Blind Cricket Ashes Series 28th August 2004

England won the series with a thrilling victory by 3 wickets with 10 balls remaining.

Australia won the toss and both sides set about their work aware of the strengths and weaknesses of themselves and the opposition. As in the 4th match at Horsham the England bowlers chipped away at the Australian upper order and wickets fell sufficiently regularly to prevent a large stand being established. Andy Dalby-Welsh and Heinrich Swanepoel bowled particularly tightly while Eugene Negruk batted with his usual fluency and Matt Horsey made another useful contribution with an unbeaten 68 in 50 balls. A stunning catch by totally blind Nathan Foy removed Peter Robinson and two more stumpings by Luke Sugg were features of an impressive England fielding display.

When England batted, their policy of seeing off Robinson and protecting the more senior batsmen, which worked so well at Horsham, got off to a disastrous start with Matt Dean lbw to the first ball of the innings. Adam Benjamin joined totally blind Tim Guttridge in a stand of 136 which put England in the driving seat. Steady progress was made over after over with both batsmen able to score singles at will. Improved running between the wickets put the Australian's fielding under pressure for the first time in the series until Benjamin was run out for 31. Guttridge and Sugg added another 100 in 11 overs with Sugg showing an impressive range of shots. Guttridge was finally lbw in Robinson's 7th over after a masterful innings in his last international appearance. Despite an alert and crowded legside field he scored regularly with his trademark sweep. Australia's other danger man, Nick Carozza, accounted for Nathan Foy and Luke Sugg in his final two overs. England wobbled briefly as five wickets fell in six overs. This brought Sam Murray and Heinrich Swanepoel together. The fearless Murray and the tireless Swanepoel(who had run for Guttridge) saw England home without any further upsets. England had survived Robinson (2 for 51) and Carozza (2 for 48) and once again taken advantage of the lesser bowlers late in the innings.

In an emotional closing ceremony, Tim Guttridge was nominated Man of the Match. Tim received several other accolades in recognition of his retirement from international cricket and the huge amount of work that he put into initiating and planning this inaugural Ashes series.

Other awards were
B1 player of the series David Townley
B2 player of the series Peter Robinson
B3 player of the series Luke Sugg

Both teams will improve in time for the 2006 World Cup as a result of this series. England noted Australia's sharp fielding and fluent driving while Australia realised the benefit of introducing exceptional young players.

This hard-fought series was played in a competitive but friendly spirit and was a credit to the players and management of both sides.

	England v Australia Blind Cricket Ashes Series 28th August 2004 at Bradfield College
	England won the series with a thrilling victory by 3 wickets with 10 balls remaining. Australia won the toss and both sides set about their work aware of the strengths and weaknesses of themselves and the opposition. As in the 4th match at Horsham the England bowlers chipped away at the Australian upper order and wickets fell sufficiently regularly to prevent a large stand being established. Andy Dalby-Welsh and Heinrich Swanepoel bowled particularly tightly while Eugene Negruk batted with his usual fluency and Matt Horsey made another useful contribution with an unbeaten 68 in 50 balls. A stunning catch by totally blind Nathan Foy removed Peter Robinson and two more stumpings by Luke Sugg were features of an impressive England fielding display. When England batted, their policy of seeing off Robinson and protecting the more senior batsmen, which worked so well at Horsham, got off to a disastrous start with Matt Dean lbw to the first ball of the innings. Adam Benjamin joined totally blind Tim Guttridge in a stand of 136 which put England in the driving seat. Steady progress was made over after over with both batsmen able to score singles at will. Improved running between the wickets put the Australian's fielding under pressure for the first time in the series until Benjamin was run out for 31. Guttridge and Sugg added another 100 in 11 overs with Sugg showing an impressive range of shots. Guttridge was finally lbw in Robinson's 7th over after a masterful innings in his last international appearance. Despite an alert and crowded legside field he scored regularly with his trademark sweep. Australia's other danger man, Nick Carozza, accounted for Nathan Foy and Luke Sugg in his final two overs. England wobbled briefly as five wickets fell in six overs. This brought Sam Murray and Heinrich Swanepoel together. The fearless Murray and the tireless Swanepoel(who had run for Guttridge) saw England home without any further upsets. England had survived Robinson (2 for 51) and Carozza (2 for 48) and once again taken advantage of the lesser bowlers late in the innings. In an emotional closing ceremony, Tim Guttridge was nominated Man of the Match. Tim received several other accolades in recognition of his retirement from international cricket and the huge amount of work that he put into initiating and planning this inaugural Ashes series. Other awards were B1 player of the series David Townley B2 player of the series Peter Robinson B3 player of the series Luke Sugg Both teams will improve in time for the 2006 World Cup as a result of this series. England noted Australia's sharp fielding and fluent driving while Australia realised the benefit of introducing exceptional young players. This hard-fought series was played in a competitive but friendly spirit and was a credit to the players and management of both sides.