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We have every faith in the women to finish the job.

A little more coverage in the ´óÏó´«Ã½ TV sports bulletins ahead of irrelevant overseas sporting news wouldn't go a miss.

Not a fan of watching the womens game although i am pleased for them with the recent successes. But just like the last Ashes in Australia, it's a shame Ashes doesn't consist of more than 1 game. 3 games would surely be more appropriate.

Given the rare event of both a country's men's and women's touring team being in England at the same time it seems a missed opportunity that there is not a Twenty20 match with the women's match followed by the men's. Doubtless logistics were the issue but a shame all the same.
Agree that one Test is too few - only need a bit of bad weather and the Australian's chances of regaining the Ashes could be scuppered. Two Tests, covering Fri-Mon, over 2 successive weekends would be better.
May the best team, rather than the weather, win.

Listening to CMJ on TMS today, I was interested to hear him call this match "the women's SO-CALLED Ashes" (sic. writer's upper case). So I popped along to cricinfo for a squint at the actual trophy, which is clearly labelled as an urn mourning the passing of "English cricket." - Maybe this means that in one commentator's opinion, this England women's team is not part of English cricket.

Well, times have moved on and for me at least, the women's team is very much part of English cricket - a talented and very successful part at that: their recent record is enviable.

A test match is a stern test, not only of skill, but of stamina. Hopefully, if we get the marvellous entertainment we've had recently from these two teams, both sides will know they've been in a scrap by the time it's done.

To Jodie Fields's team, thank you for providing such stiff opposition this summer. - It's not been as easy as all that, but this time they came up against a team of no mean skill and commendable resolution. I guess they won't forget the exhilarating chase by SC Taylor & Morgan that knocked them out of the T20 competition. Best of luck to Karen Rolton, however she chooses to continue her career. (Hopefully, up there with Clare Connor at the ICC in time).

To Charlotte Edwards's team, there's this last hurdle. Don't let's miss out. However much we respect the opposition, they need one last mauling from these English lionesses, just to let them (and everyone else) know they've been part of what we call "English cricket!"

Good luck, the Brits. Go for it!

Suggest that people watch the women's game objectively and don't try and compare it with their male counterparts (level of speed & strength).

I was at Wormsley on Sunday and technically this women's cricket is of a high in quality & competition on both sides England and Australian.

I went to watch the two one day games at Chelmsford and I must congratulate both teams on their dedication and professionalism to the game. It was a real breath of fresh air to see fielding teams working as one unit. Having been a season ticket holder at Essex for many years Ive never seen any county side work together as in those two games. Listening to people in the crowd they also thought the same. To quote one statement I heard I dont mean to be patronising but.........these women put the men to shame with their work ethic in the field, everyone is moving and wants the ball to come to them. I have to agree it puts the county sides to shame. Ive seen enough players just going through the motions standing about not wanting to get involved. The shame of it is the men get paid for doing this...

There are so many ways to listen to the Men's game - what about ONE way of listening live to the Women's game. A lot of people watched the Women's Twenty20 final at Lords - it would help to keep up the profile of the Women's game if live coverage was available.

Phew! Day one done at New Road and if you kinda lost interest when Australia were at 28/5, you should have stuck around for the next 229 runs when Fields & Haynes had England wondering where the next wicket was coming from. BUT! The England women stuck to it, took the punishment and took two crucial wickets at the end of the day to leave Australia on 271/7.

We knew about Fields - a bit! After all, she's been on the planet 24 years and is the Aussie captain. We (or maybe just "I") knew less about Haynes, who has been around just 22 years. I think there are 3 teenagers in the Aussie team: Perry, Osborne & one other (??), so it's no good thinking we're going to have an easy time when Rolton, A. Blackwell, Nitschke & Sthalekar move over.

It was a tough day in the field for England, who will be looking for an early night tonight. They'll sleep the easier for those two "end of the day" wickets.

There are 2 Aussie 20 year old (Erin Osbourne and Jessica Cameron - both born on the same day) and Ellyse Perry who's only 18. Of course they all look incredibly young.
Catches win matches and we spilled 3 but all credit to Fields and Haynes who seemed pretty well in control of things. Haynes, in her first Test and first international season, looks a real find. She batted beautifully.
Nunny looked fast and dangerous and did the job with both the 1st and 2nd new ball.
Thought England got their tactics right in the last 30 minutes. Really slowed things down (bowler usually back to start of run up with the ball no where to be seen) and put pressure on Haynes. Eventually (and sadly because she deserved a 100) she cracked and tried to put Boggy into the stand in the last over of the day.
Looks like a really interesting contest.

Funny how the news of the womens impending win over Australia quickly moves up the headlines...

ref11: Glad to hear about the headlines, but "impending win?" 13.50 hours BST on Saturday and we haven't yet got them out once! - Nine down, tho'.

There's not one scrap of information about the second day's play at New Road, except that the scorecard's changed.

Day 2 didn't go well for England. Last night, I was hopeful that we'd dismiss them for fewer than 300, but we didn't. Neither did we start auspiciously, losing our top five quite quickly. Then came Morgan & Gunn. Talk about attrition and application! By the time rain stopped play, Morgan had scored 23 off 123 balls, with Gunn on 34 off 75. Have they saved us? Not yet. We're 193 behind with 5 wickets left. Day 3 is going to be very tough going.

Can we do it? - Everyone knows the answer to that.

Alison,

There's no such word as "underway" - even if "Word" allows it. Check a dictionary. "Under way" is all right.

There are 2 good reasons why England should save the Test. Firstly, if the last 5 wickets can put together 200+ then the first 5 wickets should be able to hang around long enough on the last day. Today, in 115 or so overs there were six wickets lost so the pitch must be pretty good. Secondly, there is a very showery forecast for tomorrow so its unlikely that all the overs will be bowled.
Advantage Australia though. 160+ ahead. Doubtless it'll be a slogfest in the first 20 overs tommorrow taking their lead to 250 or so and giving England the 'carrot' of 250 in 80 overs - although I can't see England seriously going after anything but the tastiest of carrots.

I knew this was going to be a scrap! It is. I spent the day talking to myself... "Come on Beth, well done Beth..." & so forth. As for Marsh & Colvin - I indulged myself in a chuckle at every thorn they pressed into the Aussie side. Wonderful last wicket stand!

LB is right. Because they have to win to leave these shores with something, Australia have to score fast runs on Monday morning. With Rolton at the crease, they'll be confident they have the batter to score them. Fields has the task of deciding when to declare and that could be tricky, especially if there's a weather factor (as LB says above). When England do get a knock, they'll be up against the determined onslaught of Farrell, Andrews & Perry - and we all know how merciful they'll be. But, we can win or draw to retain the Ashes. Obviously, every England supporter will want the win, but if it's a draw, nothing is lost. If we lose.... let's wait & see & hope not.

Monday morning: - Well now! - I've got the radio commentary. Where's the live text?

It's England who are singing in the rain, rain that finally destroyed the element of contest in this match. As for Australia, they really won't have been happy to have had raindrops falling on their heads, for surely they will have thought that with a full day's play ahead, they were in with a shout. Not to be! - And Charlotte Edwards's team have now won three major trophies in 2009. How appropriate that the captain should have been on the field of play with an unbeaten half century to her name when Jodie Fields finally shook hands. All the congratulations in the world to this remarkably talented team.

I listened to the broadcast throughout. I learnt a lot (and realised a couple of errors I'd made in previous posts this summer). The string of people interviewed filled the rain intervals admirably and certainly kept me in my chair. I would love to hear more of Rosalie Birch in the summariser's role; her comments are so fundamentally informed, but delivered with such dry humour in her voice, I thought she was going to metamorphose into Vic Marks on the spot! She had me snorting with laughter more than once. It occurred to me that a women's Ashes broadcast SERIES, with Birch and Kate Blackwell as summarisers would be worth listening for that alone. (I heard K. Blackwell on ABC last March and she, similarly, has an apt microphone presence)

BUT! Nada de live text, nada de linked 606 - and at one point the broadcasters admitted "they didn't actually have a scorer!" - ¡Madre mia!
Time to buck up, Aunty.

Job well done by the skipper to see her team home safely and retain the main prize.

A word also for the aussie women who battled to the end after what has been a very long tour for them (20/20 - Onde dayers and the test). We look forward to the next time the two teams lock horns with some useful young players developing.

´óÏó´«Ã½ TEAM OF THE YEAR 2009 - there is not contest!

The weather wrecked a brilliant Test match.
The match was a great advert for Test cricket. Aus 28-5 but Aus respond with a 229 run partnership, Eng respond with 5 wkts for 52, Aus respond reducing Eng to 59-5, Eng respond by adding 209 runs for the last 5 wkts, Aus respond with 128-1, Eng respond taking the last 9 wkts for 103, Aus respond reducing Eng to 39-3. The record books show that England still hold the Ashes but there really was nothing to separate the teams.
Four stand out performances : Jodie Fields (139), Rachael Haynes (98) and 1st innings figures of 4-4-0-1 in her first Test, Katherine Brunt (6-69) and Beth Morgan (67 runs in 7 hours 32 mins from 354 balls).
Both these teams are a credit to the game and its a shame that, especially with the mens series on, the tour couldnt be longer (although I understand why it couldnt).