Seagulls and Church Bells and “Test Match Special”
Brought to you by a fool on the hill in a Beatles t-shirt
Chapter 31 from my second of three books on Test Match cricket is entitled “Ashes Summer Musings Vol.11 — Seagulls and Church Bells and Test Match Match Special” and this particular fool on the hill presents this to you in both written form or dressed in a Beatles t-shirt via the Youtube video linked immediately below.
I hope you enjoy.
"Seagulls and Church Bells and "Test Match Cricket" - Youtube
"Seagulls and Church Bells and "Test Match Cricket" - original article
"The Spirit of Cricket" - available via Amazon
Tuesday 18th July 2023
With the television otherwise engaged and next to zero chance of watching any of today’s action from Taunton live or even the late night highlights, I turned to the radio once more and that British institution of “Test Match Special” (TMS) for all the colour and cricketing circumstance surrounding the final match in the ladies Ashes series. With the stump microphones turned up capturing the incessant chatter from England’s Amy Jones and Australia’s Alyssa Healy behind the stumps, and other assorted microphones capturing a persistent flock of seagulls as clear and as nearby as the bells from a local church, TMS never seems to fail in bringing such an audio flavour for its listening audience.
In short, and perfectly in keeping with this spectacular Summer of Ashes cricket so far, England won by 69 runs sealing the One Day International (ODI) portion of the series 2–1 to go alongside their 2–1 triumph in the IT20 (International T20) section of The Ashes and yet, even with 4 overall victories against Australia’s 3, both teams end up with 8 points each, The Ashes shared but, and it’s the biggest but of them all, as holders, Australia retain The Ashes even after 4 defeats in 5 games.
The series commencing Test Match at Trent Bridge in Nottingham was always going to play a pivotal role in not only the series as a whole but with 4 points for the victor, a huge step on the road to winning or indeed retaining The Ashes, and so it proved. The Aussies 89 run victory was the largest run differential or winning margin between the two teams in the entire series and after winning the first IT20 match they held an almost unbeatable 6–0 points lead. Back came Heather Knight’s England to win the IT20 series 2–1 and the series score to 6–4 before levelling matters at 6–6 with a brilliant 2 wicket victory last Wednesday courtesy of a captain’s innings from Knight. The impossible mission of a comeback win for the ages against the World Champions was thwarted on the south coast of Hampshire just 3 days ago and by the margin of just 3 runs and despite today’s more comprehensive win and, lest we forget, beating a virtually unbeatable Australian team in both shorter forms of the game, the 8–8 series tie sees the Ashes urn returning to Australia in the hands of their captain Alyssa Healy.
Batting first, England even topped their colossal score of 279 on Sunday by going 6 runs better and ending a sticky start to their innings by posting an imposing 285–9 this afternoon. After losing both opening batters Sophia Dunkley and Tammy Beaumont cheaply, it fell to captain Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt once more to restore the innings to an even keel with a battling partnership of 147 and with her captain dismissed (and later assistance from a swashbuckling 43 runs from 25 balls from Danni Wyatt), it was Sciver-Brunt the centurion once more. Sunday’s 111 not out from 99 balls was impressive enough but the Tokyo born 30 year old excelled once more with 15 boundary 4’s and a 6 in her 129 runs from just 149 balls received. Sciver-Brunt was finally dismissed with 16 balls of the innings remaining and with 20 runs added in the last knockings of the innings, England posted an intimidating victory target of 286.
Australia, like England, lost early wickets, and at the fall of their captain Alyssa Healy for another low personal score of just 7, found themselves at 15–2 and struggling for a foothold in the game. Ellyse Perry followed her brilliant 91 on Sunday with 53 from 58 balls before she became the first victim of 2 for England bowler Kate Cross and the first of 2 prized scalps as Cross snagged the wicket of the ever dangerous Beth Moody for just 16. Ashleigh Gardner, one of Australia’s many star performers this Summer, chipped in 41 quick fire runs from just 24 balls received, but after being brilliantly run out via a rapier like throw from Danni Wyatt on the boundary, the Australian run chase for victory rather fizzled out in a limp 199, and England had beaten the World Champions at their own game, and a game and format of cricket they’ve dominated against all comers for a long time.
The bitter and the sweet.
England win 4 games from a seemingly impossible position to level the series not once but twice and in the process, hand Australia 2 series defeats in the shorter forms of the game, and yet the overall Ashes series is tied 8–8 on points, and Australia return home with The Ashes.
Afterword and final Summer musings from the ladies Ashes series:
England captain Heather Knight: “I think it’s been the best series ever. Really close, nail-biters, the crowds have been amazing. They were great again, more and more people are talking about cricket. It’s all about capturing the imagination.”
Australia captain Alyssa Healy: “It’s a grimace, not a smile. It is what it is. We just didn’t play our best at the back end, some inexperience and decision making. We’ve got the trophy but we’re not happy about not winning this series.”
Thanks for reading. I hope this message in a bottle in The Matrix finds you well, prospering and the right way up in an upside down world.