The Brigands have had a tradition of fathers and sons playing for the Club since its inception in 1959, and that continues to this day.
But three generations on the Down together is probably a record. Well, not all playing, as Bryan Burns, our senior club umpire, was standing in the match against the Worcestershire Police on 1st September 2024, 55 years after he played his first Brigands match.
Burns was a regular player, opening the bowling from the “bottom” end, touring to Devon and Hereford until he hung up his boots after a final match in 2004. Then Umpiring for the Southern League, Royal Navy and Visually Impaired cricket, coaching juniors at Hampshire County Cricket Club, and Vice- Chairman of the charity at Broadhalfpenny Down.
Up from Devon for the weekend were his son Andrew and grandson Samuel. Andrew first played Brigands cricket in the 1980s and he was also a regular and prolific run scorer, both at Broadhalfpenny Down and on the Tours to Devon and Hereford. His return to the Down after many years showed he is still nimble in the field and handy with bat. Andrew has resurrected his cricket playing career recently with occasional matches for his home club Yelverton Bohemians and the Royal Navy Legends team.
The cricket gene has passed down to Samuel and this was his first experience of playing the Down since some Kwik-kricket on the outfield aged 4. At 17 he plays for Plymouth CC at the Brigands old Devon tour venue of Mount Wise. But his 6 overs from the bottom end, following in his grandfather’s footsteps, were notable only for Brigands fielders failing to take two catches off his bowling! He showed them how to do it with a great catch himself. However, this was just a warm up for, as a member of the Devon U18 team, he was in Leicester on Sunday 8th for the finals of the national county U18 T20 championships. Beating both Oxfordshire and Berkshire on the day, Devon were crowned national county champions.
And yes, they are on the Father Time wall at Lord’s.
Ben, your father was a Navy cricketing legend. Alan Hodges, gone but never forgotten - may he rest in peace 🙏
My father, Alan Hodges, was a Brigand in the late 70s and early 80s. As was the man that baptized me, Rev Bernard Marshall. Sadly, both of them are no longer with us, and my own Brigands debut in 2004 came a few years after my dad had hung up his boots