It's the Percys wot'll win it

Our noble lads  landed Down Under this week in their quest to retain the Ashes. 

In case any of you have been on planet Zod these last few weeks that is the trophy played for between England and Australia at cricket. We have even suffered the indignity of Cricket Australia projecting the image of their captain Ricky Ponting and vice-captain Michael Clarke onto Big Ben above the caption "Don't forget to pack the urn". The urn being where the famous ashes are kept.

In 1888 England lost at home for the first time to the old enemy and the Sporting Times published an obituary to English cricket.On the next tour to Australia a small urn was presented to the England team containing the ashes of a part of the wickets, perhaps the bail and the rest is history.

In 2006/07 on the last tour of Oz England were humiliated 5-0 but we hope and expect for better things this time. 

Many of us will be following the tweets of the England team and wondering at the same time what the giants of the game in the past would have made of all that. Somehow tweeting and Douglas Jardine of the famous Bodyline series do not quite seem to fit together. What we do know from the Burnley Bullet alias James Anderson is that packing 8 packets of Percy Pigs was top priority for him until he learned that Percys can be bought in Oz.

Now I wonder what amazing things can be done with the ball after a dash of Percy flavoured saliva? Or may be a touch of cola Haribo. Who says the English bowlers won't be able to swing it Down Under!