THEY'RE a fair dinkum bunch, these Aussies. At Edgbaston they got Glenn McGrath to stand on a cricket ball then Picky Ponting kindly invited us to bat, thereby igniting a raging inferno which promises to blaze gloriously until the Ashes are decided.

To use the current parlance, Michael Vaughan came to the party yesterday and the momentum is now with England. But how vastly different it would have been, especially psychologically, had they lost at Edgbaston.

The sheer drama of the climax made it easy to overlook the fact that England almost contrived to lose when the odds were stacked in their favour. And the last man should not have been given out because he didn't have both hands on the bat when he gloved the catch to Geraint Jones.

Who cares? Victories wrapped up in the glittering tinsel of excruciating tension are what we crave and more than four million viewers tuned into Channel 4's coverage on Sunday morning, while Edgbaston was filled to the rafters when it might have been all over in two balls.

Unlike with Jonny Wilkinson's World Cup-winning drop goal, it wasn't just the climax which alerted the masses to the sport's attractions. England rattled along at five an over to reach 400 on the first day, then in the second innings Shane Warne bowled Andrew Strauss with the sort of ball which would make any schoolboy want to emulate him.

So just when cricket is enjoying its highest profile for years, we have to remind ourselves that there will be no Channel 4 coverage next season as the authorities have sold out totally to Sky.

Those of us who refuse to be blackmailed and prefer to remain undished will therefore have to rely on the wireless, just as I remember doing in the small hours of a late December morning in 1982 when Australia began the final day of the Melbourne Test needing 37 to win with Allan Border and last man Jeff Thomson at the crease.

They had come together with 74 needed and as the deficit got down below 20 commentator Fred Trueman was in his best "I don't know what's going off out there" mode. He kept insisting that England had to attack more and post a second slip, and when captain Bob Willis finally got the message Thomson's edge off Ian Botham flew straight to second slip with four runs needed.

The drama lasted a couple of seconds longer because Chris Tavare parried the chance over his head and Geoff Miller, at first slip, completed the catch.

It's hard to think that a side captained by Willis and including the likes of Tavare, Miller, Norman Cowans and Derek Pringle could compete with the current England side. Tortoises like Tavare were easily overhauled, but if Vaughan's hares get in front they might take some catching.

LAST week I happened to refer to Hull, Helsinki and Halifax. All seems to be well in Halifax, but the athletics in Helsinki have been a washout and the euphoria of the Edgbaston triumph at the weekend was marred by events at Hull reminding us that football is back.

Hull City fans taunted their QPR rivals with chants about the terrorist bombings in London, prompting the chairman to state that those culprits identified on video footage will be banned for life. I wish him well.

PAULA Radcliffe insists her World Championship 10,000m race in Helsinki on Saturday was good preparation for this weekend's marathon, but the pain on her face as she was left behind by the Ethiopians, Kenyans and Orientals gave cause for concern.

We are accustomed to seeing Paula lead 10,000m races at major championships until three faster runners sweep past her off the final bend. But this time it happened earlier and there were eight of them, suggesting that the time has come for Paula to concentrate exclusively on the marathon. She will never be able to live with the finishing pace of the Africans, who increasingly dominate middle-distance events with barely a European, male or female, in sight.

Apart from the Welsh 400m runner Tim Benjamin, mentioned here recently because he was apparently at death's door three months ago, there has been precious little British success at Helsinki. Oh for a good performance from Teessider Chris Tomlinson in the long jump today, followed by marathon gold from Paula.

WHEN I played in the pro-am at Slaley Hall with Mark James he wondered after three holes why he was stuck with three middle-aged hacks while the pro behind, John Chillas, had "a 6ft gorgeous blond" in his team. The blond was 19-year-old Anna Scott, from Consett, who added to her list of titles at the weekend by winning the St Andrews Links Junior Ladies' Championship.

She's definitely one to watch out for, but first I'll be watching with great interest for Rob Dinwiddie's results in the Walker Cup in Chicago this weekend. The Barnard Castle lad has done superbly well to get into a strong team which has every chance of winning the trophy for a fourth successive time.

Published: 12/08/2005