- Broadhalfpenny Down
Broadhalfpenny Down, situated on a hilltop about a mile from the rural village of
Hambledon inHampshire , was the home venue of theHambledon Cricket Club during itshalcyon days of the mid to late18th Century . It was used for various sports besidescricket . The famous Bat & Ball Inn, run for many years by Hambledon captainRichard Nyren is immediately next to the Down.As a venue for
first-class cricket , Broadhalfpenny Down was used from1756 (earliest definite date) until1781 , Hambledon, moving their home ground to near-byWindmill Down the following season.Broadhalfpenny is properly pronounced "broad ha'penny" a contraction following the usual pronunciation of the word in the halfpenny coin.
The down
The cricket ground lies on a ridge connecting Broadhalfpenny Down itself to the higher ground to the north at Wether Down and Salt Hill. The ridge and the down to the south are crossed by the
Monarch's Way long distance footpath before it descends towardsHorndean .References
*
G B Buckley , "Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket", Cotterell, 1935
*Arthur Haygarth , "Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744-1826)", Lillywhite, 1862
*Ashley Mote , "The Glory Days of Cricket", Robson, 1997
*Ashley Mote , "John Nyren's "The Cricketers of my Time", Robson, 1998
*H T Waghorn , "The Dawn of Cricket", Electric Press, 1906External links
* [http://www.jl.sl.btinternet.co.uk/stampsite/cricket/main.html From Lads to Lord's; The History of Cricket: 1300 – 1787]
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