England vs Australia (Day 1, 5th Test) - The Oval, London - Thursday 8th September 2005

The Ashes were looking a whole lot better than my previous experience back in July. Draw the final test at the Oval, and the series would be ours for the first time I can really remember. The whole country seemed to be watching, and I had offers in excess of £250 for my ticket for the first day of the match!

On the way to the ground, it seemed as though everybody with a publicity stunt to play, was playing it in the very near vicinity of the Oval. We saw Page 3 "stunnas", Nando's carnival buses, and lots more besides. The fact that it was a glorious day helped everbody's mood even more.
A great day's play, lots of drinks, and a good start to the match for England. I guess we all know what happened over the following few days, and it was great to be a part of it. The evening session was something of a beer-fuelled blur, but that's all part of the fun.

After play had finished, it was off to the pub, to drink more, sing songs with the leader of the Barmy Army, and generally take the piss out of lurking Australians Ashes Losers.