Christmas Day with the Barmy Army

So I have been away travelling now since mid November and been having a fantastic time. One day that was always going to be a little tricky as a solo traveller was Christmas Day.

Christmas back home in the UK is always a big family get together so it felt really strange for the first time in my life being away from family at the other side of the world! It also doesn’t feel very Chirtmassy over here. I think thats mainly due to the weather. I am used to cold and frosty not hot and sunny.

I had booked for Xmas Day to go to the Barmy Army lunchtime party at the Crown Casino. The casino is within a huge entertainment complex on the South Bank of the Yarra River.

The party started at midday with a drinks reception. As I milled around looking for a familiar face I felt a bit like “Billy no mates”. Eventually after a few minutes I spotted a couple who had sat on the row behind me at the Gabba in Brisbane and I chatted to them until it was time to go into the main room.

This was a huge party. There were 66 tables and there must have been over 600 people in total. There was a seating plan and I headed over to my table. I was on a table full of blokes. Mainly single travellers. Everyone was friendly and we got on well.

My table at the Xmas lunch

The Barmy Army party scene

The party consisted of a 2 course meal. Turkey and some of the trimmings followed by Xmas pudding. There was also a free bar! Much of the party was spent singing songs. We were provided with a song book of Xmas carols. The singing was led by “Billy the trumpeter” a professional musician and Barmy Army legend. Many of the carols had the words changed to a cricketing theme. My favourites were :-

To the tune of Little Donkey…..

Little Monty, little Monty
At the MCG
Little Monty, little Monty
Make it spin for me

Knock down the bails tonight
Panesar, Panesar
Show us some turn and fight
Panesar, Panesar

And another classic……

Ding Dong Belly is our King!
He’s England’s Shortest Batsman
Ding Dong Belly is our King!
He’ll score more runs than Bradman
La la la la la la la……….
He’ll score more runs than Bradman

As well as the song singing there was a charity auction raising money for MDNA in association with the Broad Appeal. Items such as Graham Swann’s cricket boots and the bat with which Alastair Cook scored a golden duck in Perth were on offer.  I kept my hand in my pocket..

After the Xmas lunch had finished I had a couple of drinks at PJ O’Briens ,the Barmy Army pub in Melbourne, with some of the guys I had met at the Xmas lunch.

It was then time to go back to the hotel for FaceTime with family. It was a beautiful hot summers day and I enjoyed the walk back to the hotel along the Yarra river.

Melbourne on Christmas Day

So a rather different Christmas Day but much better than I was fearing.

Aussies win the Ashes

So I found out about the Aussies winning the Ashes whilst sat in the departure lounge at Melbourne Airport. I have not witnessed any wild scenes of jubilation here at all. It feels like any other sort of day…

it was great to hear that Ben Stokes completed his century today. At lunchtime when we were 6 wickets down I dared to dream. But once he was out then defeat was inevitable.

Well done Australia. They have comprehensively outplayed and outfought  England in this series. England need to review what has happened. I am not one for knee jerk reactions but I feel that some of the old guard need a long hard look at themselves and decide if they have the necessary hunger to continue playing for England.

Third Ashes Test at Perth – Day 4

Day 3 went badly for England. Could they rouse themselves and show some fight on day 4?

For the second day in a row I had secured a seat in the WACA members area. An even better seat today within the Lillee Marsh stand. The day seemed a little cooler although that may have been because I was in the shade all day. There was some cloud cover which gave a little hope to the England swing bowlers. I had Phil sat to my left and to my right a charming Aussie gentleman who had played grade cricket for Subiaco and had once faced a young Terry Alderman in the nets.

My view towards Perth from my day 4 seat

My view of the action on day 4 as England bat to save the match

The Aussies resumed at 235-3 a lead of 369. They were after quick runs so they could declare and then have sufficient time to bowl England out whilst setting a near impossible target.

On day 3 England seemed a dejected team. Their mood can hardly have improved with what occurred on the morning of day 4. Graham Swann got some savage punishment early on from Watson with one over yielding 3 sixes. The Aussies were really going for their shots.

A wicket! Smith is caught in the deep by sub Bairstow off Ben Stokes. Bairstow is on the field due to Stuart Broad’s injury. Broad will not bowl for the remainder of this test match but could bat if necessary.

Shane Watson continues to score at a very fast rate and soon gets a deserved century. Watson gets criticism from some Aussie fans and commentators but he is very talented with bat and ball. We could do with players like him in the England team.

Soon after his century, Watson miscues from Bresnan. The ball goes high in the air. Bell gets underneath it close to the wicket. He drops an absolute dolly! But watson had stopped running. With a piece of quick thinking, Bresnan picked up the ball and threw down the stumps. Watson was yards out of his ground. What an amazing wicket! High comedy…

England’s fielding is becoming shambolic at times. A chance to remove Bailey is missed when two fielders get in a mix up when the ball goes in the air between them. The following ball, Haddin is out for 5 trying to slog.

The Aussies lead is approaching 500 when Bailey starts hitting Anderson all round the park.  One over from Jimmy Anderson produces 3 sixes, 2 fours and a 2. 28 off one over! this equals a world record for test cricket! My wishing Jimmy “good luck” on the plane didn’t do much good!

Sparing England any further embarrassment, Michael Clarke declares. The Aussies lead by 503 and have set an improbable 504 for England to win the match.

Things get worse for England as Alastair Cook is out first ball, bowled by an absolute jaffa from Ryan Harris. England get to lunch without losing another wicket at 24-1.

This is probably the lowest point England have reached on a tour of lows.

In the afternoon things pick up for England a little. Some of the batsmen compile some decent scores. Pietersen 45, Bell 60. Yet again, KP is out playing a risky shot. He was trying to hit a 6 but it didn’t reach the boundary. England survive to close of play with young Ben Stokes not out on 72. Stokes looks a promising cricketer and is starting to blossom in this his second test match. Will he go on to complete his century?

So this is farewell to Perth and the WACA for me. As on day 5 i fly to Christchurch. I am travelling through New Zealand for a week before going to Melbourne for the 4th test. I always knew I would miss day 5 at Perth to give me sufficient time in NZ. I am keeping my fingers crossed that England somehow manage not to get bowled out. It’s incredibly unlikely though and I will not miss the sight of the Aussies celebrating picking up the urn,

I have enjoyed Perth as a city, and also Fremantle and Rottnest Island. The cricket could have been better and crikey was it hot!

Ashes 3rd Test at Perth Day 3 + The man with the Barnsley tattoo

Day 3 at the WACA promised a much cooler viewing experience. This was despite forecast temperatures again being in the high 30’s. I had managed to secure a members pass with the help of my new friend Phil. The downside to this arrangement was an early start as there was a members queue in operation. The earlier you got in the queue, the better the seats you would secure. By 8.30, Phil and I had got seats in the Lillee Marsh stand which were in shade all through the morning and for most of the rest of play. Having got the seats sorted we headed for the air conditioned luxury of the members bar. I headed for a coffee whilst Phil sat by a group of Aussie guys. On my return Phil said “There’s someone here you should meet”. One of the Aussie guys had the Barnsley FC club crest tattooed on his leg! Now Barnsley FC are a big part of my life. I have supported then for over 30 years and have had many ups and downs with them. One of the things I am missing out on during this trip is regular visits to Oakwell. Although having said this I am not missing much this season as we are currently bottom of the championship! I was not expecting to find many Barnsley fans in Australia!

Wayne had moved out to Australia 50 years ago when his parents emigrated. Wayne’s Barnsley knowledge was impressive. He had last visited Oakwell back in 2006 and 2008. Wayne is an active soccer referee in Western Australia and was a guest at the WACA of his friend Matt. Matt Cheeseman is an assistant referee in the “A” league which is the Australian equivalent of the Premier League. We enjoyed an hour or so chatting about soccer and cricket.

Matt and Waynr

The Barnsley tattoo

Cricketwise, today was a disaster for England. At the end of the previous day’s play the match was in the balance. England resumed on 180-4. They only accumulated another 71 runs before being bowled out. A mixture of good bowling and bad batting. The nature of England’s collapse was so familiar with what I have witnessed time and again during this series. Australia had a first innings lead of 134.

When England came to bowl at Australia they were immediately hampered by the fact that main strike bowler Stuart Broad was injured. He had been caught on the foot by a ball from Mitchell Johnson. Reports were that Broad was at the hospital having scans. The rest of the England bowling attack struggled. You could tell from their body language that they were demoralised. Australia’s batting dominated. Warner got a quickfire century and Rogers helped himself to a half century. I was demoralised too. With the Ashes nearly lost I headed for the exit half an hour before close of play.

Graham Swann toils against the Aussie batsmen.

At the end of play Australia were 235-3. A lead of 369! A hopeless position for England.

Third Ashes Test at Perth – Day 2

It was hot, really hot on day 1. Day 2 was even hotter. The official temperature reached 40 degrees during the day. But of course that’s the temperature in the shade. In the sun the temperatures were mid 40’s. At times, particularly during the morning session I felt really uncomfortable. There was obvious concern by the authorities for people’s welfare. Free water and sunscreen were handed out. I heard on the radio commentary reports that a number of people had collapsed. At lunchtime I headed for the neighbouring park and the welcome shade under the trees.

My lunchtime view from under a shaded tree

England had a good morning and bowled out Australia before lunch for 385. This was good given the Aussies overnight score of 326-6 but could have been even better but for a stubborn last wicket stand of 31 between Siddle and Lyon.

England started their innings well. We saw by far the best opening partnership of England’s innings so far. This reached 85 before Carberry fell for 43. Soon after the next wicket fell. It was controversial. Joe Root was given out caught behind off Watson. He was adamant he didn’t hit it and the wicket was reviewed by DRS. There was no hotspot, “snicko” indicated a possible nick but it was inconclusive. The decision was upheld. Joe was furious and so was I. I believe you Joe!

Some Leeds Utd football “fans” near me were turning my part of the ground into a zoo… They were getting annoying…

Michael Clarke, the Aussie captain, started geeing up the Aussie fans. Soon after this Alastair Cook was out for 72. He got caught out from the bowling of Lyon. He looked set fair for a bigger score.

After getting bogged down and scoring very slowly, Kevin Pietersen gave his wicket away. Yet again the wicket taker was Siddle. He always seems to trap KP. It was a brilliant catch from Johnson but why on earth was KP hitting a slog across the line of the ball? The Aussie fans were jubilant.

Eventually I had had enough of the Leeds fans. I walked round to square of the wicket and watched the last hour of play from a grass banking area. It was a lovely way to watch the action. I was in the shade and it was a very chilled, alcohol free, part of the ground.

The view from the grass bank

Despite some excellent bowling spearheaded by Johnson and Harris, England survived without any further loss of wickets. At close of play the England score is 180-4. The match is delicately poised…

Third Ashes Test at Perth – Day 1

After checking out of the Novotel I headed off to the WACA. Just before you get to the ground there is a wonderful park to walk through. At 10am you could already feel the heat. A maximum temperature of 38 degrees C was forecast.

I have to say that compared to the Gabba and Adelaide Oval, the WACA is a disappointmenf. It feels very out of date, there is little shade and facilities aren’t great. Long queues for drinks for example. The stands are a hotch potch and some are temporary. Surely it needs redeveloping?

The view from my seat

I had a good view of the action but no shade until around 3.30 when the sun disappeared behind a floodlight. The sun and heat were relentless. I drank loads of water to keep hydrated. At times I felt seriously uncomfortable. At lunchtime I returned to the park to lay in shade under a tree. I saw people being treated by paramedics. Am not sure how the players kept going..

My seat is on an aisle and for most of the day the seat next to me was empty. Before lunch a guy called George appeared and sat next to me. He is an English guy who had flown in overnight from Singapore where he works recruiting commodities traders. He was alone as his mate was delayed on to a later flight as he had forgotten to sort out his Aussie visa. This illustrates how close Perth is to South East Asia. The flight from Singapore is around 5 hours. Later in the day I met another England cricket fan who had flown in from Singapore for the match.

On the pitch, Alastair Cook lost the toss again and Australia batted. There was one change for England with Bresnan coming in for Panesar. England got off to a decent start and soon after lunch the Aussies had lost 5 wickets and scored only 143 runs. The possibility of bowling Australia out for less than 200 seemed a distinct possibility. It should be pointed out that the wickets were due to bad batting much more than good bowling.

A stand between Haddin and Smith then developed. Haddin got another 50. His 4th consecutive half century in this series. He eventually was out for 55. Smith carried on and got his century. At stumps the score is 326-6. After that good start only one more wicket falls. England let the Aussies off the hook. We seem to have lost our ruthless streak. The bowling was not good today with too many short balls.

So the Aussies are on top after day 1. It wont be long until the ashes are back with them.

Freo, The Swan River and Rottnest Island

I have been keeping busy on the tourist trail in the build up to tomorrow’s 3rd test here in Perth.

Yesterday, after changing hotels I caught a train up to Fremantle. A few people have recommended Freo, as the locals call it, as a good place to visit. I arrived with little knowledge of the place so headed of to the tourist information for a bit of a low down.

Fremantle sits on the coast at the head of the Swan River. It is a city despite having a population of only 25,000. It’s where the first settlers in Western Australia landed in 1829. Fremantle is named after the British naval officer Charles Fremantle who first raised the British flag in Western Australia at the mouth of the Swan River. Originally Western Australia was going to be populated by free settlement along the lines of South Australia but after 20 years they decided progress was slow so the convicts arrived as a source of labour.

After lunching near Arthur Head I headed for the Round House. It’s Western Australia’s oldest building, a gaol, and was completed in 1831. It’s fairly small as this was the time before the convicts arrived…. After visiting here I headed for a microbrewery. Little Creatures had been recommended by my friend Dave and also the guy in Freo who served my lunch. It’s quite an enterprise with brewing going on in 2 separate buildings, a shop and a busy restaurant. It was buzzing and I was interested to learn the founders have sold out to the Japanese brewer, Kirin. I enjoyed a pint of their Bright Ale.

The Round House gaol

The little creatures microbrewery

After downing my pint I headed up to Fremantle Prison. It was built in the 1850’s by and for convict labour and replaced The Round House. It eventually became the main prison for the area and was only closed as recently as 1991. It was fascinating. We saw cells mocked up from different eras. The kitchens, the slopping out regime, the exercise yard and solitary confinement. There was the sanctuary of an Anglican Church within the prison which bizarrely gets lots of use as a wedding venue.. The tour finished in the room where 44 prisoners had been executed. The guide described in graphic detail the procedure. The gallows used is still there. Rather macabre..

Fremantle jail

One of the more modern cells

Inside Fremantle jail

After the prison I headed back to Perth on the train. It was packed with girls around the 12/13 age group dressed to the nines, with new hairdo’s and wearing make up. It turned out Taylor Swift was in town. I didn’t envy whoever out of Mum or Dad had drawn the short straw in accompanying daughter to listen to that!

The next day I headed for the Barrack Street jetty in Perth. I was going to Rottnest Island. A visit here was recommended by my sister Janette who had been there on her gap year, many moons ago…. after boarding the cruise boat we headed up the swan river. It was hot and sunny. The river shimmered but no sign of any of the black swans that the River is named after. We went past numerous yacht clubs and some absolutely amazing riverside properties. Some prime real estate here. On arriving in Fremantle I transferred to the Rottnest ferry. Rottnest is an island which is 11miles off the coast due west of Fremantle. It’s 7 miles long and 3 miles wide at its widest point. It’s stunningly beautiful. There are numerous beaches, the water is crystal clear and there are inland lakes. I hired a bike and explored the island. It had an Australian army base on it around the time of the second world war so it has a good infrastructure and excellent roads. It was a boiling hot day so after cycling round in 35 degrees plus temperatures I was dripping in sweat. Good exercise!

The beauty of Rottnest Island

A beach at rottnest island

Rottnest is one of the few places in Western Australia that you find Quokka’s. It’s a small marsupial in the same family as a kangaroo or wallaby. I saw around half a dozen as I cycled around. They resemble a very big rat and seem to frequent areas where they may get some free food (eg picnic tables).

A quokka

I could have cycled round here for hours but it was time to catch the ferry back to Perth. A note for a future visit is that there is accommodation on the island. It would be a great place to stay for longer.

So tomorrow it’s back to the cricket. It’s going to be hard work watching in this heat. I don’t envy the cricketers playing in 35 degrees plus!

Flying to Perth with the England Cricket Team

Whilst checking my itinerary for Perth yesterday I noticed a potential issue. It showed my hotel in Perth being booked between 10th and 17th October! I got in touch with my travel agent to check whether this was just a typo. overnight they confirmed that there was a mistake and my room in Perth was booked for 2 months ago! They have managed to sort the issue, at their cost,  but due to limited accommodation in Perth I am staying in 2 different hotels and the one I am staying in tonight I check out of tomorrow and then back into on Friday! It’s not ideal but at least I have a bed. This was the first mini crisis of my trip but given the number of flights and hotels involved I guess something going awry was inevitable.

I checked out of my hotel In Adelaide and got to the airport around 12pm ahead of my 2 o’clock flight. As it turned out the England team were on the same flight…. whilst boarding from the economy queue  I observed them walking past me into business class. Were they ashen faced and quiet after the first 2 tests? Well my observation would be, far from it. They seemed quite upbeat with some banter flying around. Alastair Cook did not appear at all to be feeling the pressure although coaches Andy Flower and Graham Gooch seemed deep in thought. The players demeanour could mean one of two things:- 1. Team spirit and confidence is high; or 2. They are not that bothered how things are going…

As I entered the plane I saw the team settling into business class.  I do have some experience of engaging sporting celebrities in conversation which have ended in toe curling embarrassment… part of me felt like screaming to the group of them “for goodness sake sort it out chaps” or a more Yorkshire Anglo Saxon version…. But I decided that would be counter productive. I adopted a more constructive approach. As I walked through business class on my way to economy….

“good luck for Perth Jimmy”

“thanks”

“good luck for Perth KP”

“thanks mate”

That was the end of my encounter with the England cricket team. After landing in Perth there was no sign of them at the baggage carousel. I guess they have people that sort that out for them.

I got a taxi to my hotel in Perth and after checking in headed out to have a look around. I’m impressed! Hot and sunny, impressive buildings old and new, lots of shopping and restaurants closeby and last but not least the Swan River which is big and looked lovely with the sun shimmering on it. Lots of possibilities for boat trips in the next couple of days. So first impressions are great and I’m looking forward to spending time here.

The bell tower

The Supreme Court building

View of the city

The post office with fountains in front

The swan river

Ashes Second Test Day 5 + touristy stuff…..

Overnight I received an email from Phil from Sheffield. He’s a guy I had met in Alice Springs who is following the England cricket team. He is a member of the South Australian Cricket Association. It’s a way he gets to watch the cricket at Adelaide from the best seats. He had a guest pass going for Day 5 with my name on it! There was a dress code – shirt with a collar, smart shorts which I passed. The facilities here for members are superb. A real cut above the bars and food outlets I had experienced for this test match. It also gave me the opportunity to see the cricket from a different vantage point. I joined Phil and his wife Rachel in the Sir Edwin Smith stand.

The view of the South Stand from the Sir Edwin Smith stand

Despite it being very overcast and there being rain in Adelaide before play, the cricket started only 10 minutes late. Resuming overnight on 247-6 I had expected England to make the Aussies work really hard for their wickets. Instead England set off as if they had a really important lunch date! On the 3rd ball of the day, Broad hit Siddle for 6 over mid wicket. On the 4th ball he tried the same shot and got caught out. Another wicket given away! Will they never learn? The one plus point of the day is Matt Prior returning to form with a 50 but he also got out playing an unnecessary hook shot. In less than an hour England are all out for 312. The Aussies win by 218 runs and go 2 nil up in the series.

The scoreboard at the end of the second test….

For England, another disappointing day, of a disappointing test, of a disappointing series. We have to play better in Perth, surely?

I have revisited the team I suggested for Perth in the aftermath of the capitulation to Mitchell Johnson on day 3. I have reprieved Root and Prior based on their much improved performances with the bat in the second innings. My team for Perth is Cook, Carberry, Root, Pietersen, Bell, Prior (wk), Stokes, Bresnan, Broad, Tremlett, Andersen. The only potential change to this is if England can find a genuinely quick fast bowler to rival Johnson. Finn and Rankin are in the squad but they didn’t impress when I saw them at Alice Springs. If one of them gets their act together then I would pick him ahead of Tremlett.

Given the game was over so quickly this gave me an opportunity to get down to the beach. A number of people had recommended Glenelg as being a good place to visit. I caught the tram from North Terrace. It was packed! I wasn’t the only cricket fan with this idea. On arrival at Glenelg I walked to the end of the jetty. It was really cold! It felt more like a summers day in the UK than Australia. The beach was deserted. Glenelg is a lovely place. It’s where the first settlers to South Australia landed in 1836. Unlike other parts of Australia, South Australia was not a convict colony and the locals are quick to tell you this! I visited the museum that told the story of the early days here. There was also a tribute to the Aussie flying ace Jimmy Melrose who was from Glenelg and died tragically at a very young age. When aged just 21, in 1935, he flew solo from Australia to London in 8 days. I walked along the marina which has lots of drinking and eating outlets.

The beach at Glenelg

Glenelg jetty. The original jetty was twice as long and was destroyed in a storm in 1948.

Glenelg toen hall which houses the museum I visited

Glenelg is on Holdfast Bay where the original settlers from England landed in 1836.

Park in Glenelg named after flying ace Jimmy Melrose

Glenelg Marina

After a couple of hours in Glenelg I caught the tram back to Adelaide. I have seen little of the city since arriving so this was a good opportunity to explore. I got off the tram at South Terrace and walked north up King William street. My general impression of Adelaide is that it’s very nice, very pleasant but lacking the wow factor that I found in Brisbane. It’s all laid out very symmetrically, there are some nice buildings and parks but I am not sure it will stick long in the memory. The most impressive structures are to be found at the Adelaide Oval which South Australians are rightly very proud of as the modernised stadium comes to fruition. I also like the Railway Station possibly because it’s a place I have spent quite a lot of time in….. I walked on Gouger Street which had been recommended to me as a good place to eat out. There is an impressive Chinatown area there.

Chinatown on Gouger Street

Entrance for Adelaide railway station

Adelaide oval viewed from the other side of the River Torrens

So farewell to Adelaide, next Perth!!

Ashes second test at Adelaide – Day 4

I was late setting off for the cricket on day 4. When I got to Mawson Lakes interchange the screen was showing that the next train to Adelaide was running late. I was going to miss the start of play….

When I arrived at the Adelaide Oval I was surprised to see that England were batting. I had expected Australia to carry on batting for another hour before declaring. However the weather forecast for both today and tomorrow contained showers so Michael Clarke wanted to ensure that the Aussies had enough time to bowl out England a second time. What was less surprising was that England had already lost a wicket, The score was 2-1. Given that England had an unlikely victory target of 531 this was not a good start…..

I joined the queue for coffee. I needed a flat white… Whilst waiting to be served the replay of the wicket came on the screen. Alistair Cook was out caught on the boundary trying to take on Mitchell Johnson with a hook shot. Another example of a batsman making a poor decision. What was even more disappointing was that the England captain had messed up. He should be leading by example!!

I took my seat. Michael Carberry then played a virtually identical shot to Cook and was caught out in the deep from a ball by Siddle. What are they thinking? It must be pressure doing this.

Pietersen joined Root in the middle. They survive until lunch with the score at 65-2. Very slow scoring but at least they are still there. Soon after lunch they reach a 50 partnership. Joe Root gets his 50. A standing ovation from the England fans. Root and KP reach a century partnership. The first one for England in this Ashes series. They are both playing really well. Making the right decisions as to when to defend and when to attack. KP gets to his 50 by hitting a 6. Soon after he is out somewhat unluckily. He was trying to get his bat out of the way to a ball from Siddle but got an inside edge and the ball diverted onto the top of the stumps.

After yesterday’s impressive knock, Ian Bell struggles to make runs, He then hits a full toss from leg spinner Steve Smith to a fielder. Another really poor shot.

Root carries on accumulating runs. when he reached the score of 66 a wag mentions “Root 66”. The number 87 is unlucky for Aussies. 100 minus 13…. It’s also unlucky for Joe. He edges a ball from Lyon and is caught at slip. He is gutted… He gets a tremendous ovation. That’s more like it Joe. I have now reinstated him to my team for the Perth test….

Joe Root faces a ball from Nathan Lyon

At last England are starting to show some fight. Ben Stokes scores a painstaking 28. A good knock in the circumstances. The Aussies seem to target him for sledging. This is possibly because he was born and bred in New Zealand. He is out shortly after an incident where Mitchell Johnson collides with him, probably deliberately. Stuart Broad then takes the field to a chorus of boos from the Aussie supporters. Broad and Prior then saw out the day until close of play. It wasn’t always pretty. Both played and missed particularly to Johnson. But they survived. At stumps England reach 247-6 with Prior on 31 and Broad on 22. At the end things were getting pretty feisty. Lots of words being exchanged in the middle. Similar to the end of the Brisbane test. England survive into a 5th day. It’s likely to be over by lunchtime tomorrow but there is some rain in the forecast….

The lovely old scoreboard still in use at the Adelaide Oval.

Finally to mention that I had a lovely conversation on the train on the way back with a mother who had taken her 8 year old daughter into the City to  meet Santa. She (the mother!) showed lots of interest in my trip but I think she thought I was mad to be coming away for such a long time on own!