Broadhalfpenny Down is the Mecca of cricket. This is the home of the legendary Hambledon club of the 18th century, with the Bat and Ball Inn across the road, pavilion to the whole cricket world. All cricketers want to at least once have a drink in the pub because they know that this is where cricket began. Only it didn't. That Broadhalfpenny Down is the birthplace of cricket is one of the most well-established myths in English sporting history. Yet this ground still holds a unique place in the history of the game... for this is where cricket grew up. Here is a full account of the great events that took place on Broadpenny Down over 200 years ago, extensively researched and meticulously compiled... from the glory days when over 20,000 people attended a game, to the time when the ground lay in utter neglect, to its rescue and use today.