Knox-Johnston bowls in Brambles cricket match

Sailing legend Sir Robin Knox-Johnston was spotted taking part in the annual Bramble Bank cricket match in mid-Solent between the Island Sailing Club and the Royal Southern Yacht Club.

The 2012  Brambles cricket match took place on Monday evening, 17 September, making use of an exceptionally low spring tide. However, as these photos show, the sand bank was not as exposed as it sometimes is, providing a real challenge for cricketers!

The Bramble Bank is renowned as being the location of an annual cricket match between the Royal Southern Yacht Club and the Island Sailing Club. The match takes place when the bank is exposed but never lasts very long as the tide soon returns. The undulating surface with large puddles ensures it is more a social occasion than a serious cricket match. The ultimate example of this is the scoring - the victor of the game is pre-determined as the two clubs simply take it in turns to "win" the match, regardless of how the match progresses!

Bramble Bank is a sandbar in the centre of the Solent - the stretch of water between the Isle of Wight and the Hampshire coastline. The sandbank is uncovered only once a year - for about an hour - when the lowest tide reveals a temporary 200 metre long 'pitch'.

The two sides, the Royal Southern Yacht Club, from Hamble, Hampshire and the Island Sailing Club, from Cowes on the Isle of Wight, sail out from the opposite coasts for their match. One of the stranger things about an already unusual event is that passing boats see cricketers appearing to walk on water!

See lots more photos from the 2012 Brambles cricket match on our Facebook page.

All photos: Owen Buggy / plugphotography.com