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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.