Goodwill, charity etc. and so on


I had never seen quite so many presents of a festive morn as I did when arising for the delayed Russell/Pogson Christmas Day on Boxing Day present-giving extravaganza - little was I to know I would soon be celebrating a further 10 moments of joy, followed by a wicketless run-fest for our openers. Quite the most unexpected yet brilliant present ever. And 4 years is a long time for revenge to grow cold, even in the Antipodean climate.

Nothing to do with cricket


No wait - helmets. From our visit to the Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights. Like all good enter- tainment aimed at children, done on 2 levels.

Jimmy of the Day

Strewth mate, that bloke's got no strides...

The Ego has landed


"Kevin Pietersen has marked England's retention of the Ashes by proclaiming that it would never have been possible without his rebellion against the former coach Peter Moores that caused both men to lose their jobs."

As Sir Humphrey says - if there is nothing to be gained by saying something it is better to say nothing.

To think I voted for this man...

My very good facebook friend David Miliband has just posted this on his facebook page:
"Fantastic Ashes victory. I checked line up in Sydney 5 years ago: amazing that majority of players are same."
Err....That'll be 4 years ago. At least he can find Oz on  the globe, if not count.
Surely he must be wrong though about a majority of the players being there at the death at the SCG last time? But he is right  - about the England team at any rate. Of the England XI v Australia in the Fifth Test 2-5 January 2007 (Kev, Keith and I were there on the 4th- the scars are still healing)  Cook, Strauss, Bell (batting at number 3.... what were we thinking of?), KP, Colly and Jimmy were on duty at Melbourne this week. The gladly departed are: Freddie, Saj Mahmood ( yes he did really play for England), Monty, Chris Read and Harmison.
However the comparison for the Baggy Greens is startling - Punter, Pup and Mr Cricket are the only survivors; the very very glady departed are Shane Warne, Glen McGrath, Brett Lee, Diddy Langer, Matthew Hayden,  Adam Gilchrist, Stuart Clark and Andrew Symonds.
Hopefully when we are back here for the 2014/15 series David will be .... ah that might be disloyal so I shall shut up.

The Daily Mash's perspective

Tiny urn forced to return to shithole

29-12-10
A TINY terracotta urn was last night coming to terms with the appalling prospect of having to go back to England.
Image
Tough shit, urn
As the English cricket team sealed a convincing win over Australia in the fourth test, a single tear was spotted running down the polished surface of the inconsolable Ashes trophy.

A source close to the urn said: "He's devastated. He's always hated England, but every time he's had to go there he knew it wouldn't be for very long.

"With Australia somehow managing to become utterly dreadful at cricket, he's started to talk about committing suicide.

"We've had to remove his tiny belt."

The urn had been expecting to spend the rest of its life in Australia and had even put down a deposit on a very, very small flat in a prestigious development overlooking Sydney Harbour.

But last night the 128 year-old trophy had fixed itself to the coffee table in its Melbourne hotel room using a little rubber suction cup and was demanding to speak to Australian prime minister Julia Gillard.

The source added: "He wants to ask her for political asylum on the basis that England is shit."

Team captain Andrew Strauss and selectors' chairman Geoff Miller are scheduled to have a long talk with the urn later today before just having at it with a crowbar.

A spokesman for the ECB said: "We've come up with a deal whereby the urn will spend no more than six weeks in England, staying in really nice country house hotels with either Emma Watson or Carey Mulligan and will then spend the rest of the year in the Dordogne but will wear a tiny little t-shirt with a St George's Cross on it."

Meanwhile Australians are today facing up to the harsh reality that if they are no longer any good at sport they may be forced to develop some sort of culture.

Jimmy of the Day

Athers nails it


"Memories for players and supporters are important because they provide context and give each encounter meaning and significance. Four years ago, on New Year’s Eve, it was hard to walk around Sydney without bumping into English supporters who had shelled out their hard-earned money and who felt short-changed and badly let down by the performance of Andrew Flintoff’s team. This time they were rewarded with the kind of memories that last a lifetime. Sport is about losing as much as winning, the experience of the first sweetening the experience of the second."

An outstanding article from Mike Atherton - I'm more than happy to pay Murdoch cash for journalism of that quality. Sport is indeeed about losing as much as winning, as Coventry City supporters will also attest.

Morning Glory

So I am strolling around Sydney waiting for check in at the hostel and thought I ought to buy the Sydney Morning Herald and here by the power of iphone is the back page as I sit here in Circular Quay. Bizarrely the SMH seems to think that a likely 2-1 lead with one to play "all but guarantees" a series victory. Curious fellows.

Prickly Fruits banned from YMCA


Feel free to insert your own joke here....

Jimmy of the Day

Our Hero celebrates Brazen's first failure with the bat. Typical that the best day of the series should take place whilst I am mid-air. I found the score out an hour from Singapore when the Qantas captain announce it over the PA; had the Brits on board not cheered I would have thought myself the victim of Inception.

Kev & Hayds are safely in Newcastle, NSW and sounded utterly hammered at the end of their Boxing Day. I am in the Singapore YMCA where it is indeed fun to stay (though I have not done everything I feel). It's 7.30 am and time for breakfast before a long day of tourist photography and shopping. Though I am starting to work out if I can get from Sydney to Melbourne forMCG Day 4..

Happy Birthday Jesus

Greetings from the Marriott at Heathrow Airport - not at all a very weird place to be on Christmas Day. Really am missing being at home. Anyway Dr Who shall be on shortly and then it will be time to get ready for T3 and the first step to Australia. And in honour of the 4th Test starting at some point when I am over Europe here are Melbourne's finest...
 

Jimmy of the Day

Cheer up Jimmy, there's still Melbourne and Sydney to go ( oh god....)

The best cricketing photo of all time....

A relatively innocuous delivery from our hero which Punter could easily have left - little did he realise that Collingwood was simultaneously fielding at third slip and third man.  Robert Cianflone of Getty Images gets my vote as sport photographer of the year.

Jimmy of the Day

Variations on themes / There is another Jimmy

Courtesy of http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/the-ashes/bond-grows-between-barmy-army-and-england-players/story-fn67w6pa-1225970105678

Last time we had "Keep your arm straight, keep your arm straight, keep your arm straight when you bowl" for Brett Lee. This time in Adelaide, Doug "The Rug" Bollinger was serenaded with "Keep your wig on when you bowl".
And the Army have penned one especially for Punter and Perth, to the tune of Don't Look Back in Anger:

Slip inside Ricky Ponting’s mind
He’s trying to find
Some new players to play

He wants to play his older team
But that’s just a dream
They’re too old to play

He said he’d start a revolution in his head
But he’s been through all the players A to Z
Now there’s just a summertime of doom
If he loses the Ashes race
He is going to lose his place
Losing three would simply tear his heart out

So Ricky can wait
Shane Warne is too late
And there’s no Glenn McGrath
Gilchrist’s had his day
And don’t look back to Langer
He cannot play

Jimmy of the Day

A few...

Will Coon cheese still be funny?
What has become of Ufuk Talay?
What will Nasser be moonlighting as this time around?
Will Jim befriend more gap-toothed inebriates, and will he be arrested / assaulted as a result of his 'photography'?
Having seen Warne & McGrath off into retirement last time, can England do the same to Johnson et al in 2010/11?
What culture can we fit in this time to possibly rival a visit to the Dame Edna exhibition AND a night with Barry Humphries himself? (Marriage of Figaro at the SOH? Pah! And indeed zzzzz)

G'day


A little cyberspace to chart and share our latest trip Down Under. All contributions welcome from now on in, be you on the plane or not.
A couple of changes since 2006: Haydn for Keith, and Jimmy for Belly (wasn't he Gazza's mate?).
The original can be found here, its ears will doubtless be burning over the coming weeks: http://ianbellfanclub.blogspot.com/

Bowling Shane

Hilarious as this would be, I don't actually want it to happen.

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport/sport-headlines/australia-to-recall-booze-and-strippers-201012093335/