The watering hole for the thirsty MFB boys after a hard days work at Waring Park, we can often be found in the garden of 'The pub that time forgot' reliving the days play and after a few beers a scratchy innings turns into a Brian Lara like master performance.

This is also the place where old stories are told, some stories are nearly as old as the last coat of paint the pub saw; However without The Alma where would we go ( A decent modern pub I hear you all say).

Tony Arpino is part of the 'Broadway Legends' as they love to call themselves, Tony found some great form against Acme this season, problem was it was our last game of the season!

Tony is also known as The Eland, a bizarre nickname which was created on some drunken night on tour but it has stuck for some strange reason.

Tony rejoined the MFB last season and is a great bloke to have back in the ranks and like all other great Broadway players has family connections within the club.

Extra's will always have a place in our heart, and will I'm sure continue to contribute for Broadway for a fair few seasons yet.

Fitz bats like Curtly Ambrose and bowls like Brian Lara, if only things had worked out differently!

Fitz can often be seen galloping across the outfield, cigarette in hand and despite that being a handicap he is odds on to eventually get to the ball.

As well as a keen lover of cricket Fitz also has a love for the horses and can often be seen flicking through the Racing Post picking out his next conquest.

Fitz is a good bet each season to provide us a fair share of wickets and a fair share of different hairstyles although the Hendrix look is sorely missed and despite living in a different time zone to the rest of us can always be relied upon to bring the essentials to each home game ( the kettle!!!)

G is for Green Caps

Not those poofy ones worn by those annoying Aussies but the fetching caps worn by the mighty Broadway, each cap carries an individual number of the player, as nice touch which is admired by many Opponents.

Amazingly the No.1 cap is still being worn in battle by our very own Ian Thurman, rumour has it that he was presented his cap by. W. G Grace way back in 1885, when Ian finally retires his cap will be available on e-bay for £1.50 

H is for Hish

Hish is a ...... to be continued.

I is for Ian Thurman

Ian Thurman is Broadway's, longest serving player, he has played for the club in all of its 29 seasons.

Despite this he still has an allergy for playing cricket anywhere in Surrey, it must be that pikey Kent blood running through his body.

Ian is known as The Old Man or more recently MOO ( Man of Old) although he did try to convince some old birds on tour that he is only 45, surely one of the worst chat up lines in Broadway history.

Ian still bats and bowls for the side and can show the young whippersnappers a thing or two although he can struggle to remember what they are!

J is for Jones (Gary).

Gary Jones is now Carlton scum but still wishes he played for Broadway, Gary's hobbies include moaning, moaning, moaning and more bloody moaning, he can also be relied on to weasel out of an evening drinking by dashing home to watch Heartbeat or Where the Heart Is.

Gary was recently honoured to have the changing rooms at Waring Park named after him, they are now known as 'The Gary Moans Pavilion'

In his old age Gary has become disillusioned and now calls himself ' Bradman Jones' . Some people think it's sad, the rest of us just think he's a moany old git!

K is for Keano

Keano is the nickname of Broadway's Premier batsman, Mr Adam Michaels. Adam made his debut in 1999 and has over the past nine years racked up an astonishing 4662 runs at an average of over 43!

Adam keeps wicket for the club in the absence of Rory, and earlier in his Broadway Career was a fine bowler who took over 100 wickets for the club. Adam's ambitions to become the ultimate all-rounder were curtailed by controversy over his action, which is something that even a ruler sello-taped to his arm in the nets cannot shift!

A massive fan of dogs, Adam can usually be found chasing the canine-m*therfuckers (his words, not mine!) across the outfield and threatening to 'stamp on their back'.

On the 2007 tour to the Isle of Wight Adam's drunken singing can be credited with the birth of the MFB although his dancing leaves a lot to be desired as many nightclub attendees across the country will testify to!

L is for Langford (Adrian and Alex)

The Langford Legacy! I'll start of with Adrian, ex-Broadway Cricket Club captain and self styled 'Legend of the Club'. Bonnie, as he is affectionately known, Bonnie is also a very capable batsman and is one of the few who have hit a century for the club. Ade has been outed as a 'rabbit hunter' this year, but his bowling is always dangerous and he has an uncanny ability to take a good 'caught and bowled'.

Adrian's son, Alex is the youngest player to have appeared in a Broadway shirt, and was awarded his 'junior cap' in 2009. Most likely to be seen padded at the side of the pitch making his younger sister bowl at him, Alex could well be the future of the club once his old man has given up hunting rabbits.

L is also for Lloyd (Daniel)

Dan Lloyd, or 'Don the Glove' as we now know him, is a cricket enthusiast. He bats, he bowls and keeps wicket and is a very good fielder. 

Known for his technically brilliant batting, even if he does fail to hit it off the square at times, Dan is more than capable of scoring runs, as his run-a-ball knock on tour shows, where he also hit his personal best.

Always up for a challenge and never one to shut his trap behind the stumps, Dan is an integral part of the club and is the man most likely to come up with a ridiculous nickname for anyone of the players - even if they have a perfectly good one (or three) already.

M is for

One late night bus journey in August 2007 changed Broadway Cricket Club forever. It was the Saturday night of the tour to the Isle of Wight. 11 men boarded the night bus from Sandown to Shanklin as members of Broadway Cricket Club and alighted as members of the newly founded 'Mother ******* Broadway"

How did this happen? Well, as anyone in the South London area will tell you, Broadway are the best team to ever grace Waring Park. However, the poor souls of the Island were not aware, and if they were, Mr Adam Michaels, who was the resident MC on the bus was about to remind them. His little ditty, which wouldn't have been out of place on a X-Factor audition proclaimed thus...

"WHO'S THE BEST TEAM AT WARING PARK???.......THE MOTHER ****** BROADWAY"

Not once, but over an over again, Michaels provided the backing vocals to the Purcell vs. Turk blockbuster which he was blissfully unaware was happening behind him. The B-side to this future top 10 hit, "WINNERS" was also sung to 'his Lordships' hearts content as we rumbled our way back to our lodgings.

N is for Nicknames

Various nicknames have been attributed to a number of  Broadway players over the years. On tour to Lichfield in 2009, Tony Arpino, who on and off for 25 years has toiled away bowling without recognition in terms of a nickname had "The Eland" bestowed upon him by Messrs McCourt and Murdoch. Simon was briefly known as "Max Mosely", not for his love of S&M orgies and German whores*, but for his somewhat 'right wing' views.

Another new nickname this year was for Ian Thurman. Known previously as 'The Panther' and 'The Old Man', Ian became the 'Man of Old' and this was later shorted to 'MOO'. As ever Ian took his new name with good humour despite The Unit's attempts to name him 'The Whelk'.

Pleasingly, 'The Note' has stuck, with Steve Purcell even using it in reference to himself and despite Dan Lloyd becoming 'Don The Glove' - we here at broadwaycricketclub.com believe that 'Creep the Glove' would be more apt.

* The editor of this piece is in no way implying that Mr Triggs indulges in such practices, however if Liam wants to provide pictorial evidence we may change our minds!

O is for Opposition

As much as we all love playing for the mighty Broadway, we couldn't do it unless we had some excellent oppo to play. What we need are a reliable oppo, who turn up on time and play the game the way cricket should be played. 99% of them are like that, however in 2007 we had the unfortunate 'honour' of playing Hackney Marshes Cricket Club when their captain, a 50 year old toddler was on the blob.

After 60 overs of decent cricket with the BCC batting first and failing to press home a decent start, the aforementioned 'leader of the opposition' started the sort of tantrum that would make Supernanny head for the local job centre. It soured the afternoon's enjoyment for the Broadway boys, and despite having the three mouths of the south in the line up (Murdoch, Trewin and Mant if you're unsure!) the skipper decided to have a pop at Chris Shaw instead. He then decided to knock his own stumps over quicker than Mr Jones when a new episode of Heartbeat is about to start and sod of to his car and scarper!

The one man not to complain about his conduct? Adam Michaels who took 3 wickets for one run in his 2 overs including that of the sulking pensioner and two embryos.

As I say, 99% of Broadway's opponents are excellent and here's to another season of excellent games with these people who we like to call 'Friends of BCC'

O is also for Oval (The)

The Oval is home to what Adam would call 'the best County Cricket Side' in England, however every Thursday night for one hour between early January and late April it is also home to the Mighty Broadway as it is where Mr Michaels gets the chance to punish the bowlers who are still trying to work off those additional mince pies scoffed during the festive season.

The Nets are the perfect place to improve your technique, develop a new 'mystery' delivery or collect the ball from the side netting if you're batting against The Note.

We've seen in recent years, regular attendance to the nets can really improve you as a player. Simon, who we could all see, had a good technique to build on, but his regular attendance to the Oval Nets has been a major reason why he has scooped the Batsman of the Year award for his excellent season in 2008.

This years nets will be starting in a couple of weeks, so if you're reading this whilst munching on Turkey Tikka Massala and looking down at the bulge that has replaced the six pack, dust of the pads and find some tracky bottoms and get your backside down to Kennington for the 15^th.

P is for Purcell (Steve)

Steve Purcell is Broadway, this man loves the club. He also has one of the longest standing nicknames in the club, Sicknote. This nickname is so famous it has even spawned new nicknames such as The Note and recently Dr. Sick and Mr. Note were born, these two fine names were created on the Isle Of Wight were normally mild mannered Steve morphed into the sinister Dr. Sick.

Steve is also our Treasurer and keeps the club in profit every year, Steve also goes on exotic holidays each year but these two facts aren't related!!!!!

During a days play Steve can always be found at his second home, Square leg where he can be found chatting away to the umpire and diving around the field like a terrier, Steve always puts 100% into every game and is a top man to have around both on and of the pitch.

Q is for 

. 

R is for Rory (MacNeill)

Rory McNeil is one of our foreign stars as he hails from sunny Scotland!

Rory is our regular wicket keeper and is without doubt one of the best around at our level, when Rory plays he offers stability to the side with his batting as well and can be relied upon to anchor an innings.

Rory has been a loyal member to Broadway and is proper old school, he also brings his son Kyle to games in the hope that the McNeil dynasty will continue long into Broadways history.