Chillin in the Park

Not a bad way to spend an afternoon

It's been a day mostly spent working - because I didn't get much done yesterday, and I hope to take some time off tomorrow. I took a walk to the park this afternoon and came across a group of people camped out in a circle and enjoying some beers. They seemed to epitomise the spirit of this wonderful summer. I went over for a chat and we all agreed that it's the best we can remember since 1976.

I did get out for a short run this evening too, with the legs feeling livelier than they have in quite a while. I'm beginning to think that I've possibly been suffering recently from a low-grade virus and I'm only now just beginning to beat the thing. I'm not going to get carried away but I've definitely had a bit more bounce today. I was intending to go out earlier than I did and run further on the moor, but I got absorbed by the Test Match and England's pursuit of a very unlikely win. It was the most cricket I've seen this whole series. I really thought we were going to pull of a miracle but in the end a draw was the fairest result. It's just a real shame that the ridiculous rules and regulations concerning playing conditions didn't allow the game to finish to a natural conclusion. I felt robbed just watching on the television.

A win in this match would have given us a 4-0 result in the series, which may have been a little embarrassing because there is no way that we performed that much better than the Aussies. Even the 3-0 final margin is a somewhat harsh reflection on the way the teams played. If the few days of rain that have interrupted this series had fallen differently then we could easily have seen the Ashes return to the Antipodes.

It all hinged on just a few key sessions in the end. It is because we performed when the pressure was on - and the Aussies didn't - that we deserved to win the series, but perhaps not by such a clear margin. This is an Ashes which could easily have gone right down to the wire. If the umpires had taken the players off this evening with the destination of the urn still up for grabs then I think the officials could rightly have feared for their lives. They might have been lynched.

I think the return series in a few months time is going to be very competitive, and should make for compelling cricket. I'm happy to see us win this series but I admire the Aussie's style of cricket under Michael Clarke. I hold a lot of respect for him as a captain and have to admit that I enjoy his more adventurous approach to the game. His sporting declaration this afternoon gave the crowd tremendous entertainment and at the end of the day that's what it's really all about. I couldn't see Alastair Cook being so daring in the same situation. I feel that our fear of losing is still stronger than our desire to win. I would love to see that change down under this coming winter.