I am of course talking about England vs Australia, the old enemy or the convicts down under. To them we are the poms, the stuck up boring lot who live in a country with only rain. On whichever side you reside, the rivalry between these two countries has been ongoing for over a century. Once again we are in the middle of the Ashes, a cricket series that is battled out every two years in Australia and England.
Now I can understand why a lot of people are impartial to the obsession with a little red ball and 22 men in white running around a field for 5 days, with the chance that it could end in a draw!
However it doesn’t matter if the contest between these two nations is cricket or bowls, it is ferociously competitive and thoroughly engaging to the eye. Sport is what Australia is all about (and the weather!) and they pride themselves on winning everything. As an Englishman I have seen years of sporting disappointment, be it Rugby or football. There is nothing worse that walking past one of the walkabout pub’s dotted across London to hear a chorus of twangy Australians cheering another England defeat.
Though I may detest their smugness on these occasions, I like nothing better than when England reverse these situations and we get one over the Aussies, especially in their back yard. This may come across as incredibly hypocritical but that is what great rivalry is all about. From the agony to the ecstasy, long may this great sporting confrontation continue (as long as England win!).
George Jerram
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