Ashes Poetry

3rd Test Australia v England Sydney Cricket Ground 7,8,10,11 January 1966 (5-day match)

G Boycott b Philpott 84
R W Barber b Hawke 185

Fall of wickets 1:234 (Boycott) …. England won by an innings and 93 runs

Watching Bob

‘Crikey, were fantastic,
they went everywhere,
smashed all around ground.
I said you can’t play like that,
this is a test match, of course you can’t play like that,
you’ll get out before you’re in and then where will we be?
Only he did, kept playing like that, ball after ball,
over after over, even after I went down wicket an’ told him,
you can’t play like that, no one can, except he did, ball after ball,
over after over, past lunch, right through to tea, smashed them everywhere
without a glimmer of a chance. Crikey, it were fantastic.

‘Made eighty-four. Couple of edges, sharp, mind, at reasonable rate:
batting at test match level is never easy, specially against Australia
at Sydney. Of course the best place to play quicks is at the bowler’s end,
I’ve always said that. Not least when your partner’s making runs for fun,
less work for thyssen. Had the best view in the ground. It were watching heaven.
Crikey, it were fantastic.’