Author: Jack Oastler
On day five in Adelaide, England fans let out their biggest cheer of this Ashes series. The Barmy Army sang; a man in a Watford shirt danced. Rain had stopped play. The irony was, on the last day of this match, Ben Stokes’ side actually finally put in a performance worth commending. But the first four days were so abysmal – following England capitulations in each of the first two Tests – that fans who had paid thousands to be there would rather sit inside and watch the rain fall. It couldn’t last forever, and the half-hour delay couldn’t keep…
At least the first game was kind of funny. England’s eight-wicket defeat in the pink-ball Ashes Test in Brisbane was as disappointing as it was emphatic, as boring as it was inevitable. While they pushed it to the final session of day four, rather than crumbling into pieces in two days like in Perth, England looked dead and buried for the last five or six sessions of the match. As with Perth, England actually had the better of day one. Joe Root finally scored his first Test century in Australia and thanks to an entertaining knock from Jofra Archer, the…
Essex cricketer Esmae MacGregor completed a rare double in July: within a week, she graduated from her International Business degree at Loughborough and signed a deal in The Hundred with Manchester Originals. The banner of the article confirming the draft picks placed MacGregor alongside England legend Sir Jimmy Anderson, who also signed for Originals, putting the seamer’s breakthrough summer into perspective. “[The Hundred] was an unbelievable experience. Just being around people, and learning from them and the experiences they’ve had; you can never come away having learnt enough. Getting the most out of training, and almost over-analysing things – it’s…
When Paramore released their sixth studio album, This Is Why, in 2023, it lifted a curse that had been hanging over the band for twenty years. Not just because the album was magical, but because it fulfilled a deal signed with Atlantic Records when singer Hayley Williams was just fourteen. Now thirty-six, Williams was finally in the driving seat. What followed was Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party. Her third solo album is her best yet: with 20 tracks, it feels rich and varied, yet cohesive. Lead single Mirtazapine has the pop-punk sound associated with Paramore, along with Hard and…
It was fun while it lasted, everyone. I’m writing this five minutes after day two of the first Ashes Test – and England have already capitulated and lost. Don’t get me wrong, Australia had their fair share of capitulation too. In fact, I was optimistic going to bed last night: England were on the verge of a big first-innings lead. But when I woke up at 5:30 this morning and glanced at my phone, we were 73-5 and on our way to posting a distinctly mediocre total. I went back to bed. After another brief, rude awakening two hours later,…
I had a confession to make. Sam Cook – England, Essex and ex-Loughborough cricketer, and well-known Man United fan – had just joined the call. I held up my Man City shirt. “Oh, God,” groaned Cook. “I’m gonna have to log off now.” “It was nice talking to you!” A decade on from joining Loughborough, Cook has had an exceptional career in county cricket. 328 first-class wickets at a remarkable average of 20.64 led to an England Test debut against Zimbabwe in May. Does he remember the first of those wickets? “Yep – it was Rory Burns, caught Charlie Thurston,…
Australia can usually claim they’re the best cricket team in the world. World Test Champions in 2023. Clear at the top of the world rankings. Six-time ODI world champions. And are they better than England? Bloody oath! They’ve held the Ashes since 2017, and haven’t lost to the Poms in Australia in fourteen years. But this time around, they’re facing a few questions. Will their captain be fit? Do they have to pick two openers? Is thirty old? Australia’s top-three troubles have been well documented, and a week out from the series, no-one really knows what the line-up will look…
Award-winning British band The Last Dinner Party welcomed their second album to the world on Friday, and chose the East Midlands for their first stage. From the Pyre, the follow-up to 2024’s smash hit Prelude to Ecstasy, was released at midnight to rave reviews. I gave myself two hours at the library in the morning to try and learn the lyrics, before catching the train into Nottingham. At 9pm, the quintet emerged one by one onto the stage – immaculately dressed as ever, their unique style an aspect of the aura which has made them so important to so many…