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With just 100 days to go until the 2024 season, here are some of the memories from the past 2 seasons at Broadhalfpenny Down.

Many of the cricket clubs who visit Broadhalfpenny Down take a souvenir photo before, or after, their match at the cradle of cricket. Some do it in front of the pavilion, some on the outfield and some by The Monument to the Glory of Cricket. Some teams elect for a photo by themselves and others with both teams together. With Umpires and Scorers? With a team flag? And then there is the caps on or caps off debate, and the hands on knees dilemma. Which one is best? Hornsingham, Ashford Hill, Sunday Barbarians, and London New Zealand cricket clubs Invalids CC, Cornwall Over 60s, Brigands 2022, and both Briganfds and Butterflies Brigands away at Blenheim Palace, Blind & Visually Impaired T20 winners Surry, Old Seagullians & Brigands, Invalids New Year's Day 2022, Hollywood, Vagabonds, Australian High Commission South East Hampshire Under 11s, Brigands 2022, Brigands & Hursley during Covid restrictions, Brigands & MCC

To celebrate his 60th birthday, former England wicket-keeper Jack Russell has a new exhibition featuring 60 of his favourite paintings. Amongst this collection, is a small painting he created whilst on the balcony of the pavilion at Broadfhalfpenny Down, watching the 250th Anniversary of First Class Cricket match. Scoreboard operator, Neil Wood, and Announcer, Robbie James, watched on whilst Jack etched the view down the Hambledon Valley and with a cricket match in play as it would have been all those years ago. The green caps are the fielders of the All England side, the batting side are the Hampshire All Stars. Jack, one of the nicest men in cricket, said “he just saw the view and thought it was so lovely he had to paint it”. The exhibition at the Chris Beetles Gallery in London is raising money for Chance to Shine charity that aims to get more kids from all backgrounds enjoying cricket.

As the darker nights draw in, we are pleased to publish some oil sketches of Broadhalfpenny Down and The Bat & Ball from local amateur artist Kris Newton. His childhood was spent in neighbouring Denmead, before living with his family in Hambledon for almost 30 years. Kris loves to combine his (alphabetical order) passions of beer, cricket, and painting, all in the Hambledon valley. We also love paintings that Jack Russell has done for us in the past, including two below which featured the 250th Anniversary Match at Broadhalfpenny Down.

A damp start, a gloomy sky, and a poor forecast mean today's match against Vagabonds is cancelled. The next match is on Sunday against The Old Woks.

With new sightscreens, a flat rolled wicket, and a freshly cut outfield; the 2024 season got underway with a new fixture against Stansted Park CC. The sun competed with a chilly Northerly wind which saw one of the Umpires, Bryan Burns, with 4 layers including a scarf. The Brigands won the toss and elected to bat, but lost Jim Morris who fell LBW to the fifth ball of the afternoon. Gerry Northwood hit 9 boundaries on his way to a fifty and there was a nice moment at 57-1 when Harry and Nina Bates were captured by the scoreboard celebrating their 57th Wedding Anniversary! Dave Turner played steadily for his 33 before being run out by the eager and nimble Dougie Henderson (14). Dave Henderson (53) and Rupert Preece (18) upped the run rate and took Brigands to 190/6 and an early declaration came after 35 overs. After the tea break, best taken in the wind-free sun-trap in front of the pavilion, Stansted replied confidently accumulating 50 without loss from the first 12 overs; the pitch had dried in the sun and wind. But the game turned on two smart stumpings from Paul Bailey, the first wicket falling on 71 off Mike Beardall and the third wicket on 126 off Lee Gray. With the game in the balance, the 34th over was remarkable with Northwood snaring Brennan and Rollinson, both bowled, leaving 51 to win and Brigands on top. Northwood's second over went for 16 including a lost ball and the momentum swung back towards Stansted. As the tension built, Match Manager Richie Hay was reunited with his prep school sports teacher he had last seen in 1992 who is now a member of Stansted Park CC A crucial LBW for Guy Ladenburg with 2 overs to go left Brigands wanting 1 wicket and Stansted 10 runs to win. A few near misses, including the last ball when a 6 was required to win, meant the game finished in a draw with the ground draped in glorious evening sunshine. Brigands 190/6 declared off 35 overs (Henderson 53, Northwood 50) drew with Stansted Park CC 185/9 off 43 overs (Bailey 2 stumpings) in a last over finish Thank you to Meon Valley Times and Adam Jay for these two photographs.

The sun is about to come out and the cricket season will be soon upon us. The two most popular items in the Broadhalfpenny Down shop, which sold out last season, have been replenished and we have a handful of caps and t-shirts available thanks to our friends at OMO Clothing. The t-shirt is made from 100% organic ring-spun cotton, designed for longevity. This cotton is not grown from genetically modified seeds, nor is it grown with pesticides or fertilisers that pollute the environment. The cotton is alternated with food crops to diversify farmers income and, in association with SeaTrees, a mangrove tree is planted for every t-shirt sold (one mangrove tree stores approximately 1 ton of CO2). Take a look at the latest offerings from the shop where all proceeds help preserve and improve the historic ground at Broadhalfpenny Down.

As some of you may have seen on the television news, vandals have removed the top of The Monument from the base at Broadhalfpenny Down. More to follow, but if you know anything or see any Cornish granite for sale please let us, or the police, know immediately.

Cricket was unloved by 18th-century moralists. By the middle of the century, it had become a popular spectator sport. Much was drunk; large sums were gambled; there was the odd riot, and the moralists worried that leisure time was undermining the work habits of the English people. They were being seduced into idleness and vice, which made watching cricket a lot better than working. It still is. The story of 18th-century cricket is told as a rural idyll in which a contented peasantry was encouraged by benign members of the gentry to develop a rural sport into a professional game. The symbol of this idea of cricket was Broadhalfpenny Down in Hampshire, where Richard Nyren ran the Bat and Ball Inn, and the Hambledon Club took on all comers. Hambledon was identified as the cradle of cricket. What we know now is that early cricket was not as bucolic as it has looked. It is a story of conflict - between urban and rural England, between the classes, and between myth and reality. Cricket had been growing in popularity among peasants and artisans in South-eastern England since 1700 and the gentry were already forming clubs so they could play the game in the company of better cricketers, or, alternatively, spend their time eating, drinking, and gambling. Hambledon became the dominant cricket club in England in the 1770s and 1780s, when they played 51 matches against teams called England and won 29 of them. A crowd of 20,000 watched Hambledon beat Surrey at Guildford in 1769. The players were local men - farm workers like the great batsman Billy Beldham, John Nyren (author of the first cricket memoir), the shepherd Lamborn (inventor of off-spin), and shoemakers like John Small, who began to make bats and balls. These were independent men, who refused to be patronised by the aristocracy. Having scored enough runs for an unlikely win, Richard Nyren berated two Hambledon members: "Another time don't bet your money against such men as we are." Such behaviour may have alienated their patrons because the aristocrats eventually slunk off to London. The villain of the piece is the Earl of Winchelsea, chairman of Hambledon. He founded the White Conduit Club in Islington in 1786 and persuaded Thomas Lord to prepare a ground in Marylebone. This became Lord's, and the White Conduit Club became the MCC. The significance of Hambledon was that it was the model: a cricket club employing professional players run for the enjoyment of the gentry. Underdown regards Winchilsea's decision to turn a rural game into an urban one as a betrayal: "The populist element was subordinated to the aristocracy," he says. Underdown compares the influence of sponsors and television companies to the privileged role of the gentry in the 18th century. He does not approve. As for the ECB, they are no better than the Earl of Winchilsea and his cronies. But it is not prescription that makes Start of Play such a good book. It is the accumulated weight of history and a deep love of cricket; it is a combustible mixture. Edited from an article by Stephen Fay in The Independent, Sunday 17 September 2000

To the women players, spectators, supporters, and those who help with the ground, the pavilion, and the beautiful teas ... a huge thank you from everyone at Broadhalfpenny Down and Brigands Cricket. This place wouldn't be as special without you.

There are some new clubs visiting the cricket ground at Broadhalfpenny Down during the Summer of 2024, and that means a handful of new logos to add to the collection. From a manor house and an old oak tree, to a crown and a golden elephant, how many of these clubs can you name? A hat tip to our new Honorary Fixtures Secretary, Guy Ladenburg, for curating a great Summer of cricket ahead.

2009 was the Golden Jubilee of Broadhalfpenny Brigands Cricket Club and celebrations began with a country walk and pub lunch in Hambledon in March. In the cricket season, there was a special T20 competition held in June with the Hampshire Wayfarers and a cricket week took place at the end of July with a Hampshire v Sussex Visually Impaired cricket match and Brigands taking on visiting teams from the Jack Frost XI to the Kenya Kongonis. To round a successful year off, a dinner was held at the Hampshire Rose Bowl (now the Ageas Bowl) to mark the Golden Jubilee, and the printed menu listed the year that members first played at Broadhalfpenny Down.

Christine Frances Hyde Pardoe MBE (nee Whalley-Tooker) died peacefully in Hawkhurst, Kent in December 2023, after a short illness, aged 87. She was the daughter of Hyde Charnock Whalley-Tooker born in Cambridge in 1936. In 1964 she married Major Michael (Mike) Edward Hugh Pardoe. Mike had served with the Berkshire Regiment in Burma and the Middle East. In Normandy, on D-Day, he secured Juno Beach for the invasion. On leaving the Army he took up teaching at Marlborough House School in Hawkhurst. There he met the school secretary, Christine. They had two sons, Edward and Timothy, who remain members of the Hambledon Club. Christine was well known for her voluntary work in Hawkhurst and was awarded an MBE “for services to the League of Friends of Hawkhurst Cottage Hospital”. Her father was an Emeritus Fellow of Downing College, Cambridge, and a Senior Tutor and lecturer in Law from 1931 to 1967. He was the son of Edward Whalley-Tooker who was born in Wem, Shropshire in 1883. Christine Pardoe, Edward Whalley Tooker and CB Fry Edward became the lifeblood of the Hambledon Club and Broadhalfpenny Down at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century. His ancestry at the Club went back to Mr Tooker who, the minutes state, was elected a member in May 1773 and Mr Whalley elected in July 1779. He was a sheep farmer at Hinton Daubney and captain of Denmead Cricket Club. In 1883 he played a first-class match for Hampshire. In 1897 he was appointed captain of the Hambledon Club, a position that he held until 1936. In 1907 Edward proposed that a memorial to the old Hambledon players be erected on Broadhalfpenny Down. He discussed this with C B Fry who was wholly supportive. They raised the required funds and the Memorial was unveiled in September 1908, when a match was played between Hambledon (captained by E. Whalley-Tooker) and All England – won by Hambledon. This match was designated first-class. On New Year’’s Day 1929, Whalley-Tooker captained the Hampshire Eskimos against the Invalids. However, the match was interrupted by the Hambledon Hunt – the Master of the Hambledon Hunt being Edward’s elder brother Hyde. Edward was extremely well respected in the community and was appointed a Justice of the Peace. On retiring as captain Edward was elected President until he died in 1940. He was succeeded by his wife, Dorothy, until she died in 1962. Both are buried in Hambledon Churchyard. On the death of her parents, Christine inherited all of her father’s papers and items relating to the Hambledon Club. This included the old punch bowl and the original hand-written manuscript of John Nyren’s Cricketers of My Time. Ashley Mote had access to this manuscript and published a book on the subject, which was launched by Christine and Ashley at the Cricketers Club, London in 1998. The President of the MCC, Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie, was present at the launch. Christine last visited Hambledon in 2008 for the Centenary Match where she met up with the grandsons of C B Fry. Obituary written by renowned cricket historian, Stephen Saunders

On 30 May 1953, a special match was played at Broadfhalfpenny Down, the cradle of cricket, featuring a team from Commercial Union, dressed in specially made replica uniforms from the company’s earliest fire brigades, playing against a team from Hambledon. The Hambledon team arrived by horse and cart while the ‘ancient firemen’ from Commercial Union arrived on a fire pump. The match, which ended in a draw, was played according to rules from 1744 with under arm bowling, curved bats, no boundaries and a notched stick for scoring. The match featured Geoff Smith who, according to contemporary newspaper articles, had even grown his own side whiskers for the event.

By Graham Peach Ice Cold for Andrew in First Win at Woolhope In a 12-a-side, 40 over contest the tour got under way in bright, breezy conditions at this lovely little ground. With the teams well matched for youth and experience, the only difference between the sides was the sheer pace of Brigand's opening bowler, Piers Collins. On a fast, bouncy wicket he extracted venomous speeds up to 75mph, as witnessed from the hands and body bruises of brave Brigand ‘keeper, Frank Langan. Piers also retained impressive control - his miserly 7 overs for just 17 runs was scantly rewarded with only one wicket (he deserved five) and an eager offer from Woolhope for him to play for them the following day in the League. He did so, and took 3 wickets!! Partnered by the accurate Glenn Duggan (1-21), runs were hard won and after 10 overs Woolhope had edged their way to just 26. Skipper Graham Peach rang the bowling changes using 4 more bowlers who all bagged 2 wickets apiece: Matt Sturman, John Musters, Peach himself and the colourful Andrew Polson … who provided the champagne moment of the match with his exuberant Monty Panesar-like wicket celebration, during which he pulled ‘something in his groin’ and had to sit out the rest of the game with a strategically applied ice-pack covering his affliction! The usual middle order attack from Woolhope was effectively neutralised this year by canny bowling, and sharp outfielding: the only 2 catching chances were both taken, and a bizarre run out ended the hosts’ innings ten balls early. Brigands replied solidly. Against tight opening bowling, Dave Edmondson initially outscored Ewan Lovett-Turner to keep the tally ticking away at the required rate. But Ewan picked up his own pace, eased past his partner and reached his sixth fifty of the season with a brace of boundaries before falling to a catch at the wicket for 55. Their pivotal partnership of 109 was the season’s best for any wicket, and had set the platform for likely victory. Dave then passed his own half-century (his first for the Club) before being stumped, also on 55, going for one lusty blow too many against the wily flighted spin of Woolhope captain, Brian Weaver. Chris Collins continued his good form with the bat on this ground, smiting a rapid 39 which included a straight driven maximum where the luckless fielder energetically converted a straightforward catch into a ‘tip over the bar’ that would have graced any football ground. As the host skipper bagged his opposite number in the deep, thus avenging his own earlier run out, Peach’s wicket started a mini collapse as Musters (undone by a cruel shooter) and Sturman (well caught by 12 year old, Weaver Jnr) fell in short order. But Piers Collins came in to stem the flow and, as Duggan hit the winning run, Brigands ended their 4 year drought at Woolhope with 3 balls to spare. The relief was palpable across the Brigand team, if not around poor Polson’s parts! Brigands (175-6) beat Woolhope CC (174-11) by 5 wkts Records tumble as Collins hits ton in thumping win Two days later and with ‘Monty’ still hors de combat, but kind enough to umpire and thereby entertain all with his theatrical brand of semaphore signalling, Brigands ranks were reinforced by two Woolhope players: skipper Brian Weaver and ‘keeper Will Green. Brigand men Mike Beardall, Barney Wyld and Richard Hay – the latter on his first tour – joined the team for this finale. And all weighed in during a record-breaking Brigand team performance. Inserted on a hard, fast track with a lightning outfield, Brigands started quickly with 17 from the first 3 overs before losing John Musters. But as the in-form Chris Collins joined Glenn Duggan the weighty pair continued to bat robustly and proved to be too much of a handful for the hosts. Between them they hit 17 boundaries from the first 20 scoring strokes of their partnership! The race to their half centuries was close; Chris just beating Glenn to the line with his 12th boundary. Moments later it was Glenn’s turn to register his first 50 of the season. Chris then pulled a hamstring but continued on with John as his runner for the next hour. After 2 hours at the crease, Glenn was well caught and bowled for a terrifically positive 88. The beefy pair had been together for 108 minutes, in which time they smashed the Club record for any wicket with a massive partnership of 183 belligerent runs compiled at a near constant rate of 6 an over! Glenn’s fall brought Barney to the crease for a little gem of an innings that quickened the scoring still further for the last 24 minutes, in which time they plundered 65 runs. Barney’s 31 not out in 22 balls included two lusty sixes but, more importantly, provided the respite Chris needed to clip the fourth ball of the last over for his maiden Club ton, 100 not out, making him the 3rd Brigand centurion for the season. It is likely that 248 from 40 overs was also the highest and fastest scored limited overs total in Brigand history (but ‘Stato’ will check!) Piers Collins, doubtless fired up by his father’s success, then tore into the Bartestree opening batsmen. Bowling with venomous pace, back of a length, his deliveries repeatedly flashed past gloves and helmets as the hosts managed only to score from four of his first 32 balls! With ‘keeper Will Green standing back more than a pitch length behind the stumps, Piers produced an unplayable ball that the batsman could only feather past his face before it thudded into Green’s gloves. Incredibly, this was to be his only wicket; as the next batsman played and missed repeatedly, Piers finished with 1-22 from 8 excellent overs, undoubtedly once again the best Brigand touring bowler. Apart from classy looking opener, M Aubrey, no other Bartestree batsman looked comfortable against Piers, or indeed facing any of the change bowlers. John Musters came on to take an immediate wicket to remove the hosts’ captain, the first of Chris Collins’s 2 catches. But the Bartestree rout really began when Mike Beardall (3-33) deceived Aubrey with flight and turn in the fateful 20th over, which turned into a triple-wicket[1]maiden – a feat which puts Mike alongside Bryan Burns and Barry Hunter in the Club archive. John too picked up good middle order wickets, finishing with 3-20, as Bartestree lost 5 batsmen in scoring just 4 runs. The team contribution also included 2 tail-end wickets for guest Brian Weaver, two catches for Richard Hay and two good ‘keeper catches plus a run out assist for Will Green, receiving an accurate throw from the deep by Barney. Without stretching the superlatives too far, this was a truly thumping victory to end a wonderfully winning tour, where many top rate individual achievements were made and records were broken. And everybody who played did something positive, and will recall this game for years to come. But this year’s player of the tour accolade goes unquestionably to Chris Collins for his 139 runs (2 sixes, 24 fours) and a brace of catches. Brigands (248-2) beat Bartestree (143) by 105 runs

One of the nicest men in cricket, Harry Bates, has decided to retire from his Honorary Groundsperson role at Broadhalfpenny Down at the end of the 2024 season. So we are now looking for a Cricket Grounds Person to join a close-knit team, responsible for the maintenance of a beautiful and historic ground where the inaugural First Class cricket match took place. The role, based in Hambledon in Hampshire, is part time with flexible hours, including some weekend working. The ideal candidate will have the ability to remain calm under pressure, excellent communication skills, and a keen interest in cricket. Ground preparation training can be provided. For more details, contact Gerry Northwood at Brigandscchonsec@gmail.com or on 07952 866117.

There is an art to curating a fixture list for a cricket season. Welcoming back old cricketing friends and foes, making the ground accessible to touring teams, getting the right mix of afternoon and evening games, and making sure there is a variety of standards from the teams that travel with League cricketers to the local village teams filled with occasionals. Our new Honorary Fixture Secretary, Guy Ladenburg, has served up an excellent new fixture list for 2024 that features 7 new fixtures, a rare away match, a touring side from New Zealand, and a bicentenary anniversary match. The old favourites are back, from Invalids CC and Rioteers CC, and the always-strong London New Zealand and Sussex Martlets are returning too. The season is bookended by new opposition, starting in April against nearby Stansted Park and finishing in September against Windsor Great Park. Brigands cricket is inclusive and we have members of all cricketing abilities; we welcome new players who enjoy playing timed cricket on a beautiful cricket ground and anyone interested in playing should go to the Contacts page and reach out to one of the Committee.

We were recently asked where the Broadhalfpenny Down logo came from. It was updated in 2021 as part of the preparations for the 250th Anniversary of the first First Class cricket match played at Broadhalfpenny Down. The talented designer, Renars Fazlutdinovs, developed 5 different creative styles, and these were shared with the Committee and other interested parties. Based on their feedback, the Green monochrome circular logo featuring an old and new bat either side of the original two-stump "gate" wicket was chosen. The curve in the background mirrors the shape of the South Downs that can be seen from the ground.

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The 2023 Season Summary has already been published on the website, but for those wanting a full statistical breakdown of the season split by Timed and T20 games, or averages, catches and stumpings ... read on. Combined Matches (Timed & T20) Timed Matches T20 Matches Notable Performances