Din Patel, Mike Beardall and Jake Peach took care of uphill containment bowling duties whilst Neil Wood was left to attack a round Petersfield team with his accurate "darts". Five in his first spell and two more to mop up the tail finishing with a Brigands career best of 7 for 15 which left the visitors 79 runs short. Chips arrived as the sun began to set and the first jug of the season was poured at the Bat & Ball; the small things.

After inspecting the pitch ("a pudding") and consulting the weather forecast ("solid rain") the match between Brigands and Portsmouth CC on 23 May has been cancelled. Luckily there is a return match with Portsmouth on the seafront in mid-July which is one of only 2 away fixtures this season. The next scheduled Brigands match is on 30 May against Petersfield CC.

The Bat and Ball re opens today! Here's to a wonderful summer of cricket at Broadhalfpenny Down supported by Andrea and her great team at the iconic cricket lover's pub. https://www.batandballclanfield.co.uk/

The ECB have published their advice on the return to cricket which is explained in the attached document - correct as at 12 April 2021. TL;DR We start the season with similar measures to how we finished last season. https://resources.ecb.co.uk/ecb/document/2021/04/09/907a4c6a-460e-4f82-b807-4d48b2a6e890/Recreational_Cricket_COVID_Guidance_in_England_Step-2_12_April.pdf

The match against London New Zealand has had to be called off due to rain and a very waterlogged Broadhalfpenny Down. Hopefully, the Brigands will be back in action next weekend against Portsmouth CC.

After looking good in the first pre-match fielding practice of the season, the Brigands failed to tackle the twin challenges of a low bounce wicket and running 22 yards slumping to 90-6 including two run-outs. An elegant 34 from Ed Hands and a maiden career 50 for Dougie Henderson led a Brigands recovery meant captain Mike Beardall could declare on 209. After the Hursley Park opener asked, politely, if we wouldn't bowl fast as it was his first game ever, the Brigands let loose new Grandad Neil Wood and Graham Inglis. At 60-1, the visitors were going well but a 6 ball spell from Ed Hands ripped out the top order which will give him something to think off whilst he enjoys his haircut next week. Hursley Park then sent out a man with one knee and a 1980s V100 bat to play for the draw but even this was no match for Jake Peach whose triple-wicket last over saw the Brigands home. Adam Jay contributed with outfield beers as Graham Inglis retained the Matt cartoon award and we interviewed the most interesting man of the day, Mike the Hursley park Captain; the man in the supply chain between the tree and the bat makers.

The start of a new season and a new look Brigands side ready to play Newport Gentleman at the Cradle of Cricket.

Sons of Bacchus won the toss and elected to bowl first against what, on paper, was a strong Brigands’ batting line-up. In fact, the Brigands made slow progress against consistent and accurate seam bowling, backed-up by some excellent catching and ground fielding, which restricted the run-rate to little more than three-and-a-half an over for much of their innings. In the end, the Brigands were indebted to Mark Flewitt who batted for very nearly the whole innings for his painstaking 81. At the other end, batsmen came and went with none of them staying around long enough to put together a meaningful partnership; in the end, it took some lusty blows from the lower order to get the Brigands to a defendable score. Unfortunately, when it was their turn to field, the Brigands failed to match the accuracy of their opponents’ attack and fielding. As a result, Sons of Bacchus got off to a flyer and were scoring at six-an-over for the first ten of their innings. The introduction of Jake Peach and Mike Beardall had the effect of reining back the scoring rate and a smart stop and throw by Douggie Henderson brought about the first wicket with a run-out. Neil Wood then returned to pick up two wickets, one an excellent catch by Gerry Northwood at mid-off. However, any hopes of a breakthrough were stifled by Guy Ladenburg, playing for his regular side, and Sons of Bacchus overhauled the Brigands’ total with overs to spare – and just before the weather closed in!

On another pleasant mid-April day the Newport Gentlemen made their first visit to Broadhalfpenny Down, and won the first toss of 2021. They elected to bat and made slow but steady progress against a decent Brigands attack. Opening up with Neil Wood and Ed Hands, skipper David Henderson had a varied bowling battery to rotate. Ed Walker, Dave Turner, Dougie Henderson, Gerry Northwood and David Henderson himself all turned their arms over, and there was always Jake Peach available in the locker too. Neil trapped J Khan LBW for a duck in his third over, before Imaq and Zia put on 43 for the second wicket, when Zia was bowled by Dougie Henderson. Three wickets then fell quickly to Ed Walker’s pace and Dave Turner’s spin, leaving Newport at 66 for 5, Brigands relaxed their grip a bit then, and the score moved along to 125 when Jamal was run out as Newport’s top scorer (39) was going for a single to Gerry Northwood! Newport Gentlemen finally reached 147, Ed Walker the pick of the bowlers with 4, the last one to a good slip catch by Ed Hands. Dave Turner took two on his debut, and David Henderson one. This was a solid start in the field for the Brigands first outing with, the skipper said, only a couple of blemishes. Brigands then went in to chase, starting with a quick 74 run stand between Paul Whittle and Jake Peach (retired on 51), which inspired a mini-collapse as first Paul, then Graham Inglis (a first-baller) fell. This slight wobble worsened with Adam Jay out for 1, taking Brigands to 86. But the ship was steadied, and eventually the match won with 13 overs to spare, thanks to an excellent 44* by Dougie Henderson accompanied first by Dave Turner who batted carefully for half an hour, and then Ed Walker (7*). Graham Inglis was the first recipient of the weekly award of The Matt Cartoon, following a democratic debate.

A hardy group of volunteers worked on Saturday morning under Harry’s thoughtful direction to make everything ready for the start of the Brigands’ season on the 18th. Thank you all so much for coming, and thank you, weather, for not rainin!

It’s not very long ago that the Brigands had no awards at all and relied on our great Corinthian Spirit to be reward enough. But things changed, awards crept in and now the consensus is that a limited number like ours are fun and bring a desirable, added piquancy to our game. The Don Rock Trophy really began it all when Don’s widow presented the trophy to the Club. Don umpired for the Brigands and was part of the party that toured to the West Country and played against the Saints for three years, before suddenly passing away. The Brigands decided to present the Trophy to the Club’s “Best Player”, and that has merged into being the player at the top of the Fantasy League, who also won the ‘Gold Award’. After a review, the Committee is now proposing the following awards from 2021: The Lovett-Turner Trophy for Best Batsman The Ken Bowell Bowl for Best Bowler The Matt-signed cartoon "Nobody in our Team has ever caught anything" to be awarded throughout the season and the fortunate winner’s name added to a framed list adjacent to the cartoon that will hang in the pavilion. New for 2021 is the Young Player of the Season trophy to be awarded to a player under 30 years old. There are Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards for the top three in the Fantasy League. Finally, the Don Rock Trophy is being opened up and will now be awarded to the club member who has made a most significant contribution over the season, guided by the Committee but voted for by all members.

Well, here we all are, liked coiled springs, (well perhaps not all our players!) just waiting for the starting flag to be waved by the ECB to allow us to get on with playing some cricket again. I don’t think that Broadhalfpenny Down would be considered a Covid hotspot! Meanwhile, I’m sure we are all finding various ways to keep ourselves busy, sane and generally occupied. And whoever thought up “catch up” for TV has, I hope, been amply rewarded. With plenty of sport to watch, even if the England cricket and rugby teams didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory, there has been an interesting theme in the post-match analysis of football, rugby and cricket so far this year – referees and umpires! From pressure on umpires’ decisions in India, to referees falling foul of VAR and TV replays it does make you wonder why any of them actually want to submit themselves to this level of off-field scrutiny and, sadly, denigration by the media. Thankfully, not a problem the Brigands have to face, and you will all be pleased to know that we just shrug off these issues and get on with it! Unperturbed by all the mudslinging, our gallant band of umpires are dusting off their coats, checking they are still able to count to six, undertaking vigorous exercise programmes to ensure their arms stretch from the horizontal to the overhead position and making sure their index finger is straight. Yes, no matter what you players have done to them in the past they have all volunteered again! Not only that, we have a couple of new members of the “union” waiting in the wings to do their utmost to ensure we can all participate in some enjoyable cricket on the Down. So, unlike the treatment some referees and umpires receive on the professional circuit please be nice to them! Like everyone else we are just impatient to get the season underway. Bryan Burns

It’s an enormous pleasure at last to be writing at the start of a new cricket season, one during which I hope sincerely that the ghastliness of 2020 can be put firmly into the rear-view mirror. I for one am looking forward with a spring in my step to seeing everyone back up on Broadhalfpenny Down. Of course this is my usual plea for early season money! But I hope this letter finds you and your family well. The Brigands’ committee is in good health, and has been meeting monthly by Zoom since the end of last season to ensure the club is in the best possible position to start anew. Financially we have been well supported through Covid_19 by available grants from both the ECB and Winchester District Council, and the committee has given a major re-vamp to the club’s and the Trust’s website. On the ground, Harry and Rod continue their excellent work for which we are all very grateful. The early cuts have happened, the equipment has been maintained, and pre-season scarification and weed control will be taking place shortly. All members will be welcome to assist in the still socially-distanced ground opening on 10th April. At this point, please may I ask everyone to pay your annual subscriptions? Subs remain anchored at £60 for playing members and £15 for non-playing. Payment by Monthly Standing Order is best for the club as it provides a regular cashflow in, and my thanks to those several who do that already. The club’s account for payments is: Broadhalfpenny Brigands CC Sort Code 77 50 12 Account Number 31225668 Finally, while we await helpful guidance from the ECB we look forward to welcoming everyone once more to Broadhalfpenny Down to fulfil our full fixture list, and hope fervently for a summer of cricket, teas, and use of the Pub, ahead!

It's that time of year again and now that the ECB has presented the new playing roadmap and provided the government timetable out of lockdown remains on schedule the Brigands first match will be against Newport Gentlemen on 18 April. I am the appointed selector for Apr, May and Jun so please email me your availability in the usual way at Bearders42@gmail.com

Spring begins this weekend, the weather is fair and our brilliant groundsmen, Rod and Harry, are hard at work rolling and preparing the square.

A range of Broadhalfpenny Brigands branded kit is available in our dedicated team store which is available at https://seriouscricket.co.uk/teamwear/stores/broadhalfpenny-brigands-cc/

The headlines of the season are as follows, with full statistics to be published later: Played 14 matches (Won 7 Drawn 3 Lost 4) from 12th July. 19 players played at least 3 times for us, and 9 of them played 7 or more matches or more than half. The outstanding batsmen were David Henderson (349 runs avg 34.9) and Charlie Peach (313 avg 62.6). But there were many good contributions in their support with 2 centuries (Greig Stewart 107* v. Portsmouth and David Henderson 103 v. Hawkley) and 7 other scores of 50 or more being scored. Therefore, David Henderson has won the Lovett-Turner Trophy for the second successive year. The outstanding bowlers were Mike Beardall (23 wickets at 14.6 runs per wkt) and Neil Wood (22 at 15.2), with Paul Woolvine (16 at 18.7) close behind. So, Mike wins the Ken Bowelling Trophy for Bowling (for the 8th time in 12 years!), beating Neil to it in his last spell of the season! In the battle for the Don Rock Cup for 2020, David Henderson won the Gold (739 points) and the Cup, Neil Wood the Silver (663) and Charlie Peach Bronze (573). Finally, we have a new trophy in the form of a signed “Matt” Cartoon from the Daily Telegraph – kindly acquired by Nigel Lovett-Turner – “It’s ridiculous that cricket isn’t allowed. Nobody in our team has ever caught anything” accompanied by a very appropriate drawing. While there were some very clear and possibly embarrassed contenders for the first presentation of the award, actually the Club is the first winner for 2020, for having kept Covid_19 at bay during the season (fingers crossed for the future).

Of course, it has been an extraordinary period for everyone, and we all know why. However, back in May when the committee was debating how to keep the club alive, we were faced with the likelihood of no cricket at all in 2020. That we have actually managed to play 14 matches and a club 6-a-side day is remarkable and I commend everyone involved in that achievement, including our opponents - all of whom made a decision to travel away in order to play against us. But back in July when club cricket was eventually permitted under special guidance from the ECB we only had two or three days’ notice before playing our first match. That we were able to do so successfully was because the ground had been properly cared for during lockdown by Harry and Rod, because the fixture list was kept under constant review by Gerry, and finally of course because of the players themselves who were desperate to play. Financially, club members deserve a huge pat on the back for putting their hands in their pockets to pay subs, and very often to make donations over and above their subs in recognition of the un-played games. This sort of attitude makes clubs like ours a joy to belong to, and although we were unable to hold any meaningful fund-raising events there was never a real worry that we would come unstuck. The committee has always maintained an unwritten policy of holding about a years’ equivalent of costs in the club bank account, and this has paid off. When local government then made the decision to grant £10,000 to clubs to help offset problems and keep them alive for the future, this was a further enormous help. The club has found several new young players, mostly local, who have thoroughly enjoyed their exposure to the Brigands and probably will form a nucleus for the future. That is good news. But better still I think is the spirit that exists among the team at all levels. There is some very good cricket being played on the Down, and most opponents this season were given a very good game, and some even left with their tails slightly between their legs! A new club record opening stand of 181 between Adam Jay and David Henderson was achieved against Hawkley. The players had the full support of our umpires and scorers over the course of the 15 games played, and I would like to thank them all very much for giving up their time to making cricket on Broadhalfpenny Down such a well-ordered pleasure. Their presence makes an enormous difference to the quality and enjoyment of our cricket. Very sadly this year I have no reason to thank our marvellous tea-makers but I know they were with us in spirit and are working up new recipes for next year! Over the course of the short season the pavilion had to be “Covid” deep-cleaned between every match, and this was done by Gaille who we thank.