The 2013 Ashes Series

The Ashes is one of the longest running sporting contests in the world. Contested between England and Australia, the Test Cricket series is currently played biannually and switches alternately location wise between the two countries.

Hotels near Rockingham Speedway are gearing up for a rush of bookings to coincide with the 2013 Ashes contest. That’s because the England Cricket Board has announced that the nearby Trent Bridge in Nottingham will be hosting the third test match of the series.

The Ashes has been part of the British and Australian public consciousness since the first contest way back in 1882. An Ashes series consist of five Test matches. There are two innings per match and the team that bats first is decided by the toss of a coin called by the two captains. If a series results in a draw, the country that already holds the Ashes retains the small urn.

In 1882 Australia beat England on English soil for the first time. In the following day’s edition of The Sporting Times, the British press mourned the death of English cricket and stated that “the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”. The subsequent England cricket tour was labelled as the quest to return the ashes to its true birthplace. When a small terracotta urn reputably holding the ashes of a cricket bail was given to then England captain Ivo Bligh, a true legendary series was born.

Although Essex’s County Ground has not been chosen as a venue for the 2013 series, London based grounds Lords and The Oval have been. With many of the capitals’ hotels expected to be fully booked as a result of the Olympic hangover, it may be worth booking a Braintree hotel and travelling the short train journey into the big smoke instead. With England determined to retain the Ashes on their home turf, this is one sporting contest that will definitely spark the nation’s interest.