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Hello Michael,
Another few factors to equate into this particular encounter, The Ashes Series, are time, tradition and the game itself, cricket.
Time... because of the length of time, well over 100 years worth of Ashes games, has made it very very special.
Tradition... because of the depth of the tradition from both sides, and each side now and then produce something breathtakingly brilliant, something one can wait decades for, and something that is remembered for generations, a tradition of a touch of stardust here and there.
Cricket... because, as Neil indicates (re. charity), cricket is a game played and watched, for the most part, in a gentlemanly manner. Cricket, I tend to describe, is like chess with people...with many mind games played. Yes, there is anger, yes sometimes even hate pops up, and tons of laughter... but when all is said and done, at the end of the series a really good drink up around the bar, players and supporters alike, knowing that there will be a next time, knowing that there is a hope for a change in the future if one loses, and knowing, perhaps begrudgingly, that one a team was beaten by a better team.
Australia v England, The Ashes Series, has a bunch of partizan spectators eminating from England that travel half-way around the world to "be there" and have huge amounts of fun. The "Barmy Army", dressing up in cartoon character costumes, as cavemen and women, as pink ladies, as virtually anything they can think of.. and the reaction of the Australian commentators, cricketers and the general public, who love their funny antics and their at times hilarious inventive singing. All very sporting.
The Oz spectators are judge a legion of loonies anyway, dressed normally.
The Oz and the Pom have a tradition of banter about cricket. We DO actually know the difference in quality players in the opposing side, but won't normally say much about it until that player retires...
Cricket, Michael, is a bit different. The Ashes, are different again. That little urn of burnt dust is infact, golden in it's meaning. It symbolizes everything that 100 years of sporting encounter can.
Adam's frustration at his (so far) rubbish national cricket team's inability to compete with the class of the English line-up, is not tempered by the fact that we will, should we win the series, bait him for a few more years until the next encounter...ahhh...shame...
(He would do exactly the same to us, and we would expect it too!)
best wishes
Phil
Another few factors to equate into this particular encounter, The Ashes Series, are time, tradition and the game itself, cricket.
Time... because of the length of time, well over 100 years worth of Ashes games, has made it very very special.
Tradition... because of the depth of the tradition from both sides, and each side now and then produce something breathtakingly brilliant, something one can wait decades for, and something that is remembered for generations, a tradition of a touch of stardust here and there.
Cricket... because, as Neil indicates (re. charity), cricket is a game played and watched, for the most part, in a gentlemanly manner. Cricket, I tend to describe, is like chess with people...with many mind games played. Yes, there is anger, yes sometimes even hate pops up, and tons of laughter... but when all is said and done, at the end of the series a really good drink up around the bar, players and supporters alike, knowing that there will be a next time, knowing that there is a hope for a change in the future if one loses, and knowing, perhaps begrudgingly, that one a team was beaten by a better team.
Australia v England, The Ashes Series, has a bunch of partizan spectators eminating from England that travel half-way around the world to "be there" and have huge amounts of fun. The "Barmy Army", dressing up in cartoon character costumes, as cavemen and women, as pink ladies, as virtually anything they can think of.. and the reaction of the Australian commentators, cricketers and the general public, who love their funny antics and their at times hilarious inventive singing. All very sporting.
The Oz spectators are judge a legion of loonies anyway, dressed normally.
The Oz and the Pom have a tradition of banter about cricket. We DO actually know the difference in quality players in the opposing side, but won't normally say much about it until that player retires...
Cricket, Michael, is a bit different. The Ashes, are different again. That little urn of burnt dust is infact, golden in it's meaning. It symbolizes everything that 100 years of sporting encounter can.
Adam's frustration at his (so far) rubbish national cricket team's inability to compete with the class of the English line-up, is not tempered by the fact that we will, should we win the series, bait him for a few more years until the next encounter...ahhh...shame...
(He would do exactly the same to us, and we would expect it too!)
best wishes
Phil
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