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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.

We have managed a second season with the threat of COVID-19 hanging like a cloud over us all. That we have enjoyed an entire season of cricket on Broadhalfpenny Down is better than we might have expected at some points of the year, and I would like to pay tribute to all who have been a part of achieving this success. And this tribute includes all members of the club who have continued to enjoy playing or administering and adhered to the safety guidance that has been provided. I am not in the least ashamed that if anything the Brigands have been more zealous than many in this, and I think the proof of success has been there for all to see. So well done everyone. I have been pleased with the standards we have maintained, and many of the good results achieved. More than anything I have been pleased with the level of pleasure that our cricket has brought, not just to ourselves but just as importantly to the opponents against whom we have played. There is absolutely no question that the way that we play, the fair challenges we set, the standards of sportsmanship and hospitality we set all result in afternoons of sporting fun. This fun is contagious, and we all want to come back for more week after week. It is even better now that once more much banter can be exchanged in the pub afterwards! I congratulate all Brigands members, our loyal and dedicated umpires and scorers, and the selfless efforts of supporting tea-providers in their individual efforts to achieve this. All together this standard-setting becomes THE mark of the Brigands. Behind the scenes we must be hugely grateful that all members of the Committee have put in hours of work in each of their areas of responsibility, providing us all with a sound financial base; a good range of fixtures; a terrific website complemented by modern communications; and a ground of which we are all extremely proud. As usual much background work will be taking place during the off-season (especially but not only on the cricket square), with the aim of bringing us all back to Broadhalfpenny Down, geared up and ready in all respects for a spectacular new season beginning in the spring.

A celebration of all things Brigands Cricket at the Bat and Ball saw Harry Bates awarded the prestigious Dom Rock Trophy for his service to the Club. Where would we be without Harry and Nina! Neil Wood took the bowling award, as well the Fantasy Points competition, and was presented with the Match Ball from his stunning 7-15 performance against Petersfield. Dave Henderson won the Lovett Turner batting prize and Dougie Henderson was awarded the Young Player of the Season. Dave Turner won the Champagne Moment with his amusing sitting down run out, Dave Hemsley was awarded his Brigands Cap and Adam Jay took home a tankard, in part, for his fielding throughout the season. Ed Hands was mentioned in despatches for his hat-trick and his bowling performances throughout the season. The evening had begun with a CB Fry inspired Grace by Clive Barnett and a Champagne Raffle that raised funds for Broadhalfpenny Down Preservation Trust, and ended with a Chairman's speech celebrating a wonderful season at the Cradle of Cricket.

On a day of late summer sunshine, the Brigands closed their season with a fun and memorable "sixes blast" at Broadhalfpenny Down. Three teams of 5 competed with each other in two full rounds of exciting cricket which produced several champagne moments. Stand out among these were Harry Bate's remarkable maiden over, Richie Hay's power of command in loudly calling a run when he was last man standing, and the magnum moment, Zeb Jay catching Guy Ladenburg on the boundary at square leg one handed and saving the six, followed a few balls later by throwing the stumps down for a run out. Each team played each other twice, with the first round being 10 over matches with batsmen being retired and out once they hit 25 or over. This round produced some high scores of 80 plus. Points were awarded to the teams for a win, wickets taken, and for every 10 runs scored. The second round was a 5 over blast and this noticeably put the pressure on the batsmen to score quickly. Chasing 60 Team B took the game right to the wire with B's skipper Dave Henderson hitting the last ball of the match out of the ground to win the game. Ah, not quite! The scoreboard was one run ahead of the actual score in the score box and the game was a tie. Or was it? The tournament rules state that in the event of a tie, the winner would be the team with the most wickets taken. So, Team C consisting of Mike Bath, Guy Ladenburg, Mike Beardall, Ewan Lovett-Turner and Harry Bates won that game and their next against Team A and thus extended their first round lead to take the tournament trophy. As well as team points, individual players netted points for individual batting, bowling and fielding success. These are the same as the club "fantasy league" points - 20 points for a wicket, catch or run out, and a single point for each run scored by the batsmen. It was a competitive field with 10 players netting over 70 points. However, the standout performances were Charlie Peach on 106, Dave Henderson on 127 and in lead place, the Brigands new and complete all rounder with runs, wickets, catches and a run out - Mike Bath on 165 points. For the last event of the season the the Brigands BBQ was rolled out into the sunshine and Brigands Chairman and master chef Nick Harris led a superb team turning out the burgers and sausages. Finally, this really was a team effort from the setting up of the ground, the BBQ and cakes, the scorers and the umpires, and could not have been done without the total commitment of all involved.

For the last time this season, there are some Champagne Moments to celebrate; winners get fantasy points and entry into the end of season Champagne Moment award. v Portsmouth ... Ed Hands with 2 caught and bowled wickets in one match v Brighton & Hove ... Nick Harris and family for the ornate signage accompanying tea v Cornwall Over 60s ... Paul Woolvine completing an all-run 4 and Richie Hay for an economical spell wearing walking boots Well done all.

Brigands started well with a 60 run opening partnership between Wood, Bailey and Byes that kept the scoreboard moving at 5 an over. With a batsmen-heavy Brigands line up, strike rate was the order of the day and on a straw coloured turning pitch defence was more dangerous than attack. Henderson hit 5 sixes, narrowly missing the Honorary Secretary's mother-in-law and just evading the windows of the Bat and Ball. When he was stumped it was left to Turner, who played shots all around the ground, and the more classical Charlie Peach to keep up the momentum. A brief cameo from Bates took the Brigands to 200-3 off 35 overs to allow an early declaration and tea. The Portsmouth chase started briskLy and it took line-and-length from Hays and a smart caught and bowled from Hands to keep the score to 60-2 after the first hour. The floaty-spin-triple-threat of Northwood/Jay/Turner were assigned the Pavilion end and Northwood in particular found good turn and bounce. Portsmouth remained patient and 90 off the last 20 overs with 5 wickets in hand seemed doable. Hands and Ladenburg switched ends and more wickets fell, Jay took a stunning one hand catch at silly mid off and now it was 30 off 6 overs and just 3 wickets left; more dots, more pressure and 16 needed off the last 2 overs. Under pressure, under the sultry evening sun, and under the impression he is an opening batsman, Wood was hit by Hampshire's Simon Jones for a couple of sixes and a four in the 47th and penultimate over sealing a 3 wicket win for Portsmouth.

Local derby ends in a draw. Brigands welcomed West Meon to BHD in the last of the regular midweek fixtures. Brigands were put into bat by the visitors and the opening pair of Whittle and Turner put on 44 before Turner went for 24. Whittle added 29 before him and Ladenburg both went with the score on 78. Waktare hit a quick fire 24 before Northwood 40 not out and Wood 34 not out put on 58 in the last half hour to take the total to 192-5 at tea. Sargant and Woolvine opened the bowling for Brigands and it wasn’t long before Sargant brushed the off stump to remove an opener for a duck. Woolvine picked up the other opener after a sharp catch from Turner with the score on 60 as the visitors set about their target. Runs came fairly easily but so did wickets with Wood, Bath and Beardall all hitting the stumps. Another sharp catch from Turner off the bowling of Beardall saw the number 3 depart and Brigands were eyeing victory. Another wicket for Sargant and a diving effort from Whittle off Wood saw Brigands within 2 wickets of victory but it was not to be as West Meon held out for a draw finishing on 175-8. Probably a fair result in a tight game.

Turner, Bath and Wood hold their nerve in last over nail biter. Against the stunning backdrop of Blenheim Palace, Brigands played their first-ever fixture on the South Lawn and proceeded to provide an amusing diversion for the thousands of visitors exploring the palace and grounds throughout the afternoon. Brigands were in the field for a forty over a side game; Ladenburg and Wood opened the bowling but were unable to achieve a breakthrough despite going close on a number of occasions. After a relatively shaky start, the Blenheim Park openers grew in confidence and the scoreboard began to tick along until Hemsley, coming on as first change, bagged the first wicket. However, it wasn’t until skipper Dave Henderson turned to Bath and Padget that the scoring rate was significantly slowed. Between them, the pair took five middle-order wickets with Bath’s three wickets (a treble wicket maiden) in seven overs particularly impressive. Harry Bates was outstanding in the field and Adam Jay bowled his first maiden for the Brigands. Some lusty blows by the Park’s tail saw them reach 141 - an eminently defendable total given the tricky nature of the wicket. So, it proved with the Brigands losing three cheap wickets before tea was taken after ten overs of their innings. A fourth wicket was lost soon after the resumption with the score barely 40. However, on a wicket that was two-paced, Dave Turner curbed his natural attacking instincts to make an excellent 59 and hold the innings together as batting partners came and went. It wasn’t until he was joined by Mike Bath that the pair finally got on top of some tight bowling. Unfortunately, Turner fell just before the opposition’s score was overhauled and it was left to the cool head of Wood to strike the winning runs with three balls, and three wickets, to spare.