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Time stood still literally as old friends Whitchurch visited the Down on a warm and sunny Wednesday afternoon on what was the 50th anniversary of their first visit. It was a fantastic afternoon of cricket, teas and friendship as skipper for the day Wood went out to the middle with the Whitchurch skipper and old friend of the Brigands, Os. Brigands won the toss and elected to bat. The batting order was describeas “fluid” as both DT and Morris were en route as the game got underway. Jay Snr went early with no score on the board to be replaced with Jay Jnr who soon joined him back in the pavilion with only 4 on the board. JST joined Flewitt at the wicket and the pair added 37 runs for the 3rd wicket before Flewitt fell for 19. Brigands were confident with a strong middle order and they all delivered with JST(21), Morris(26), DT(24) and Blackburn(23) all contributing to the score heading above 100 and leaving the path open for Ladenburg who was fresh from his 102 on Sunday but could he guide Brigands to the target of 180? As Ladenburg fell for 31 Brigands were 15 short of the target and it was left to debutant Pitts and Whittle to guide the home team to 186 before skipper Wood decided it was time for tea. The tea was superb and welcomed by both teams and the throng of the great and good from Brigands history. It seemed such a shame to leave the tea but needs must and every game has 2 innings. Wood chose himself and Ladenburg to open the bowling and it was Ladenburg who struck twice in his first 2 overs to leave the visitors at 3-2 after 4 overs. Wood turned to Pitts to test his bowing ability after 9 years out of the game but there wasn’t any reward for the bowler. At the other end DT took over from Ladenburg and picked up a wicket in his first over to leave the visitors 48-3 at the first drinks break. Wood brought himself back on with some even slower left arm round before asking Blackburn and Morris to chance their arm. Morris quickly realised it was short spells so bowled 12 deliveries in his only over even dropping a caught and bowled chance! At the other end, DT mixed economy with wickets helped by catches from Ladenburg and Blackburn as the visitors were 111-6 at the second drinks break. The skipper changed his bowlers and Ladenburg picked up a wicket before DT completed his 5-wicket haul with Flewitt taking a stunning slip catch to dismiss the dangerous Whitchurch skipper for a well-constructed 56. The last 2 overs saw Brigands needing 2 wickets and the visitors needing 31 runs. Wood took the 9th wicket leaving Brigands Bailey to face Ladenburg in the last over. Bailey did a spot of fishing but couldn’t gift Brigands the win. A great afternoon of cricket and friendship especially with Harry orchestrating everything from his spot on the sidelines. A massive thanks to everyone who helped make Harry’s day work. It was a real team effort.

Thanks to our friends at Spice Productions we get to see a unique view of the Brigands v Authors cricket match, and the surrounding farmland, taken in July 2024.

Award-winning Times photographer Marc Aspland came to photograph the Broadhalfpenny Brigands v MCC match during the heatwave of 2022. Click on the button below to read Marc's photo essay that captured a magical day at the Cradle of Cricket.

Brigands are fortunate to have an interested set of former players and supporters who continue to give their time and love to the club. More than a dozen of them assembled for the game against Whitchurch. Pictured, standing left to right are Nick Harris, Harry Bates, Gill Lovett-Turner, Nigel Lovett-Turner. Seated left to right are Nina Bates, Peter Tomkins, unknown (partner of Whitchurch CC player), Bobby Tomkins, Clive Barnett; Bill Evershed, Judy Barnett, Penny Evershed, Selina Musters, Heather Newman, Roy Newman and John Musters. Photograph from Adam Jay

It's been a mixed season thus far with wins, losses, and draws evenly distributed. Pleasingly, there have been a few last-over finishes where both teams had something to play for. Despite the rather cool, damp summer thus far, only 2 games have been lost to weather. The Spond app has been used this season to help the Team Selector and Match Managers administer teams for individual games. We are still finding our feet with it but it remains our best option for managing availability and selecting teams so please support by providing up-to-date availability. Many thanks to all those who have paid their annual subscriptions or arranged a direct debit. For those who are still in arrears, the club membership fees for 2024 are £72 for playing members and £15 for youth, student, and non-playing members. Broadhalfpenny Brigands CC account for payments is Sort:775012 Number: 31225668 Each year there is the requirement to trim the hedges that surround the Down. Whilst contractors are brought in to do the ‘trimming’ their costs are significantly reduced if volunteers can move the arisings to the nearby woods. Date is to be arranged but please let Richie Hay know if you'd like to help. Following the final game of the season, Harry intends to rennovate the Square. This will involve unloading topsoil and spreading it where needed. Volunteers are requested to help with this task. We are planning a Ground closure and ‘End of Season BBQ’ on 14 September. There is the Annual Club dinner on Saturday 5 October at 7pm with details. to be emailed in August. The Club AGM is the next day starting at 11am. The Chairman will write separately on the governance of Brigands CC and it’s relationship with the soon-to-be defunct Broadhalfpenny Down Preservation Trust. It is the intention to circulate options for this to the membership ahead of the AGM itself to enable members to fully participate in the meeting. The Committee hope to see a large turn-out of members at the AGM. Yours aye Richie Hay Hon. Secretary brigandscchonsec@gmail.com

Hampshire County Cricket Club Pitch Advisors Nigel Gray & Lee Padwick, with the Grounds Management Association’s Phil Jeggo, share their wisdom on preparing and maintaining pitches at the cradle of cricket.

Harry Bates shows how a forward defense might have looked at Broadhalfpenny Down when the first games of cricket were being played here. Back then, there was underarm bowling and two stumps, not three.

Four years ago we embarked on a plan to source beautiful photographs of Broadhalfpenny Down and put them on Wikipedia, Bing, Google and Apple Maps, and across our social media channels. This week we hit a milestone with over 10,000 viewers of our photographs on Google Maps alone, which all helps with telling the story of The Hambledon Club and the role Broadhalfpenny Down played in the development of cricket we know today. Thank-you to all the photographers who have generously allowed us to share their work with cricket lovers across the world.

Some men are born lucky. Others are born Neil Wood. Playing cricket on his birthday at the ground he loves, Wood opened the batting with a sublime 24, and bagged his first 5 wicket haul of the season in a Brigands victory. After the game, he was seen on the pitch with a pint in hand with the kind of smile you see 007 wear at the end of a Bond movie.   His opening partner, Guy Ladenburg, hit a fine 70, his batting free-spirited and adventurous like Huckleberry Finn, and his classy drives provided a great backdrop to the film interviews taking place on the pavilion balcony.   Dave Turner made an uncomplicated 23. He defended the straight balls and hit the wide ones. The film crew moved from the Pavilion and were flying a drone overhead, capturing the tense moment when Gerry Northwood survived a hat-trick ball, and then the sixes that Dave Henderson hit on his way to a quick-fire 54. The 200 came up with a wide bowled by author Charlie Campbell; Brigands supporters on the boundary clapped and those playing, unaware of the milestone, assumed it was a local tradition to applaud an opposition wide.   The declaration came in the same over. The young Turner girls told us to expect a great tea because “Mummy makes the best cakes”, and they didn’t exaggerate.  A great spread was enjoyed while Brigands Caps were presented to new players this season, Peter Stearn and Rafi Abdeen.   Lee Gray bowled fast down the hill, Rafi Abdeen floated his spinners up it, and into a cross breeze. The Authors openers, Taylor and Duggan, attacked from the start; 26-0 off 5 overs became 56-0 off 10 overs. As cricket-loving Arthur Conan-Doyle might have said, the run chase was afoot.   Neil Wood came into the attack; the change worked and he had his first of the day with an in-swinging middle stump yorker. The 20th over was pivotal. Rafi came back onto bowl and induced Taylor into an attacking drive too many, and then the very next ball a flighted spinner pitched on leg stump and hit off stump. Wood’s next over removed Wisden columnist Jon Hotten and Brigands were right on top.   Peter Stearn bowled well without reward, and Authors continued to keep the run rate required below 7 per over.   Gerry Northwood came on to confuse the opposition, and he bowled Charlie Campbell in his first over. When the big-hitting Ben Falk hit Rafi towards the Monument, it was a six or out moment; another epic catch from Gray and Brigands had taken 9 wickets with only one wordsmith to go.   As the Number 11 came out to bat wearing white clothes and black pads one wondered whether a similar combination had been seen in 250 years of cricket at Broadhalfpenny Down. It was a fleeting sight that lasted just one ball.   The Brigands and Authors posed for team photos and enjoyed a barbecue and sundowner beer, whilst Neil Wood made a birthday wish that every Sunday could be as special as this one, at the cradle of cricket.   Brigands 205-6 beat The Authors 159 all out by 46 runs. Thank you to Spice Productions for the aerial photos.

Today we host the cricket-loving Authors CC. Expect brilliant writers, eloquent podcasters, and enthusiastic cricketers enjoying a Sunday afternoon of cricket where it all began. There is a barbeque starting at 6 pm and local beers available on the ground, as well as at the Bat & Ball.

Alcaraz beet Djokovic in the tennis at Wimbledon, Spain ended England's hopes and dreams in the European Football Championships, and Donald Trump was shot at during a political rally in the USA. But not much happened of note at Broadhalfpenny Down. Brigands batted first and, despite a small boundary, couldn't hit it off the square. Brigands are averaging over 5 runs per over this season, and often accelerate at the 20-over mark. Against a strong Gulls attack Brigands crawled to 60 off 20 overs and then after drinks the runs dried up. It left the Captain, Ewan Lovett-Turner, the awkward task of declaring with a below-par score of 140-7 with wickets in hand. The Old Boys of St Andrews University made light work of the chase, swinging the bat and hitting the first two balls of the innings for a six and a four. The only highlights were superb fast bowling from Lee Gray and a direct hit run out from Steve Blackburn who watched the batter ground his bat then let go of the handle as the bails were dislodged. Brigands 140-7 declared lost to Old Seagullians 141-3 by 7 wickets.

Some distinguished lunchtime guests at Lord's were treated to a Broadhalfpenny Down souvenir handkerchief. The fundraising event was organised on behalf of The Lord's Taverners and the Graham Gooch Scholarship Fund, and featured speeches from Graeme Swann and Graham Gooch, a beautiful sit-down lunch, and a game of heads and tails. Shop for gifts

The kiwi fruit is a case study in rebranding. Originally known as the Chinese Gooseberry, the furry green fruit was renamed in 1959 after the flightless birds endemic to New Zealand and sales took off. And so a Kiwi Pavlova was made especially for the visit of the unbeatable London New Zealand, baked by man-about-the-marquee Leon; a highlight at tea on a scorching hot day in the Hambledon valley. Harry and Nina hard at work, Leon with his Kiwi Pavlova, Mo Ali in the field with the pavilion behind, Brigands toiling in the heat enjoy drinks Earlier, the Kiwis had hit Brigands opening bowlers all over the Down. It was only when pace was taken off the ball that wickets fell, with the mercurial Mike Beardall bagging three and Neil Wood picking up two. Zeb fielded wearing headphones hopeful for a Manchester City meltdown in the Premier League that never came. There were a couple of drops deflected for 6 and four catches in the deep that would have otherwise gone for 6. It was that sort of day. A sporting declaration at 186-7 meant all results were possible and the pendulum swung towards the brigands when Guy Ladenburg (with a borrowed bat) and Mo Ali (with a broken thumb) put on 25 in 3 overs for the first wicket. The pendulum swung back towards the Kiwis once Dave Henderson’s (36) dismissal triggered a mini collapse as Brigands fell from 103-3 to 115-8. New Zealand legend Kane Williamson visited Broadhalfpenny Down in 2021; he has the fourth highest batting average across the final innings of test matches using a simple approach of picking the gaps. Adam Jay (42) and Neil Wood (23) emulated him by patiently working the ball between fielders taking quick singles and punishing the rare bad balls. Their mature 40 partnership meant there was a chance, just a chance of victory. But when Jay missed a straight one it was the tenth wicket either bowled, LBW or caught behind; the rewards of bowling straight, and a win for the Kiwis by 29 runs. A final note of thanks to Caroline Beardall for scoring with a smile, to Peter Tompkins and Clive Barnett for great Umpiring in the heat, and to Lee Gray fo military-grade match management. Sam Martin on his way to a 6 wicket haul, one of which is Paul Whittle caught behind. Jay on the charge, Wood bowled, Handshakes with the Bat & Ball behind, and Kane Williamson on his visit to the ground in 2021 A happy Adam Jay, Player of the Match, receives his New Zealand wine London New Zealand 186-7 declared best Brigands 157 all out by 29 runs Photos by Dougie Henderson, Dave Henderson & Kris Newton

You know you are in for a challenge when a team turns up in smart blazers, with their own chef, and have a pre-match warm-up routine. Midway through a tour of the finest grounds in Yorkshire, Hampshire, Sussex, and London, Old Tablelands CC had a playing squad of 20 that was already down to 14 fit men. Meanwhile, Brigands had their own travails with injuries and dropouts and were thankful the three Manns (father and two sons) stepped up to complete the line-up which featured 5 debutants. The first wicket came off a Dave Henderson floated ball that was hit high to the square leg boundary where debutant Charlie Wilson declared loudly he couldn’t see the ball in the sun, and then proceeded to take a diving catch. Off-spinners Oscar Mann (1-18) and Robbie James (1-15), another debutant, were the pick of the bowlers, with Richie Hay providing good support. When an over was needed, team man Paul Whittle bowled for just the second time this year. Old Tablelands reached 168 from their 25 overs. James Stratford Tuke, like many before, was out for a duck on his Brigands debut and then a procession of Brigands batters hit the ball in the air to fielders who could actually catch a cricket ball; it was so unfair! With the score at 24-5 it was down to David Mann and Paul Whittle to restore some pride. The inform Neil Wood entertained the crown with a handful of boundaries too and Brigands, in the end, fell just over 30 runs short. Presentations were made, ties were exchanged, and stories were told of cricket and wine in rural New Zealand before a pub supper at the Bat & Ball. The Kiwis saw a photograph of Kane Williamson on his visit to the cradle of cricket in the display cabinet and they remarked how proud they were of his reputation as the nicest test player in world cricket. The Brigands who left the pub at the end of the evening declared Old Tablelands the nicest club in world cricket.

The Rioteers is a wandering club with a long history of cricket in the South of England; indeed this was their 60th Anniversary match against the Brigands, a fixture which had seen 3 ties in the past. David Mann was out caught early on, but Guy Ladenburg and Adam Jay built a lovely second wicket partnership including an array of backfoot shots; the wicket was hard and the bowling was fast. Once they were both out, odd couple Dave Henderson and Dave Turner, carried on the good work cutting, sweeping, and heaving away to get the Brigands up to a run-a-ball 190. The tea, courtesy of the Turner family, was fit for the occasion; the quiche was light, the sausages tasty, the sandwiches delicious, scones were of the home-made-jam-first-cream-on-top variety, and there were cupcakes galore. Flowers adorned the tea-table and a special cake was jointly cut by the Club Presidents. Brigands opened up their attack with Mike Bath and Tom Ladenburg who bowled so accurately the Rioteers could only muster 20 off the first 10 overs. But the Brigands fielding was a bit like England's Round of 16 game against Slovakia taking place at the same time over in Gelsenkirchen, Germany; very poor with a couple of moments of class; a quick pick-up, turn and throw, run out and a neat boundary catch just inside the line were the Bellingham and Kane moments. It was 25 to win with 4 overs to go and 2 wickets in hand. The Rioteers went for it, but Mike Bath instantly took a wicket, so they decided to hold out for a draw with 9 wickets down. The players gathered for a presentation and speeches that included a potted history of the fixture; we heard that the win count stands at 17 for Brigands and 14 for Rioteers, and then heard a tale about cricket-loving Sir Alf Ramsey who was bowled out at Broadhalfpenny Down by the Rioteers Captain. Before his 1966 World Cup winning triumph, Ramsey was considered a man of integrity but a bit stand-offish, and a Manager who wouldn't pick the players the media wanted him to. Ramsey was unconventional when he introduced a new formation of 4-3-3, and on the day before the World Cup Final he organised a game of cricket amongst the squad in which Bobby Charlton starred. Time will tell whether Gareth Southgate will be spoken of so fondly at the Brigands v Rioteers Centenary match.

On a beautifully sunny Wednesday afternoon on the downs, the Brigands hosted the Oriental Club who were keen to celebrate their 200th Anniversary at the cradle of cricket. Batting first, the Oriental club got off to faltering start after Wood swooped to bag a well-taken caught & bowled on the third ball of the day.  It looked like another quick wicket would fall, but the Oriental Club fielder standing in for Turner conspired to juggle three-times and then drop his teammate to deny an early second wicket.  But the visitors soon settled in and set about building a big innings score.  Despite excellent bowling spells from Bath (4-78), Sargent (1-36) and Wood (1-37), the runs kept coming.  The Brigands’ fielding oscillated.  Three catches went down, the best of which saw Blackburn manage to initially catch, then tip forward, roll over and drop the ball, all in glorious slow motion.  And Wood continued to experiment with his innovative technique of trying to catch a cricket ball using any body part except his hands, inevitably dropping the ball and sustaining another deep tissue bruise.  But on the other side of the ledger, Jay took two catches, the best of which saw him leaping into the air like a salmon and catching the ball one-handed as it went over his head.  Despite these heroics, the Oriental Club kept scoring and concluded their innings at 238-6 with Runhdimd AR top-scoring on 80 not out, well supported by Cormack (40), Westwood (29) and Tredger (27). After a sumptuous tea in the sunshine the Brigands set about chasing the Oriental Club’s score.  The visitors bowled extremely economically, backed up by some eager fielding and despite the best efforts of the top order batsman, the runs didn’t come as quickly as they needed to. That said there were some notable batting performances with Flewitt (40) and Jay (33) the pick of the bunch, supported by Turner (27) and Morris (24).  But in the end the game was drawn as the Brigands reached 167-5 at stumps. The Oriental Club’s 200th Anniversary game was rounded off with another pithy 30-minute talk on the significance of Broadhalfpenny Down in the development of cricket from our very own skipper and Brigand historian Mike Beardall.  Luckily for our visitors, the Bat & Ball was still serving when he finished.  All-in-all a great day’s cricket on the Down, with the Oriental Club keen to return to play again next year.

There is now a YouTube channel dedicated to showing off the various forms of cricket played at, and the history of, Broadhalfpenny Down. There is an option to subscribe to get alerts when new content is posted, and there are both long-form videos and shorts designed for the smart phone.

Brigands all-rounders, Wood and Beardall force the draw. On a blustery Sunday afternoon a youthful and athletic side of mostly Old Oundelians won the toss and elected to bat. Setting about the Brigands bowling with gusto the score rapidly escalated to 56 before opener Coulson was induced by Wood to top edge a drive creating a regulation catch for Northwood at Midoff. While the bowlers at the Mercury end were at the mercy of a turbulent breeze blowing up the Hambledon valley, a change of bowling at the slightly more tranquil Copse end lead to a fruitful and relatively economical seven over spell from Beardall claiming three Oundle wickets for 45 runs. Meanwhile at the Mercury end, bowlers Stearns, Bath, Lovett Turner and Northwood all bravely tried to stem the flood of runs. While two wickets were claimed, one each to Northwood and Bath, they came at the price of a total of 144 runs scored. As the score punched above 200, the Brigands fielding became understandably tired, with the notable exception of Bailey, a stoic and solid presence behind the stumps, who claimed a catch off Beardall and a stumping off Northwood. The Oundle declaration came at 1615 with the 6th wicket. After 34 eventful overs the Brigands had been set a target of 267 to win. Faced with sharp fielding and some demanding bowling, the Brigands top order struggled to create an enduring and productive presence at the crease. Opener Lovett-Turner was the most tenacious, sticking it out for 43 balls and 18 runs before falling LBW to Cook. At 54 for 6 in the 17th over, the Brigands were firmly on the ropes and an ebulliently noisy and high spirited Oundle scented victory. Cometh the hour, cometh the Brigands all-rounders – Wood and Beardall. Much to Oundles increasing dismay and frustration, Messrs Wood (47) and Beardall (27) hadn’t bothered to read the Oundle script; against the odds and the flow of the game thus far, they dominated the crease, they defended with an iron will, they hit the loose balls, they found the gaps in the athletic cordon. As the overs went by, Oundle’s many appeals became cries of desperation as they saw victory slipping from their grasp. Only in the final over of the day were they able to remove Wood thus requiring Bath to play a cameo role facing out the last 5 balls. For the Brigands on 136 for 7 it was a glorious against the odds draw. For Oundle Ramblers, a hard lesson in the art of declaration cricket.

There were poignant scenes this week as D-Day veterans recounted stories of heroism, and loss, during the Normandy landings 80 years ago. It was after the First World War in 1919 that JC Squire, Editor of the London Mercury magazine, formed The Invalids Cricket Club in honour of several players wounded in that war. Squire, passionate about the game, led his motley group of literary acquaintances to do battle against village sides wearing hospital blue and old gold colours, inspired by the army officers’ hospital pyjamas. The Invalids bowled first and Gerry Northwood was caught at cover on the very first ball to earn a rare Brigands Platinum Duck. Mark Flewitt (33) and Adam Jay (58) rebuilt the innings. At 13 overs it was 39 runs with 13 each for Flewitt, Jay, and Extras. Jay kept finding the gaps through the covers and Brigands had built a solid 64-1 platform at drinks. Isle of Wight resident Harry Collier (50) arrived at the game via hovercraft and the acceleration came in the last ten overs when he came out to bat, supported by Tom Ladenburg (10) and Jim Morris (17). 92 runs were added and a Brigands declaration was made at 201-5. In the marquee, players enjoyed some delicious home-baked scones and currant cake while spectators tucked into Coronation Chicken sandwiches with pork pie and pickled onions. Sam Sargant bowled up the hill, Neil Wood down, as Invalids started briskly. Invalids were 61-3 with Wood getting a wicket with a yorker and then another with a straight one, adjudged the only LBW of the game. The Invalids opener, Arnold, was on 40 and going well when he flashed at a wide ball and winced in pain as he strained the muscles around his ribs. With the famous Invalids club crest of a crutch on his shirt,  he hobbled off retired hurt. Dave Turner is hard to figure out; when batting the ball rarely goes where you think it should and when bowling you never know which way the ball will spin. He’s like a crossword puzzle with lots of blanks and a few clues. Turner's looping deliveries wobbled in the strong Westerly wind bringing two stumpings and then a high catch to Flewitt at cover. He was on his way to season-best figures of 4-24, and Brigands were in the hunt. Then there were two tight overs from Northwood and one loose one from Morris, and it was anyone’s game. When Dave Henderson took a reflex catch in the slips off Tom Ladenburg, it forced the return of the injured Arnold to join Mitesh Patel to defend and survive the last 4 overs in the gathering twilight. The Invalids first played at Broadhalfpenny Down on New Year’s Day in 1929 when it was so cold players and spectators retired to the Bat & Ball and drank it dry. Almost a century later, on a warmer evening and with a better-stocked bar, the Invalid cricketer Mitesh Patel marked his bucket-list achievement of salvaging a draw at the cradle of cricket with four fingers of whisky. Brigands 201-5 declared drew with Invalids CC 179-9

Our Honorary Groundsperson, Harry Bates, declared that "the bloody badgers are back" and that they are causing a fair bit of damage to the Southern edge of the outfield. Luckily Nina was on hand to do a bit of running repair and do some rolling to get the outfield playable for cricket. Thank you from all the players.