Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
Published November 22, 2006
It worked, and England won the series 4-1, but in the process, they stamped themselves in this country as a pack of absolute bastards never again to be trusted. A number of the Australian players, who had refused to fight fire with fire and had resolved instead to play cricket, were felled and injured by the English bowlers, and in reality were facing life-threatening situations every day of the series. Jardine, meanwhile, who had been personally threatened and also had had his paternity questioned on a number of occasions (becoming the classic example of what Australians regard as a Pommy bastard), showed his upper-class contempt of "colonials" by declaring that "Australians are an uneducated and unruly mob''. He was only half right.
Somehow, though, it just wasn't cricket. It wasn't in the spirit of the game and ultimately cast Jardine forever as the villain of the piece, at least here. It was also his undoing. Australia regained the Ashes the following English summer of 1934, and if the heated sporting contest between the two nations was already fierce, from that time on it became a national cause celebre - a desire to beat the Poms at everything and as often as possible.
It now extends to other sports, most notably Rugby Union and Rugby League, which also play Test matches. While games against other countries like India, Pakistan, and the West Indies in cricket, and New Zealand, France, or Ireland in either of the two rugby codes can also be torrid affairs, there is only one mob we love to hate at these games: the Poms.
Today, "the Old Enemy'', led by their popular and skilful skipper Andrew Flintoff, squares up against Ricky Ponting's Australians in day one of the first Test of the 2006-2007 Ashes series, which opens on the hallowed turf of Queensland's Gabba ground in Brisbane. With England the current holders of the tiny trophy — said to contain a burnt wicket bail, described as "the Ashes of English cricket'' after a mock obituary in a London newspaper following a 19th century defeat at the hands of Australia, but which is thought to actually contain the remains of a veil belonging to an England official's wife — the scene is set for a long, hot summer.
- Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
- Published: November 22, 2006
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Culture
- Filed Under: Sports: Other, Culture: Society, Culture: History
- Writer: the silver surfer
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Comments on this articleComments
Here we are Christopher, with a story dedicated to the sport we both love, where we can go off topic without going off topic, and you haven't even poked your head out of the bloody woodwork.
Not that I'd blame you, though, given the score.
Early doors though ...
Whinging Aussie!
What's the matter, chicken?
Har Har!
Have you been watching? I think your mob are sunk this Test but judging by the ferocity on Freddie's face today, I wouldn't be writing them off for the series just yet.
Problem is, they don't always travel well do they?
BTW, do you get a sports package with cricket in Spain on pay TV? I assumed you must have because you were up with the ICC scores from India.
I think we were done for when Ponting won the toss. Having The Gabba as the venue for the first test, with it's somewhat dodgy pitch, is all part of you convicts' plan to get the Ashes back!
I think the idea is to expose you to thousands of mad Queenslanders first up and unsettle you completely. They even scare us (my wife's one ... she's as mad as a two-bob watch).
It's the heat. It's fried their brains.
I thought Freddie did well today to hold his side together and didn't lose his nerve in a really bad situation for them. We like him here, by the way.
I can't gloat ... I hated it last year when you guys did it.
I must try to behave ... behave ... trying hard.
Bugger it, it's no use: you're goooone!
"she's as mad as a two-bob watch."
lol
Yeah, thanks Donnie ... (I suppose that translates in the US to as mad as a $2 watch ... we don't have shillings (bob) and more but we still use the term)
But mate, she actually is. They all are. And she turns back into back into a mad Queenslander every time we go up there about 3 seconds after we cross the state border.
Life would be a lot less colourful without 'em though. They make the world go round a bit here, and at least know how to have fun.
England all out today (lunchtime Monday, AEST) for 370 in their second innings ... big win to Australia but at least the Poms had a decent dig on Sunday.
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Ah yes, the great clash of cultures: At the end of day one, Australia are firmly in command of the first Test, ending at 3/350, with skipper Ricky Ponting notching up a ton to finish the day on 138. A few glum looking pommies in my office ambled over half way through the day, having become far less noisy as time went on, and one said: "That'll be it for us then for another 17 years." It's early doors, but the writing IS on the wall, especially on this wicket at the Gabba, which is being described as a "belter".