From Hartley Wintney to Delhi via Scotland - England's Angus Brown on a Path Less Travelled

In cricket terms, the Cricket Green and the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex occupy very different worlds.

Over the past week, though, the pair have had one thing in common: Angus Brown has been scoring runs there.

The Hawk caught up with the England Mixed Disability run machine just hours after another crucial intervention with the bat—a typically brutal 61 off just 28 balls, including six sixes—as England sprinted into a 2-1 lead in the five-match T20 series.

That knock came just two days after Brown had plastered India’s bowlers around the capital, smashing a century off just 43 balls to help draw England level after losing the opening match of their week-long white-ball campaign.

"It’s slightly surreal at the minute," he says. "I’m just trying to go about my business with the team. I’ve always got the best interests of the team at heart and, so far, yeah, it’s going really well."

So, what was he thinking as he notched what he believes to be his fastest-ever century on Saturday?

"To be honest, there wasn’t much of a thought process," he says, laughing. "I came in during a tricky situation and built a big partnership with Liam O’Brien, who batted unbelievably well.

"I managed to get most of the strike in the last two or three overs and found a few boundaries. That final over [which went for 32 as England racked up 206-3] definitely bumped my score up.

"Those who have watched Brown smash the ball around one of Hampshire’s most iconic club grounds won't be surprised by either his run-scoring or his modesty.

Brown is a well-known figure in both Hampshire’s able-bodied and disability pathway - which is overseen by the Hampshire Cricket Board - having played representative cricket throughout his youth.

He later moved to Scotland to take up a teaching job in Dunbar and now captains Grange Cricket Club in the Cricket Scotland League Eastern Premiership.

"I grew up right on the cricket green, so my life revolved around it," he says. "I played able-bodied district and county cricket up until I was about 18, and I got involved in disability cricket when I was around 15 or 16.

"I played two or three years for Hampshire Disability in the D40 league, then got my England call-up in 2019 when I was 17.

"I played in the World Series in the UK and have been involved ever since.

"I’ve got dyspraxia—it affects my balance and upper-body coordination, particularly my motor skills.

"But like most disabled players, we learn to work around our disabilities. We don’t just play to our strengths; we understand our weaknesses really well."

Brown can usually be found with a ball in his hand on matchdays, but for this series, he has been behind the stumps for an England side eyeing a historic series win.

"This is actually my first tour as the main wicketkeeper," says Brown. "I usually bowl as well. My balance does affect it, and my technique definitely isn’t textbook, but I make it work.

"That’s the mindset for a lot of disabled players—you find your own way."

It’s certainly working.

England now head to Jaipur—home of the Rajasthan Royals—for the final two matches of the series.

Another win in either of those matches will send England’s Mixed Disability side home victorious, providing another sizeable shot in the arm for the sport after a high-profile first outing for the national side at Lord’s last summer.

"It (a series win) would be invaluable," he says. "Not just for us as current players, but for the future.

"The more exposure disability cricket gets at the highest level, the more opportunities and funding there’ll be for young disabled players with dreams of playing for their country.

"The launch of the mixed disability team has created even more high-level opportunities, which is a brilliant thing.

"(In mixed disability cricket) There are requirements for certain impairments to bowl a set number of overs, and the batting order is affected too.

"Communication is massive - especially with deaf players.

"It’s different to able-bodied cricket, but it’s fascinating, it's highly skilful."

Back in November 2016, I interviewed Liam Thomas, an icon of English disability cricket.

A video of Thomas had viral after his prosthetic fell off as he pulled off a diving stop on the boundary in an ODI against Pakistan.

Thomas's first instinct wasn't to reattach his missing limb, instead he hopped to the ball and hurled it back over the stumps to keep the host's batters to two runs.

The Yorkshireman retired in January 2025, having made an indelible mark on English disability cricket.

Now Brown is doing likewise.

"That moment (Thomas's 2016 dive) sums it up," he says.

"He was sprinting flat out, desperate to get the ball back to his team.

"His leg came off, but his reaction wasn’t panic - it was 'how do I get that ball back to the keeper?'

"That ethos really defines how England disability players approach the game."

Hartley Wintney itself, has done plenty to champion disability cricket. Alongside Brown, both Hugo Hammond and Dan Reynaldo have also come through the club's cricket programmes.

The Southern Premier Cricket League Division Two side support Super 1s cricket and are also the preferred home ground for Hampshire's D40 side.

Little wonder there's a glow of pride emanating from this particular corner of North Hampshire.

That will only grow if Brown and his team-mates pull off what precious few England sides have managed in the past.

A series win in India.