LONDON: Last Sunday I visited Broadhalfpenny Down, Hambledon, Hampshire, in the south of England. The attraction was twofold. First, the cricket ground is regarded as the “cradle of cricket.” Second, the Invalids Cricket Club was playing there against Broadhalfpenny Brigands CC.

Seven weeks ago, I featured the history of the Invalids CC after watching a match between them and the Royal Household CC played in the shadows of Windsor Castle. More insights into Invalids CC history emerged during my visit to Hambledon, but it is the place of Broadhalfpenny Down in cricket’s development that demands first focus.

The ground sits atop a hill that is surrounded by verdant countryside and has outstanding, if windswept, views. Almost no buildings are visible, the most noticeable one being the appropriately named Bat and Ball Inn across the road. It was to this inn, then called the Hut, that Richard Nyren became the landlord in 1762, moving from neighbouring Sussex, about 28 miles (44.8 kilometers) distant. He was an accomplished and respected left-handed all-round cricketer, in an era when underarm bowling and two stumps were the norm. It is astonishing that this windy hilltop, which doubled as the village’s sheep common, was about to assume a lofty place in cricket’s historical development.

Evidence suggests that a Hambledon team existed circa 1750, achieving prominence in 1756 by defeating Dartford, a major team in Kent. Then, its patron was Squire Thomas Land, who withdrew his involvement in 1764.

Nyren’s arrival coincided with the setting up of a gentlemen’s social club at the inn. It is unclear whether this was Nyren’s idea or that of the Rev. Charles Powlett, who had been transferred from London to a church about 18 miles from Hambledon. There, he sought an outlet for his indulgence to gamble on cricket.

More than 150 members were recruited to the club, paying a handsome annual membership fee, equivalent to two months’ wages for a laborer. It comprised members of parliament, aristocracy, army and navy officers, unsurprising given that Hambledon is 15 miles from naval bases in Portsmouth. Although many of these gentlemen are thought to have lived relatively locally, travel to the ground would have been time consuming on horseback or horse-drawn carriage. By all accounts, hedonism was the attraction.

The wealthy members attracted the best players, locally and farther afield. In turn, these attracted top opposition, spectators and gamblers, since cricket and betting went hand in hand.  London was a day’s ride away. Small marquees were hired out to the better-heeled spectators, while the inn provided food and refreshment. Nyren, referred to as the “general”, was at the center of the activity, both on and off the field, acting as a link between players and patrons. He was also the linchpin of the club, acting as captain, secretary, groundsman and landlord of the inn.

Despite a lack of comprehensive match records until 1771, it is clear that Hambledon’s heyday was between the mid-1760s and the late 1780s. Incredibly, 20,000 spectators were reported to have watched them play a Surrey side at Guildford in 1769. In June 1777, they took on an All England side at Sevenoaks and won by an innings. England scored 166 runs and 69 to Hambledon's 403, a huge score in those days. There is lack of clarity whether the team should be called Hambledon or Hampshire. The club was a social entity, an organiser of matches and either term could be used according to the opposition and/or the composition of the Hambledon team.    

During these years, Nyren was regarded as a sage, whose views on laws and precedent in cricket were regularly sought. Famously, in 1771, an opposition player attempted to use a bat wider than the wicket. Objections by Hambledon players led to a resolution that effected a change in the laws of cricket, formally recognised in the 1774 code, limiting a bat’s width to four and one quarter inches (10.79 cm). A metal gauge was produced to help judgment.

Nyren also appeared to be very much a “one-club man”. This bucked the trend of the time, when skilled players were given by the stronger team to the weaker team to balance the odds for gambling. In 1782 the Bat and Ball Inn was requisitioned by the military and an alternative ground was provided closer to the village. It proved to be unsuitable and another ground, Ridge Meadow, was obtained. Since then, it has been the home of Hambledon CC.

The move in 1783-1784 suited Nyren, who had become landlord of the George Inn in the village. By then, he and other players who formed the backbone of the team were aging, Nyren retiring from cricket in 1784.

At the same time, the support of several rich patrons was shifting to London. In particular, the Earl of Winchilsea, Hambledon’s president, commissioned Thomas Lord to find and build a new ground for the White Conduit Club, of which he was a leading light. A suitable site was found in Marylebone and cricket’s centre of power was about to shift away from Hambledon to the Marylebone Cricket Club, formed in 1787.

Between 1791 and 1796, Hambledon declined sharply, membership falling from 52 to 16. Not only were members drawn to London, so were players. When no one turned up for the annual general meeting in 1796, the club’s former power had ebbed away, along with Nyren, who died in 1797 in east London. Broadhalfpenny Down lay fallow throughout the 19th century. Thereafter, cricket returned in piecemeal fashion.

In September 1908, a three-day match was held between a Hambledon XI and an All England XI, at which a memorial stone was unveiled to commemorate the site’s importance.

In 1925, the ground was acquired by Winchester College, where H.S. Altham, president of the MCC, was a master. The college played Hambledon to celebrate the ground’s restoration for hosting cricket. ​On New Year’s Day, 1929, a charity cricket match was played between The Hampshire Eskimos and none other than The Invalids. The match was played in bitterly cold conditions. Low scores ensued, The Invalids scoring 89 all out and the Eskimos replying with 78. Afterwards, the Bat and Ball provided welcome respite.

Since 1959, the ground has been home to the Broadhalfpenny Brigands CC, formed by a group of Royal Navy officers, who managed the ground and its facilities.

In 1992, the owners, Winchester College, granted a lease on the condition that an independent trust be established to secure the ground’s long-term future. This was achieved in 1996 and includes local, county and national cricket bodies. Funding was obtained for a new pavilion which opened in 2000. A new crowd-funding initiative was launched in 2025.

Broadhalfpenny Down and Hambledon occupy a special place, not just in English cricket history but in transforming aspects of the laws of the game. It is remarkable that a village of about 750 people holds this position.

Even today, Hambledon CC fields four adult league teams and has a flourishing junior section. The original ground and inn ooze history and continuity. Reverence to their importance within the game was encapsulated when the New Zealand captain, Kane Williamson, visited after winning the World Test Championship at nearby Southampton in June 2021. We may safely assume that Nyren would have approved.

INDIANAPOLIS: Backup guards Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell helped Indiana’s bench break out with 49 points as the Pacers topped the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 on Wednesday to claim a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

Thanks to 27 points from Mathurin and the kind of pyrotechnics the Pacers have grown to adore from reserve point guard McConnell, Indiana have the advantage in the best-of-seven series.

Tyrese Haliburton provided heroics with 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds while Pascal Siakam added 21 points for the Pacers, who haven’t lost back-to-back games since December.

Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 26 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 24 points. Chet Holmgren compiled 20 points and 10 rebounds but shot 0-for-6 from 3-point range.

Game 4 is scheduled for Friday in Indianapolis.

The Thunder trailed 110-102 with three minutes to go, but Alex Caruso tried to keep the Pacers from a premature celebration with a steal and breakaway into the open court. Two steps into the paint, Aaron Nesmith closed and forcefully brought both arms down on Caruso to prevent the shot attempt and take him to the floor. Following a review, no flagrant foul was called.

Caruso made both free throws and Indiana’s Myles Turner subsequently lost the ball out of bounds. However, Turner, who missed eight of his first 10 shots, came up with two blocks of Holmgren on the same possession to keep the lead at six.

Indiana got another stop, and Siakam lit up the stadium for good with an easy basket that gave the Pacers a 112-104 lead with 69 seconds left.

McConnell was seemingly everywhere, and he came up with massive defensive plays all game.

He ripped off Caruso’s bullet inbounds pass with two hands at point-blank range under the basket and pumped in a layup to tie the game at 95 early in the fourth quarter.

Mathurin cashed a trey off a McConnell assist, putting the Pacers up 98-96.

Haliburton entered for the first time in the fourth quarter, took a handoff at the top of the key, stopped, squared and splashed his fourth 3-pointer of the game for a 101-98 lead with 6:42 remaining.

Indiana’s Aaron Nembhard made a 12-foot jumper from the left elbow and the Pacers got it back after a missed 3-point attempt, taking a touchdown lead (107-100) on Obi Toppin’s two-hand dunk off of a miss with 4:23 to go.

Nesmith caught a skip pass on the right wing and drained a trey on Indiana’s next possession for an eight-point lead.

McConnell hit a running right-handed layup between two clutch buckets by Mathurin as the Pacers stayed close, down 93-91, with 10 minutes to play.

Oklahoma City had surged ahead for its biggest lead of the second half — 89-84 — to end of the third. Williams hit a long 3-pointer came after an and-1 baseline dunk by Holmgren, who moved through the swiping hands of McConnell to finish.

Williams played a lot of the game with the ball in his hands as the Pacers worked to keep Gilgeous-Alexander in check.

McConnell leads NBA reserves in assists per game in playoffs (4.1).