It took me until I entered The Oval for it to sink in that I was watching the Ashes in England. I had paid a lot of money and waited a long time for the day to arrive. I had a ticket to day four of the final test, which turned out to be the decider and with the Aussies at 0-80 chasing 546 it wasn't exactly the situation I had expected.
The stadium was at capacity as everybody was asking 'could Australia somehow pull off a win or hold on for a draw. As expected the crowd was very nearly completely English, luckily I had an Aussie sitting next to me. We were the only two sitting in our bay. We were sitting in great seats in the second row in the Surrey members section. Getting the tickets was a long process but basically I was very lucky to know someone who knew someone, who knew someone, who knew someone who could get tickets. We watched as the Aussies casually went through their warm ups then listened as the English fans loudly welcomed their boys to the field.
The opening pair of Watson and Katich didn't last long and so Ponting and Hussey were both fresh at the crease. Ponting received a standing ovation from the whole crowd, a rarity in England. The two put together a strong partnership as the English fans started getting a little worried. Then in his final test Flintoff threw down the stumps to run out Ponting and change the momentum of the game. The crowd jumped to their feet and went crazy as Ponting went back to the pavilion. Michael Clarke didn't last long and neither did Marcus North as the English dream of winning back to the Ashes was becoming a reality.
After the North wicket I left my seat to get a calm nerving beer and absolutely copped it from the crowd. I was of course wearing my Aussie shirt and there was just no way to reply.
The session following the tea break was when it all fell apart and it was only a question of whether it would be all over on day four or if they Aussies could hold on till the end of the day.
Haddin and Hussey held together for a solid partnership before Haddin was dismissed leaving only the tailenders to hold on for the Aussies. Harmison took the late wickets of Siddle and Clark in succession and the fans began their celebration. I had been listened to the action on a small headphone only after tea I couldn't hear a thing. The English fans were cheering every ball. Hussey was the last man out with a respectable 121 his best for the series but it didn't matter the English had won.
Following the last wicket a received a few handshakes from the surrounding English fans offering their condolences. They were absolutely loving their teams victory. I stayed through to watch the presentations as fireworks were let off and the ground covered in confetti. The Aussies left the field as soon as the presentations ended and the English boys did a lap of honour. I then left the ground as the fans English fans stayed for every moment of celebrations.
After leaving I caught a bus to Hyde Park where everybody is a tourist and I figured I wouldn't receive any comments about my shirt. Luckily I didn't and I could enjoy a couple more hours in the sun in what had been a warm London day.
Supporting your country when they compete overseas is a memorable experience. Watching the Aussies lose the Ashes in England is something I am not sure I will ever forget.
The stadium was at capacity as everybody was asking 'could Australia somehow pull off a win or hold on for a draw. As expected the crowd was very nearly completely English, luckily I had an Aussie sitting next to me. We were the only two sitting in our bay. We were sitting in great seats in the second row in the Surrey members section. Getting the tickets was a long process but basically I was very lucky to know someone who knew someone, who knew someone, who knew someone who could get tickets. We watched as the Aussies casually went through their warm ups then listened as the English fans loudly welcomed their boys to the field.
The opening pair of Watson and Katich didn't last long and so Ponting and Hussey were both fresh at the crease. Ponting received a standing ovation from the whole crowd, a rarity in England. The two put together a strong partnership as the English fans started getting a little worried. Then in his final test Flintoff threw down the stumps to run out Ponting and change the momentum of the game. The crowd jumped to their feet and went crazy as Ponting went back to the pavilion. Michael Clarke didn't last long and neither did Marcus North as the English dream of winning back to the Ashes was becoming a reality.
After the North wicket I left my seat to get a calm nerving beer and absolutely copped it from the crowd. I was of course wearing my Aussie shirt and there was just no way to reply.
The session following the tea break was when it all fell apart and it was only a question of whether it would be all over on day four or if they Aussies could hold on till the end of the day.
Haddin and Hussey held together for a solid partnership before Haddin was dismissed leaving only the tailenders to hold on for the Aussies. Harmison took the late wickets of Siddle and Clark in succession and the fans began their celebration. I had been listened to the action on a small headphone only after tea I couldn't hear a thing. The English fans were cheering every ball. Hussey was the last man out with a respectable 121 his best for the series but it didn't matter the English had won.
Following the last wicket a received a few handshakes from the surrounding English fans offering their condolences. They were absolutely loving their teams victory. I stayed through to watch the presentations as fireworks were let off and the ground covered in confetti. The Aussies left the field as soon as the presentations ended and the English boys did a lap of honour. I then left the ground as the fans English fans stayed for every moment of celebrations.
After leaving I caught a bus to Hyde Park where everybody is a tourist and I figured I wouldn't receive any comments about my shirt. Luckily I didn't and I could enjoy a couple more hours in the sun in what had been a warm London day.
Supporting your country when they compete overseas is a memorable experience. Watching the Aussies lose the Ashes in England is something I am not sure I will ever forget.
No comments:
Post a Comment