By Ross Stapleton


Blimey! The Poms are already counting their chickens in
anticipation of The Ashes coming home with well
advanced plans to celebrate what will surely be the greatest orgy of English sporting
self-congratulation since they won the 1966 World Cup. Hopefully this time they won’t need a referee’s
lineball decision to win.

Today’s London Telegraph reveals that with the Oval Test
scheduled to end next Monday, there’s to be a Tuesday
street parade – unless Australia can win the Fifth Test. But if we
can’t be
party poopers, we can only watch and wince, knowing it was
entirely our fault that the Poms will be going completely troppo!
If their Rugby gloating was anything to go by – it’s going to
get ugly and who can blame them.

According to the
Telegraph:
“The event would largely
follow the pattern set by Clive Woodward’s World Cup-winning rugby team
18
months ago. England’s bus would start at Marble Arch around noon and
arrive in Trafalgar Square some 90 minutes later.” All captured through
live BBC TV coverage, which as the paper notes comes with its own
poison pill
for ITV.

Also overnight – Australia has called up NSW fast-medium Test rookie Stuart
Clark currently with Middlesex, as a possible replacement if Glenn McGrath
doesn’t pass a fitness test.