IN the end it was as comprehensive as it was predictable.

Australia completed their Ashes triumph yesterday with a 4-1 series scoreline - the biggest winning margin between the countries since 1993.

England were outclassed by an exceptional team and there is some consolation in that.

We have progressed to the extent that we can compete with other nations on the cricket field, but not Australia. The brutal truth is that we are not even close.

The tour of India this winter will, hopefully, see a return to the promise displayed before the Ashes, but being able to hold our own with the arch enemy, the Australians, remains the true test.

The future starts today with the announcement of the first names chosen to take part in the new England Cricket Academy, who will, ironically, be nurtured in Australia, under the guidance of former Aussie star Rod Marsh.

Australia launched their academy many years ago and are now reaping the benefit of a superlative side. England are behind the times, but the catching up process has to start somewhere.

With Durham youngsters such as Nicky Peng, Gary Pratt and Steve Harmison among names touted for inclusion, there will be plenty of interest in the academy here in the North-East.

For English cricket, having to face up to the reality of an Ashes thrashing, it has to be a case of better late than never.

ALTHOUGH it has emerged from a survey with a commercial axe to grind, the claim that seven out of ten young people take no regular exercise is a frightening statistic.

The suggestion that under-25s are far less healthy than under-55s puts it into even bleaker context.

For a Government which is having to accept that treatment in Europe is the only way to cut long waiting lists, it is also a stark reminder of the importance of health education in this country.

The virtues of good diet and regular exercise have to be hammered home to youngsters - and their parents. After all, if the NHS is creaking now, imagine what it will be like when the considerable weight of a generation of couch potatoes is added to the burden.