It was a case of weather perfect; dry, little wind and a beautiful sunrise as the teams from Hamble’s Royal Southern Yacht Club and the Island Sailing Club in Cowes met on the newly emerged ‘island’, the infamous Bramble Bank in the the central Solent, for the annual Bramble Bank cricket match. So perfect were the conditions that they made up for the need to get out of bed at 05.00 to ensure the RSrnYC team was in the field by low water, scheduled for 06.50.
The high pressure system which brought the fine weather also depressed the tide, resulting in the the largest cricket ‘field’ seen for many years. The Island SC team batted first, but were eventually bowled out. The Royal Southern batsmen then punished the Islanders with several boundaries – which in this match means someone going for a swim to retrieve the ball.
By tradition, each club wins in turn each year and then hosts the opposition to breakfast, or tea, depending on the hour. So, as the tide began to reclaim its territory, everyone scrambled back into their RIBs and assorted craft and repaired back to the RSrnYC Clubhouse in Hamble for bacon and eggs.
The final score was 99-70!