Favourite Ashes Memory

[HeathDavisSpeed]

One highlight of the 1980s that in hindsight I can appreciate all the more is the way the Aussies had a plan for Graham Gooch. In the late 80s in particular, Gooch was the key wicket and a player at the height of his form. He was the best player to tame the amazing West Indian fast bowling line up, but he just couldn't deal with Terry Alderman.

I hated Alderman as a player at the time, and didn't appreciate the true majesty of his bowling to Gooch.

 

[pietersenrocks]

My least favourite memory

Yeah, the opposite of 2005..LoL

 

[pup11]

Warne's Gatting ball was pretty good.

But I'll actually go with Steve Waugh's first ton during the 1989 series...

Yup, that's one of my most favourite Ashes moments, the other one's are:

Last day of the Adelaide test from the 2006/07 series
Symonds' century celebrations with Haydos after scoring his maiden test century at MCG
Steven Waugh' last ball of the day century at SCG
Ponting' 156 at Old Trafford

 

[Furball]

McGrath's spell after tea on the first day at Lord's. Still get hairs on the back of my neck standing up whenever I watch that and hear the ominous clatter of ball hitting stump.

 

[Uppercut]

The last days of the most recent tests at Adelaide, Old Trafford and Edgbaston.

 

[Richard]

Edgbaston 1997, the first day in particular: an amazing, intense, joyful occasion and the climax to weeks and weeks of build-up.

I was going to say exactly that. Australia 65 for 8 in the first innings of the series. It gets precious little better than that as an England fan.

 

[Richard]

Waugh's last ball of the day hundred at the SCG.

Yeah I loved that as well. England on top, but one of the greatest batsmen who ever lived - and someone I always admired as player and person - playing an innings that probably meant as much to him as anything, and reaching the climax of it at the last possible moment that day.

 

[Richard]

McGrath's spell after tea on the first day at Lord's. Still get hairs on the back of my neck standing up whenever I watch that and hear the ominous clatter of ball hitting stump.

Said it at the time but that's as good a spell of bowling as anyone could wish to see. Five deliveries each batsman had no realistic chance of playing, virtually no runs given away, hardly any overs required to bowl 'em.

I'm not sure it was a rank favourite memory of mine but it did illustrate the shortcomings of England's bowling of the previous couple of hours.

 

[Richard]

My least favourite memory

My least favourite is beyond question the first two Tests of 2001. Despite being weakened from a side which could easily have competed on level terms at worst to one that was a fair bit behind, England could still very easily have been right in both of those Tests... but for the fact that they dropped about 20 catches in the two combined.

When the catches were held in the Third Test there wasn't an enormous amount between the teams.

 

[wpdavid]

Couldn't honestly claim any of 1981, as I spent a month travelling around Europe from Day 3 of the Headingley test.

Like others, day 1 of Edgbaston 1997 was extraordinary.
Gower & Gooch putting on about 500 on Day 1 at the Oval in 1985.
Randall running out McCosker - diving to demolish the stumps from wide mid-on iirc - to all but seal the 1977 series.
The look on Chappelli's face after Underwood demolished them at Leeds in 1972.
Day 3 at Edgbaston in 2005 - possibly the greatest day's cricket I have ever witnessed.
Hogg & Giles scoring the winning runs at TB in 2005.

 

[Richard]

So shattered at the lack of "Boycott's glorious back-foot cover-drive off Pascoe to the boundary to get off the mark in his first Test back in 1977" from you TBH.

 

[Burgey]

Good to see the Aussies celebrating the spirit of cricket following the infamous "Dummy-Spitting" series of 1932/3

Sorry old chap. We should always open the bowling wit Max Walker and Tony Dodemaide, with handbags at 10 paces. Then at tea we'll have an iced tea and mints, washed down with lashings of hot fusareum, or however it's spelt.

That series was great largely because many thought Lillee was washed up and Thommo was unheralded.

 

[Top_Cat]

Would rate Steve's Waugh's ton at Sydney more highly had I not seen the DVD 'One Perfect Day'. Somehow, after watching it, I wish Waugh's knock hadn't happened at all.

 

[wpdavid]

So shattered at the lack of "Boycott's glorious back-foot cover-drive off Pascoe to the boundary to get off the mark in his first Test back in 1977" from you TBH.

Didn't see it tbh. Not that I was very pro-Boycs at that moment in time, being less than overwhelmed that he'd finally deigned to make himself available for the national side. Granted I was rather more grateful a couple of hundreds later with Ashes in the bag as a result.

 

[Stapel]

Must be 2005! Since the BBC stopped sending cricket into my Dutch living room, I stopped watching cricket. The 2005 series got me back. As a neutral, I had no choice but to support England.

The best moment were Flintoff's over at Edgbaston and the last day at Old Trafford. I'm still convinced that was were the the Aussies lost it. The great Aussie team with Langer/Hayden/Warne/McGrath/Gilchrist cheering like they had won a series, whereas they had drawn a test. That moment meant that England had Australia by the throat.

 

[zaremba]

Sorry old chap. We should always open the bowling wit Max Walker and Tony Dodemaide, with handbags at 10 paces. Then at tea we'll have an iced tea and mints, washed down with lashings of hot fusareum, or however it's spelt.

 

[inbox24]

It has to be the partnership between the Waugh brothers in the 5th Test: Australia v England at Sydney, Jan 2-5, 1999 | Cricket Scorecard | Cricinfo.com. I drank 6 lemonade pops during that partnership.

 

[GIMH]

Would rate Steve's Waugh's ton at Sydney more highly had I not seen the DVD 'One Perfect Day'. Somehow, after watching it, I wish Waugh's knock hadn't happened at all.

How come?

 

[GIMH]

Watching the 2005 Ashes boxset. Wondering how far into it I'll get, not going anywhere or anything today so

 

[Richard]

It has to be the partnership between the Waugh brothers in the 5th Test: Australia v England at Sydney, Jan 2-5, 1999 | Cricket Scorecard | Cricinfo.com. I drank 6 lemonade pops during that partnership.

1 for each dropped catch?