Our day at the Test

The headlines in the local paper were again unfavourable to Ricky Ponting as we had breakfast before leaving for the MCG.

We walked the 2.7 miles to the ground, along with large numbers of others and took our seats just before it started. It is a tremendous ground. We had seats fairly high up but with a great view.

Well, we had a great day as you will know from the score and it was tremendous to hear the Barmy Army in such good form. They made the point at various stages of singing God Save the Queen, but changing the line "Long to reign over us" to "Long to reign over YOU", with considerable emphasis on the YOU. Not sure whether this was a sporting or a political statement, but it raised a laugh, at least from the English in the ground.

By the middle of the afternoon we needed our hats (first time in Oz that we have had such hot and unbroken sunshine) and at the end of play, we walked back to our hotel stopping in the centre for supper.

Today we have a few hours in Melbourne and then it really is the end of the first part of our trip as by tonight we shall be in Auckland in New Zealand.