England Over 70s team hope to complete clean sweep against Australia in 'Silver Ashes'

England’s Over 70s cricket team will arrive at Maidenhead & Bray Cricket Club on Sunday looking to complete a clean sweep of victories in the ‘Silver Ashes’ series.

Earlier this summer, England and Australia produced a stirring Ashes series for the ages, resulting in an exhilarating 2-2 draw that both teams could take credit from. So far, the Silver Ashes has proved more one sided, with England’s seniors’ side having won the first two One Day Internationals (ODI) in Colchester and Telford earlier this month.

England currently hold the Silver Ashes, having won ‘down under’ back in February, and they’ve improved as this series has gone on.

They won the first 50-over-a-side match by 52 runs before galloping away to a 91-run victory in Telford on August 13. They arrive in Berkshire looking to complete a whitewash series win and will be favourites to do so. Sunday’s third ODI is due to get underway at Maidenhead & Bray CC from 12pm, weather permitting.

The Silver Ashes – for players aged 70 and over – has been in existence since 2013. During that 18-year period, England have won 10 matches, Australia seven and one match was drawn.

Chris Lowe, manager of the England Cricket Seniors 70 plus side, lives in Bray and has played 50s, 60s and 70s cricket for Buckinghamshire for the past 19 years. Over the past few years, he’s captained a combined Berks and Bucks team. Having taken part as a player in England Over 70s tour of Australia in 2018, he was asked to become a selector for the national side. Having put their tour plans on ice throughout the COVID period, England selected a squad to tour Australia in February.

“We toured Australia in February, playing state and representative teams from the Eastern states, as well as three ODIs against Australia. We were a strong squad but took a little while to get used to the heat around our initial base of Mooloolaba, an hour’s drive from Brisbane. We won all our state and representative games but lost the first ODI by six wickets as some of our guys were struggling to come to terms with the heat and the Aussies.

“We travelled by coach and plane to Newcastle, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne with stops along the way at sheep stations, flooded cricket grounds, Bondi Beach for lunch and found wonderfully welcoming Australians wherever we went.

“We won the last two ODIs, the first at Coogee Oval, 50 yards from the beach and the Pacific Ocean, by 102 runs and then the decider at Caulfield CC in Melbourne by eight wickets.”

Likewise, the Australians have also played a series of county over 70s teams this summer, with the last of those to take place against Berkshire/Buckinghamshire at Taplow CC today (Friday), at 1pm.

Chris added that county seniors’ cricket is thriving across the country.

More than 30 counties participate in over 60s cricket and 22 in over 70s cricket with many running first, second and third teams in different competitions.

For more about seniors’ cricket in England and Wales visit https://www.6070cc.co.uk