From Ashes to Ash

The day has warmed up from the day before. Like England's score the numbers of us who eventually went to the Italian restaurant went up and up. It got to twelve. If it had gone up by one more the table would have stretched into the bakers next door. The restaurant couldn't cope. Two meals didn't turn up. Some were cold. The knob head who had called out 'loser' to Warne walked out. No loss there. Others were more accepting. I expect the knob head went off to ring Gordon Ramsey so that he could come round and have an F word with the restaurant.
There was a Sunday market en route to the ground, and today was a Sunday. The missus would have loved it. All craft type stuff. I bought a bag for the daughter. I bought a grate ceramic fireplace type tile. It depicted Ponting getting out at Brisbane. I also bought the original drawing, to go with it and a cheap as chipped tile depicting who I thought was Warney, but turned out to be Lehmann. The lady did tell me who it was , but I thought she was using a defamatory term for Warney rather than the South Australia captain's nickname. She had done quite a good one of Gilo, but her one of Flintoff didn't really look like Freddie. I also bought an etching of an emu trapped behind a rabbit proof fence from her and from someone else a picture of ibises if that is the right plural. It could be ibisi or it could be ibis. In fact it is ibis as the picture is called 'Coorang Ibis' and unlike the one that was in the riverside bar in Brisbane they were not by themselves. The lady who painted it arrived in Australia in 1974. If you want to see the artist's work go to www.jordanfineart.com.au. The lady who does the cricket tiles is Glenda Bowen. A search engine rally should find her. She's the only one besides me and the other boy who has left a comment on the blog. So 'Good on ye Glenda'. They had the security on the gate to the Adelaide Cricket Ground but they were more Luftwaffe than Gestapo, S.S. or Gabba. The bloke I went to saw the tile and said 'What's that mate?' 'Something I'm going to savour.' I told him, as I licked my lips in anticipation. 'Ponting getting out.' 'Take a good look mate.' He replied with conviction ( No offence intended ). 'You won't see that happen again.'
We got the other one out though. Hayden, or 'Haydos' as the tile lady would call him. It's 52-2. I got told off by my mate back home for using the flag to cover the gorgeous lady's knees. He said 'No wonder we couldn't see you.' He wasn't fooling me, I always knew he was a leg man. He had a point though so I brought two jumpers and a fleece, neither of which was made of possum, ding bat or ru, and the only connection to a wally is obvious to one and all. The sun is out today. Ponting puts one up towards it but Like Icarus it falls clear of any fielders. A terrific over from Hoggard. I waved my fleece, jumpers and flag none of which were required for knee duty. Ponting 28, Martyn 5. We are all confident and like the lamb and flag up for it. The flag goes up as they go three down. 78-3. Martyn is out caught Bell. Hoggie again. Come on Harmie. Ashley! Ashley! He drops one. Ponting! I admit to feeling glad that I didn't buy the picture of Ashley now. It won't just be Glenda who uses the photo of that drop. Think of the sales Glenda if he had taken it. There's a good one of Ponting that I hope she got of him on the floor avoiding one from Harmison. You can write it yourself. OK I'll do it for you. 'Unlike Icarus he may be down but he is not out.' Ponting's luck doesn't change. With the exception of the Grand Old Duke of York, when you are up you are up.The first ball from Anderson comes off the bottom of his bat. He goes to 49 and almost gets run out. He gets the extra he needs for his fifty with the overthrow, though those of us in the know know that it's not really an extra, and though I can't remember now whether the overthrow went for four and I didn't write it down at the time, I did write down that a sixth sense of foreboding was beginning to raise its ugly head. I know it may well have been five, but I didn't have a sense of fiveboding and if I had mentioned that, it would have left a significant number of people at sixes and sevens.
97-3. It cannot be many times that Australia have not reached 100 by the end of the morning session, and this one with the extra ten overs from last night. This unfortunately won't be one of them as it turns out as Ponting gets a four. Deliberately to achieve the milestone I have no doubt, so it would not be hanging around his neck at lunch. 105 they get to. I won't be hanging around either. I need to get to the market. I want to see if that tile of Gilo shows him dropping a catch. If it does I'll ask her to do one of Flintoff holding up a stump. The tile of Gilo had been sold. Glenda said that it was an English supporter who seemed a bit of a knob head saying he was going to drop it down the stairs in the hotel where the England team were staying to see how 'Gilo likes being dropped'. That's the trouble with certain knob heads, they can't avoid poking into other people's business.
158-3 as the bloke in the wheelchair in 'Little Britain' goes by. He gets a cheer as Ponting goes to 82 with Hussey on 42. before we know it, it's 212-3, then 240-3. Ponting 132 and Hussey 74. It's a lull to us with only a run out decision getting my woolly jumper to twitch. It goes against us. It took 142 runs before the bloke on the gate turned out to be wrong. Hope and Alice Springs eternal. 267-4. Hussey goes as the cops throw out an unruly Aussie fan. They spoke to him quietly twice but he continued with his aggressive ways so they had no option. On the highlights Tony Greig mentioned the King George Whiting. He said it is delicious and he's right.It is and it was. Ozzie Clarke was also right. The tram ride to Glenelg was special. Like those in the know when one follows the other they become extra special, especially on a Sundrey.
What else? Ironically I was beamed out by Ash CC coming out of the sun, last week. I'd made 15 by then and we outlasted them in their pub which sort of changed their victory into ours. I didn't play yesterday. We had a school do. At Cobham Hall. Those in the know will know the Ashes link. From Dawn 'til dusk from Ash CC to Ashes. From Lord Darnley to Lord's. I went last Monday. I only went to spite the missus. 'I know you' she said. 'You'll look at the forecast and stay in bed.' I paid my £20. It cost me a pound an over. I saved a fortune though by only buying one cup of tea. I sat under my umbrella just in front of the giant screen. I could pick myself out easily later in the highlights, even though I didn't take the flag, and I was wearing both the fleece and jumper to keep warm. There weren't many alternatives for the cameras to home in on. I'm not a critical person as you know but if the notice on the scoreboard with the blown light bulbs had said that because of the reduction in the number of overs for the day the Lord's museum would be free to those with a ticket, even though I was stuck to my seat in the wet, I would have fallen off it. I saw my mate on the Wednesday after. I told him what I've told you. He told me that he was also there. He's a member of Middlesex, so while I was cowering under my umbrella wringing out my home made 'Rip off Britain saving' ham sandwiches, he was in the pavilion drinking gins and tonics. At least both he and I had time to dry out before the public announcement of Public School teachers teaching state school teachers a thing or two to pay lip service to them maintaining their charitable status. I was so cross I had to change the traditional fund raising activity during the School do at Cobham Hall. For the last couple of years we did 'roll a pound', with the nearest winning the target brandy bottle. Well a not insignificant number went down through the gaps between the floorboards in the Great Hall, and as cricketing and Darnley Lords know a pound is a pound and an earner is an earner. Now it's me that is being uncharitable as Cobham Hall did not charge us for being there. Perhaps one day they'll even invite me to forage below those historically significant floorboards to retrieve not only the one pound coins, but also maybe the actual genuine long lost dusty urn!