Cricket. England-v-Australia. What makes it

[Leekbrookgull]

Special ? As much as i like many here love football, England-v-Germany is a something else (and it has nothing to do with the war) Yet England/Australia at cricket is for me rather special. I have my own views,but if you follow cricket,why does it mean so much to you ?

 

[The Wizard]

Because they are the Convicts and we are the Poms, I couldn't tell you why it means so much, it just does, I'm sure someone will know the history of it all.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Interesting,Wizard. Think in some ways you have summed it up. It,s Family.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Possibly due to the test series result in 1882 in which Australia beat England for the first time in England and led to a famous obituary being printed proclaiming the death of English cricket. This led to the famous urn trophy said to contain the bails from the match and the rivalry grew as the battle to regain the ashes started.

The first Test match between England and Australia was played in 1877, though the Ashes legend started later, after the ninth Test, played in 1882.

On their tour that year (1882) the Australians played just one Test, at The Oval in London. It was a low-scoring affair on a difficult wicket. Australia made a mere 63 runs in its first innings, and England, led by "Monkey" Hornby, took a 38-run lead with a total of 101. In their second innings, the Australians, boosted by a spectacular run-a-minute 55 from Hugh Massie, managed 122, which left England only 85 runs to win.

The Australians were greatly demoralised by the manner of their second-innings collapse, but fast bowler Spofforth, spurred on by some gamesmanship by his opponents, refused to give in. "This thing can be done," he declared. Spofforth went on to devastate the English batting, taking his final four wickets for only two runs to leave England just seven runs short of victory in one of the closest and most nail-biting finishes in the history of cricket.

On 31 August, in the great Charles Alcock-edited magazine Cricket: A Weekly Record of The Game, there appeared a mock obituary:

SACRED TO THE MEMORY
OF
ENGLAND'S SUPREMACY IN THE
CRICKET-FIELD
WHICH EXPIRED
ON THE 29TH DAY OF AUGUST, AT THE OVAL
----
"ITS END WAS PEATE"
----
On 2 September a more celebrated mock obituary, written by Reginald Brooks under the pseudonym "Bloobs", appeared in The Sporting Times. It read:

In Affectionate Remembrance
of
ENGLISH CRICKET,
which died at the Oval
on
29th AUGUST, 1882,
Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing
friends and acquaintances
----
R.I.P.
----
N.B.—The body will be cremated and the
ashes taken to Australia.

The Ashes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Gerbil]

They are a bunch of brash,mullet sporting,piss beer drinking lazy bunch of convicts.

Simples really

Oh and they had a really really bad habit of beating us regularly

 

[jakarta]

The aim of English Test cricket is, in fact, mainly to beat Australia (Jim Laker)

 

[Gerbil]

Special ? As much as i like many here love football, England-v-Germany is a something else (and it has nothing to do with the war) Yet England/Australia at cricket is for me rather special. I have my own views,but if you follow cricket,why does it mean so much to you ?

And he is one of the most arrogant twats to grace this planet.

Edit: photo didn't go in the quote, i mean ponting

 

[South Yarra Seagull]

They are a bunch of brash,mullet sporting,piss beer drinking lazy bunch of convicts.

Simples really

Oh and they had a really really bad habit of beating us regularly

you forgot racist... ;-)

 

[public school boy]

Nothing racist about Australia.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Nearly all teams (clubs and nations) have an "old foe". Opposition that they have played against for many years. Sometimes, something unsavoury has taken place to add a bit of extra spice over the years. With Eng v Aus, ashes history is a big part of it, but read up on bodyline, where bowlers were encouraged to hospitailse as many batsman as possible - got very ugly ....

 

[User removed 4]

Nearly all teams (clubs and nations) have an "old foe". Opposition that they have played against for many years.

The trouble is, nine times out of ten, the ''old foe'' is us!!

 

[Pavilionaire]

It's an interesting question because many of the key aspects of the rivalry are also present in our rivalry with South Africa, i.e.

Fairly evenly-matched
New World vs Old World
Plenty of banter and war of words.

However, the rivalry's there's not as intense, even though there's been a war between the 2 countries but none with Australia.

I think having a high profile "trophy" at stake helps. Sky should create "The Rourke's Drift Trophy" to create more interest, maybe get Michael Caine to present it to the winner, the design could be a spear through a pith helmet.

 

[Cadiz Seagull]

One word.

Tradition

 

[Mr Blobby]

Go to an Ashes test match in Australia and you will understand it.

When you get 20,000 England fans in say Melbourne and you win a test match, you see just how much they hate it. Also when they beat us they try and milk it but we all just get even more hammered and carry on partying! They do not understand the Barmy Army and just resort to pathetically singing Ozzy Ozzy Ozzy OY OY OY.

Anyway "We came with a backpack you with a ball and chain, ball and chain, ball and chain". They also do not like "Theres a Union Jack on the Ozzy flag do dah do dah!"

My fav memories were taking over the hill in Sydney and the grass bank in Brisbane.

England v Australia at cricket = England v Scotland or Brighton v Palace in football, the traditional enemy that you really really want to beat.

 

[Mr Blobby]

Taking over the hill in Sydney

 

[IKDRF]

I was at the Oval for the final day of the 5th test and its all a blur. The flintoff run out, Harmisons cameo. I remember just leaping up and down at every wicket. England can win the footie world cup, Bath the Guinness Premiership and Brighton beat Palace a hundred times. The site of an Aussie batsman walking back head down to the pavilion is the greatest sporting sight of all. And why? because its not about tribalism or hatred. Its about the love of the greatest game of all and its biggest prize. And the Australians know all about it because they were there at the start. Its not a rivalry. More a family feud....

 

[The Wizard]

I was at the Oval for the final day of the 5th test and its all a blur. The flintoff run out, Harmisons cameo. I remember just leaping up and down at every wicket. England can win the footie world cup, Bath the guiness premiership and Brighton beat Palace a hundred times. The site of an Aussie batsman walking back head down to the pavilion is the greatest sporting site of all. And why? because its not about tribalism or hatred. Its about the love of the greatest game of all and its biggest prize. And the Australians know all about it because they were there at the start. Its not a rivalry. More a family feud....

Perfectly put.

 

[Coca-Cola Kid]

We conceded our first ever defeated in Test Cricket history in 1882. The Times ironically headlined the front page with THE OBITUARY with a bold black border dedicated to English cricket. It is said that the stumps that were used in that game were burnt and stayed in a little urn of which we today cherish as the beloved "Ashes".

My little explanaition as to why The Ashes is special

 

[IKDRF]

Perfectly put.

I was only watching the highlights of the Oval Test saturday night. Memorable.

 

[South Yarra Seagull]

Go to an Ashes test match in Australia and you will understand it.

When you get 20,000 England fans in say Melbourne and you win a test match, you see just how much they hate it. Also when they beat us they try and milk it but we all just get even more hammered and carry on partying! They do not understand the Barmy Army and just resort to pathetically singing Ozzy Ozzy Ozzy OY OY OY.

Anyway "We came with a backpack you with a ball and chain, ball and chain, ball and chain". They also do not like "Theres a Union Jack on the Ozzy flag do dah do dah!"

My fav memories were taking over the hill in Sydney and the grass bank in Brisbane.

England v Australia at cricket = England v Scotland or Brighton v Palace in football, the traditional enemy that you really really want to beat.

Tickets go on sale in July and I CANNOT wait.