The Ashes
On England’s green and grassy plains
Did men convene to battle once more
The prize; an urn of charred remains
For 18 years lost o’er foreign shore
The blood that runs in English veins
To swell the breast and quicken the eye
Did pause in sweet and awful pain
Anticipation, mouths hot and dry
The speed of leather through the air
The thwack of willow blistered forth
For sport non in England cared
Save cricket in its holy worth
And on that day 12th of September
Did Michael Vaughan lead out his men
A day that surely all remember
And many will words put to pen
A simple draw was all they needed
To finish antipodean rule
But if the game they had conceded
Then Vaughan; evermore the fool
A young South African stepped up
He took fair England to his heart
And cleaved McGrath and Warne in twain
Though Gile-o also did his part
And as the light came softly down
The umpires strode to either end
From stumps they took two wooden crowns
And Englishmen to joy did tend
September’s sky; a helping hand
And often heard were thunder crashes
But in the end, twas human hand
That battled forth and won The Ashes!
Originally posted by shavixmirThese days I doubt very much whether anyone can stand anyone else at all. I personally hate all of you, I'm just biding my time before I go mental and do a quick hack 'n slash on a shool playground with a samurai sword.
The "They think it's all over..." syndrome.
No wonder nobody can stand the English.
Originally posted by StarrmanWe should get together and call ourselves an institute.
These days I doubt very much whether anyone can stand anyone else at all. I personally hate all of you, I'm just biding my time before I go mental and do a quick hack 'n slash on a shool playground with a samurai sword.
Howabout we do it together and go out in a ball of flames like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid? Or Themla and Louise?
EDIT: Themla??? Whatever am I on?
Originally posted by shavixmirI like that, we could even head off to Mexico and have the army chase us into a cul de sac. Whaddaya say Butch?
We should get together and call ourselves an institute.
Howabout we do it together and go out in a ball of flames like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid? Or Themla and Louise?
EDIT: Themla??? Whatever am I on?
Originally posted by StarrmanYou forgot "(Will this do, ed.? -Andrew Motion)
[b]The Ashes
On England’s green and grassy plains
Did men convene to battle once more
The prize; an urn of charred remains
For 18 years lost o’er foreign shore
The blood that runs in English veins
To swell the breast and quicken the eye
Did pause in sweet and awful pain
Anticipation, mouths hot and dry
The speed of leather through the air ...[text shortened]... ard were thunder crashes
But in the end, twas human hand
That battled forth and won The Ashes![/b]
You should send it into the Torygraph, they'd love it. A little scanscion's not a bad thing, you know, Starrman. That and humility in victory. Crikey! 😕
EDIT:
p.s.
Rugby was all the rage in England when you won that world cup- big parades, celebrations, football pushed off the back pages, Sky News and PM Bliar rabbitting on about the joys of the sport, etc. Then you came home, and our boys in green gave you a thrashing at Twickenham, and football became rather popular in the English press rather quickly. There might be a lesson in that somewhere, if you really search for it!
mmm
😴