****If you don't like cricket, or love it. Please look away now!*****

It was a long overnight journey on the greyhound coach to Sydney. I had done the journey before so I knew what to expect but it doesn't make it any easier. I had booked Base hostel for the duration of my five night stay and headed there straight away on arrival into Sydney central bus station early on the 3rd January.

I wasn't able to obtain tickets for the first day of the cricket on account of it being sold out. It was the only day's play I was to miss during the two matches and, as it turned out, it wasn't a massive loss as the day was interrupted by rain delays and curtailed during the afternoon.

I watched the first session of the cricket at the hostel and after checking into my hostel room in the early afternoon headed down to Circular Quay to watch the remainder of the day's play on the big screen with the backdrop of the Sydney Harbour Bridge & the Sydney Opera House. The weather wasn't very good but the forecast for the next few days was a bit better. England had made a good start to the match taking four wickets including that of Khawaja, the debutant in place of Ricky Ponting, who was injured. In Melbourne the Barmy Army taunted Ricky with chants of 'Sacked in the morning, you're getting sacked in the morning'. That hadnt happened but due to his injury Michael Clarke was to take his place as captain for the final test at the SCG.

I got another early start the following day. Kitted out in England colours as usual and made the 45 minute walk to the SCG from the city. It was raining a little in the morning but despite this play remained relatively interrupted for most of the day. The SCG is very different to the MCG. While the MCG is an enormous arena, the SCG is far more intimate. Half the size of the Melbourne Cricket Ground but more like a cricket ground rather than a sports stadium. It's difficult to believe that they have actually considered moving test cricket to the ANZ stadium,where England won the Rugby world cup. I hope they don't as the Sydney Cricket Ground is a proper cricket ground and has the history and tradition to go with it. It's like moving test matches from Lords to Twickenham. It shouldn't happen.

It was day two, I had a fantastic seat a few rows from the pitch. England again ripped into the Aussie batsman as they did on the first day of the Melbourne test and it all looked pretty good for England until Australia's best bowler turned pantomime villain 'Super Mitchell Johnson' came to the crease and hit a half-century to guide the Aussie's to a score of 280. Not a great score but the pattern of Australia's innings was remarkably similar to the Perth Test,where Australia were in trouble, rallied at the the end of their innings and then Johnson slinged the ball down in his usual manner and somehow got it to swing and take wickets. England lost that match and there was an element of worry in the back of the minds of the english support that something similar could happen again, it couldn't happen again could it...?

Of course it couldn't! England started as they did in Melbourne with Strauss & Cook putting on a great opening partnership to set-up another massive total. Alastair Cook, at the start of the series targetted by the Aussie's as a weak link, continued to batter the Aussie bowling attack into submission and ended up with an amazing 189, helped by additional centuries by Ian Bell & Matt Prior. The scoreboard at the end of the England innings read 644 all out. In years to come this will be difficult to believe. It's difficult to believe now! Highlights of this England innings will live long in my memory.Along with the three centurions, Alastair Cook getting himself out on 99 to debutant Michael Beer's bowling only for the umpire to refer his decision and find that it was a no-ball was another comical incident favouring the English. The Barmy Army responded to this by shouting 'no ball'every time Beer bowled. Ian Bell was lucky too, as he should have been given out but as the 'Snicko' technology is not used and 'hot-spot' is a bit unreliable he escaped and continued to make his first Ashes ton.

England were breaking records here, there and everywhere..... 644 - England's highest total in an Ashes series in Australia, the fourth time England passed 500 in the series and Alastair Cook passed 700 runs for the series which, I think, is only second to Wally Hammond in terms of scoring runs in an Ashes series for England.

It's probably the best time to use the old analogy "If this was a boxing match, the ref would have stopped it a long time ago". But the english fans and the incredibly vocal Barmy Army certainly didn't want it to stop. The Aussie second innings began and after a brief respite of wickets, England slowly started to inch their way to victory. The wicket of Hussey, which was claimed by Collingwood signalled the final assault on day three but of all the magic moments of the Ashes series the best was yet to come.....

There have been some great moments in Ashes cricket. Older people, I am sure, will recount memories of Ian Botham and the like. Sometimes Ashes series have stand-out moments that people will never, ever forget. In 2005 it would be the run-out of Ricky Ponting by substitute fielder Gary Pratt. Or Flintoff pictured embracing Brett Lee in the midst of England's first Ashes win since 1986. In 2009 it was again a run-out of Ponting by Flintoff which will be etched into the memory. This time, in the absence of Ponting for the final test a new pantomine villain had emerged from the series and his name was Mitchell Johnson.

Mitchell Johnson has been on the scene a while now. He is probably Australia's best bowler when he is on song. However his inconsistency is frustrating for Australian fans and despite moments of brilliance the Aussie slinger who, at times, swings the ball but doesn't seem to know how he does it, has become the target of some of the best sledging and taunting the cricketing world has ever seen. And this time not from the players! Who needs sledging from players when you have 20,000 fans doing it for you? The Mitchell Johnson song has gathered momentum throughout the series. 'Super Mitch' came out to bat at the MCG to the Barmy Army singing it. He bowls no-balls and wides and another rendition rings around the ground. Michael Vaughan, the former England captain even credited the Barmy Army for shaking up Mitchell Johnson with the taunting.

"He bowls to the left, he bowls to the right
That Mitchell Johnson, his bowling is sh**e"

This song has become the cricket anthem of the Australian summer.

And so back to day four at the SCG. Chris Tremlett has just got a wicket. England are closing in on victory. The Barmy Army are in full voice. The crowd are buzzing and most of the Aussie's have already gone home to contemplate getting totally humiliated by this superb England team. And out comes that Mitchell Johnson to bat. What happens next is one of those moments that define a series.'Super Mitch'comes out to a chorus of 20,000 poms singing the Mitchell Johnson song. He has a chat to his batting partner then gets ready to face his first ball from Tremlett. There is a hush around the stadium and then the atmosphere starts to build again as Tremlett steams in to bowl. The crowd ERUPT - 'Super Mitch' gets clean bowled. People are jumping up and down. The Barmy Army are ecstatic. Scenes that you never see at the cricket. Mitch heads back to the sheds with the loudest rendition of the "That Mitchell Johnson' song you'll ever hear and there you have my moment of the series. I've been to some big sporting events and there has been some awesome moments. This is right up there as one of the best moments I've ever seen live. Tremendous, amazing, awesome.There aren't enough superlatives. It serves Mitchell right for his outspoken comments before and during the series! Barmy Army 1 Mitchell Johnson 0!

England were given the extra half an hour on day four to finish Australia off. But some stubborn batting meant that England would have to return on the fifth day to try and win and claim a 3-1 series win....phew,what a day's cricket!

The result was inevitable. That is, unless rain intervened. Even then England would win the series 2-1 but that's not how we wanted to see the match end. England had out-played Australia in every facet of the game and a humiliating defeat is what Australia deserved. It was England's time....boy had we waited a long time for it and we were determined to enjoy it.

The SCG had announced that entry to day five would be free. Only fair, as only a few wickets were required. I got there early so that I could stand with the Barmy Army. Australian fans were as rare as the dodo. It was all England and 20,000 England fans turned up for a whole morning of singing and basking in the glory of the Ashes victory. It rained for a while but then the sun came out and chants of 'Singing in the rain' soon changed to 'Jeruselum', 'Everywhere we go', 'The lion sleeps tonight' amongst others. Oh, and naturally the Mitchell Johnson song. England got the wickets they required just before the lunch break, the 20,000 english fans went crazy and the jubilant scenes after the match were even better than at the MCG, which took a lot of doing! England had won the Ashes series in Australia 3-1. Australia - your boys took one hell of a beating. One hell of a beating and it felt good. I'll never forget the scenes as the England team did the lap of honour. An emotional Paul Collingwood, on his test farewell doing two laps of honour. Jonathon Agnew doing the sprinkler dance. Strauss lifting the Urn to the tune of "We are the Champions". Memories that will never leave me. We'd won the Ashes in Australia! We'd won them at the Oval and we won them at the SCG.

What now then? Errrm. Off to the Barmy Army headquarters of course! It was heaving, obviously. We partied on late into the night. The camera's were there and I apparently made it on to TV in some drunken state I'd imagine. Chris Tarrant was there. As was Michael Vaughan and I got to get a photograph with the great one. My friend Lynsey also tried to get a picture with Michael but got him mixed up with Mark Ramprakash and after claiming to Michael that she went to school with him she got blanked by Michael after her claim. She then realised it was Ramprakash that she went to school with and she came back to us with her tail between her legs with no photo! Classic! She did get interviewed on BBC news though even though she didn't go to the cricket so I guess it all turned out good in the end!

It was a brilliant night. Renditons of Barmy Army songs all night, beer flowing, TV cameras. Now and into the future it will be recognised as one of England's greatest sporting successes ever. And I am proud to say I was there to see the magnificent achievement of England winning the Ashes in Australia!