“The Cradle of Cricket”

UPDATE: Unfortunately, circumstances have led to this fixture being called off, but it is hoped that it will be held next year...

In the 18th Century, Broadhalfpenny Down was the home to the legendary Hambledon Club, 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.

In July of 2022, as part of the Two-Hundred-and-Fifty-Year Anniversary of that famous match, and courtesy of the Broadhalfpenny Down Preservation Trust, a game of cricket — loosely under the 1744 rules — as played between two mixed teams, the “Sparks” and the “Thunderbolts”. It was deemed a success.

The “1744 Rules” adopted were:

• 11 players from each side on the field at any time
• 2 umpires
• 2 scorers

Significant differences from our modern game:

• 2 stumps
• 1 bail
• 18 yards
• 4-ball overs
• Underarm bowling
• Dress “of the period”

The aim was that all players got a bat and a bowl, runs were scored and wickets taken. Above all the intention was that the game had to be both fun and sensible.

2025 reprise

A reprise of this event is planned for Wednesday 16 July 2025, start time 4.30pm.

This time the match will be between a combined Thunderbolts ’n’ Sparks team, taking on a Broadhalfpenny Down ‘Eleven’.

Along with maintaining the spirit of the game, on the historic and atmospheric Broadhalfpenny Down, there will be refreshments at half time, at around 6.00pm. The plan would be to finish by 8.00pm. Spectators will be most welcome.

If you would like to play for the Broadhalfpenny Down XI please contact Mike Beardall. Members of the Brigands, Hambledon CC and Hambledon Village are most welcome, including Youth and Ladies.

There will be a prize for the best dressed player.

Hambledon have progressed to the quarter-finals of the Village Cup, for the first time since 1989, after a tense 5-run victory over Somerset side Congresbury.

After a slow and shaky start, Chris Pratt (106) and Will Parvin (57) put together a stand of 161, before a flurry of wickets saw us through to a total of 212. Congresbury in reply got off to a steady start after a wicket in the first over, but Hambledon kept their nerve and took wickets just when they were really needed – three for Jonty Oliver, and two each for Elliot Lewis and veteran Ian Turner. Rain threatened to put a damper on the game with just three overs to go, but the 25 runs required from 3 overs after the restart proved too much for the last-wicket pair, thanks to some tight bowling from James Restell and Chris Pratt, and the visitors fell 5 runs short.

Hambledon travel to Goatacre in Wiltshire for their quarter-final, hoping to turn the tables on the team who knocked us out of the cup in the previous round last year. For those wishing to travel to support the Dons, a coach is being laid on by our ever-generous sponsor Geoff from UTP – full details to follow.

You can see the full scorecard from yesterday’s match along with a replay of the livestream; and there are loads of photos in the gallery...

As part of the Charity Fundraiser on Sunday 1 June, we are holding a Raffle and Sealed Bid Auction, both to be held after the match, raising funds tor Breast Cancer Now.

Sealed Bid Auction

We have a fabulous experience on offfer for a Luxury Stay for 2 at The Ritz in London, pre-paid up to a value of £2,500!

Champagne on arrival; dinner in the world-famous restaurant; full breakfast, afternoon tea - you will be free to create your own bespoke experience.

Submit your name, contact number and bid amount to be in with a chance of winning this fabulous experience!

Raffle

We have also assembled an impressive array of raffle prizes, including:

• Shirt signed by James Vince
• Round of golf for 4 at Goodwood
• Complimentary tour, tasting and lunch for two at Hambledon Vineyard
• Gift voucher from Tender Cut butcher
• Masuri T-Line steel helmet (x2)
• Day for 2 at Wentworth BMW PGA Championship
• …and many more!

Tickets are £2, of £10 for a strip of 5. They are on sale now and at the event on Sunday at the club. We are unfortunately not allowed to sell them online.

We would like to offer our sincere gratitude to all those who have generously donated prizes.

Last Saturday, a re-dedication ceremony was held at Ridge Meadow to rename the pavilion in honour of the club’s greatest and longest-serving member, Robert “Topsy” Turner.

Chairman Mark Le-Clercq gave a short speech outlining Topsy’s contributions to the club, before unveiling the new name, “The Robert ‘Topsy’ Turner Pavilion”, all of which came as a complete surprise to Topsy.

Topsy joined the club in 1954 at the age of 13, and first started helping with the ground the following year – which adds up to 70 years of service and devotion to the club.

The last time anyone added it up, Topsy had scored over 35,000 runs and taken over 3,500 wickets for Hambledon; and between 1970 and 1983 he amassed the incredible feat of scoring 1,000 runs and taking 100 wickets in 12 of those 14 seasons!

Thanks to Topsy (and Sue) for everything you have done for the club over the years; we hope to see you at the Ridge for a good number of years to come...

Two weeks have gone in the Fantasy League, and it’s time for this year’s new feature: an early transfer window. This will let you fix any glaring mistakes or omissions in your squad early in the season before it is too late. There will be a second transfer window at the mid-point of the season.

The transfer window is open for the next 10 days – until 12:00 noon on Saturday 24 May. You can make one group of changes of up to 5 players in your squad. You’ll also find a handful of new players to choose from who were not included at the very start of the season.

This week’s selections are now published to help you pick your team, so go along and make your changes now!