This post is brought to you by Aussietopia – The Website For People Who Love Australia.

Highlights of The Queen’s third day in Australia include a speech to the Australian Parliament. If you’re in Australia – check out P & O Cruises.

The Queen’s speech

Queen Elizabeth II has addressed a formal reception at Parliament House, praising the “courage and resolution” shown during this year’s natural disasters.

The Queen of Australia Tour – October 2011 – Day 3

Report on Day 3 of the Australian Tour 2011 by Her Majesty Queen of Australia and The Duke of Edinburgh.

The Queen meets the PM

Here are some pictures of the third day:

Photos and Videos from the Queen’s Third Day in Australia is a post from: Anglotopia.net

This post is brought to you by Aussietopia – the website for people who love Australia.

The Queen’s second day of her official visit to Australia has come to a close and there was much excitement.

The big news of the day was that the Prime Minister of Australia – Julia Gillard – failed to curtsey to the Queen or wear a hat. Tut tut.

Here are some videos from the day:

The Queen visits flower festival on day two of her Australia tour

Queen enjoys first day of Australia tour

Here are also some pictures from her second day in Australia:

Queen in Australia: Highlights from the Queen’s Second Day in Australia – Pictures and Video Inside is a post from: Anglotopia.net

This post was brought to you by Aussietopia – the website for people who love Australia.

The Queen has arrived in Australia for her official visit as Queen of Australia.

Here’s a video:

Here’s another video:

Here are some pictures:

If you’re curious about what The Queen will be up to in Australia – here’s the itinerary.

The Queen: Elizabeth II Arrives in Australia for State Visit is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The Queen has visited Australia 15 times but her first trip Down Under was as a freshly-crowned monarch in 1954.

History: Queen Elizabeth II’s first visit to Australia in 1954 is a post from: Anglotopia.net

This post is brought to you by Aussietopia – The Website for People who Love Australia

The Queen is set to visit Australia in a few weeks – many suspect it will be her final visit to Australia. She will be embarking on a rather grueling itinerary as she seeks to fulfill her role as the Queen of Australia.

Here’s an outline of Queen’s 2011 Australia State Visit Itinerary released by Buckingham Palace. This itinerary is subject to change.

CANBERRA:
Wednesday 19th October
PM – The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh arrive in Canberra and will be given a Ceremonial Welcome at the Airport.

Thursday 20th October
AM – The Queen will give an Audience for the Governor General.
PM – Will visit the Floriade flower show.

Friday 21st October
AM – The Queen will give an Audience for the Prime Minister of Australia and an Audience for the Leader of the Opposition.
PM – Will attend a Reception hosted by the Prime Minister at Parliament House
The Duke of Edinburgh:
PM – The Duke of Edinburgh will attend a Duke of Edinburgh Award Reception.

Saturday 22nd October
AM – Presentation of Colours to the Royal Military College, Duntroon.
The Duke of Edinburgh
PM – Will attend a Commonwealth Study Conference reception.

Sunday 23rd October
AM – Will attend Morning Worship at St. John’s Church.
PM – Will attend a Reception and Lunch hosted by the Governor-General.

BRISBANE AWAY DAY
Monday 24th October
AM – Board a river craft, and travel up the Brisbane River to Southbank and after visit the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
PM – Attend a Reception for emergency response personnel and Communities affected by recent floods.
PM – Will attend a post flood Rededication Ceremony of Rainforest and opening of Rain Bank.
PM – Will attend a Lunch with Governor of Queensland and other guests.

CANBERRA
Tuesday 25th October
AM – Will visit the Australian War Memorial and view the Afghanistan Memorial. The Queen will lay a wreath.
Later, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will meet Australian Defence Force Personnel at Orientation Hall.

MELBOURNE AWAY DAY
Wednesday 26th October
AM – Opening of the Royal Children’s Hospital.
PM – Visit to the Ian Potter Centre, National Gallery of Victoria.
PM – Walk through Federation Square and take a journey on board a Melbourne Tram.
PM – Will attend a Reception hosted by the Governor of Victoria at Government House.
PM – The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will depart Melbourne
for Perth.

PERTH
Thursday 27th October
AM – Visit to Clontarf Aboriginal College and see sporting facilities.
PM – Will attend a Garden Party at Government House.

Friday 28th October
AM – Will attend the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Lunch for new Heads of Government at Government House.
Evening – Will attend a banquet at the Pan Pacific Hotel.

Saturday 29th October
Morning Will visit the Perth Waterfront ‘BBQ’ event – “The Big Aussie BBQ”.
Lunchtime The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will depart

Detailed Itinerary of the Queen’s State Visit to Australia Released is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The Wheat has been separated from the Chaff! The last sixteen have emerged to take their Quarter Final spots but who were the Wheat and who were the Chaff?

The last week of the pool round had some scintillating match ups with Scotland needing to get at least one victory from two very tough encounters against Argentina and England. New Zealand had to face their World Cup boogey team France to win their Pool and Ireland just had the thorny little task of beating Italy to advance.

The week got underway with Australia facing a weakened United States in Wellington. The US coach Eddie Sullivan chose a second string US side to face Australia due to the Eagles hectic schedule. Eagles had little chance of turning over one of the competitions early favourites, and with the Wallabies running in 11 tries to one, the chances of an upset lasted only until the two teams walked on to the field.

Aussies, Rob Horne and Rocky Elsom scored for the Wallabies, before they were surprised by a JJ Gagiano’s try for the US. The two times World Champions Australia, then put the Americans to the sword, as Kurtley Beale and Anthony Faingaa ensured Australia earned a bonus point by half-time. The Aussies stepped up a gear in the second half, running in seven unanswered tries, including a six-minute hat-trick from Adam Ashley-Cooper, to secure all five points from the match with a 67-5 victory.

England took a more assured step towards the Quarter Finals as they trounced Romania 67-3 with returning from injury winger Mark Cueto scoring a hat-trick along with Chris Ashton. Jonny Wilkinson seemed to be returning to better form as he converted three tries with his trusty boot along with a penalty conversion before being replaced by Toby Flood who also had a superb outing with his boot. The Six Nations champions seemed to be on better form after a couple of error strewn games earlier in the tournament but they would need to in much better form to face Scotland in a crunch final match in the Pool stage for both sides.

Hosts New Zealand went head to head with France to see who would be the winners of Pool A. Les Bleus had famously knocked out the All Blacks from the 1999 and 2007 World Cups, but with rumors of France possibly throwing the game, so they would have an easier run in, in the knock out stages the tie was highly charged. The Hosts weathered the early pressure from Les Bleus but were never truly troubled by their old nemesis, as they ended up clear winners 37-17 at full time.

Ireland kept their chance of winning Pool C with a emphatic victory over Russia as they easily earned their bonus point to go with the four for winning the tie 62-12. The Irish scored nine tries with Ronan O’Gara scoring an impressive six conversions and a penalty kick. The victory left them in control of the Pool and an important test against Italy to see who would be the winner of the group between them and Australia.

Minutes after Ireland had all but secured their place in the Quarter Finals their Celtic cousins Scotland had a tough task of their own to secure a place in the last sixteen of the tournament. The Scots had to face an ever improving Argentina side. The Southern Hemisphere nation have steadily improved over the years and will finally get its inclusion in the Tri-Nations in 2012, as they become the Four Nations, with a possible Pacific Islands team to make a fifth nation in the future.

Argentina had run England very close in their opening game and would look to make Scotland’s road to the Quarter Finals as difficult as possible, as they did with a dour 13-12 victory over the Scots. Both teams made life difficult for themselves with a number of errors that gifted their opponent’s chances to put themselves on the board but points seemed hard to find for the two nations, as Scotland’s Chris Patterson and Felipe Contepomi of Argentina, who had given the Pumas the lead despite Scotland’s early pressure missed a number of penalty opportunities.

Scotland survived an early scare as Martin Rodriguez sliced wide a simple drop-goal attempt in front of the posts during the first spell of Argentine pressure. Rodriguez missed another stellar chance from a drop goal attempt just after Contepomi put the Pumas on the score board. Scotland did pull level with the Pumas before the half as the Argentine forwards collapsed the scrum to give Patterson another chance in front of the posts, and this time he did not fail to hit the target.

After the restart Ruaridh Jackson then gave the Scots the lead with a Penalty conversion of his own after another collapsed scrum. The Argentinians pulled level as Contepomi made amends for a failed penalty conversion as the Scots collapsed a scrum of their own. Scotland applied the pressure and went close as scrum half Rory Lawson was held up on the line by some stalwart Argentine defending. A minute later, a beautifully controlled drop-goal from Jackson restored the Scots’ three-point lead.

Dan Parks replaced Jackson with 10 minutes remaining and, after a monster kick deep into Argentine territory, slotted over a drop-goal that appeared to put Scotland in the driving seat. However, Argentina swept up the field and Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino jagged inside Paterson on the touchline and squirmed inside two more tackles before getting over the try line for an superb try that was converted by Contepomi.

In the dying minutes of the tie, Parks came close to steeling it for the Scots as he sliced wide with a drop goal attempt after being forced on to his weaker left foot by an offside-looking Contepomi, but there was to be no whistle other than the final one from the referee.

Wales not to be out done by Ashton, Cueto and Ashley-Cooper got a hat-trick scorer of their own in Scott Williams in their easy 81-7 victory over Namibia. The Welsh running up an impressive 12 tries to give them the full five points form the match and leave them needing a victory over Fiji to claim their Quarter Final spot.

In other matches Japan and Canada had the first tie of the tournament as they drew 23-23 in Napier. Italy kept on target for a place in the Quarter Finals as they beat the USA 27-10. Georgia beat Romania 25-9 to give the Romanians the ignominy of the Pool B wooden Spoon. The South Africans took a lazy ride through the Samoans as they ran out 13-5 winners to claim top spot in Pool D.

With only two days of Pool action left there were two crunch mates still to play out of the six remaining games on the last Pool weekend. Scotland had a myriad of permutations if they were to win a place in the quarter finals but ultimately they had to hope that they could beat England and prevent England from getting a bonus point to stand any chance. Whilst Ireland had to beat Italy to claim their place in the Quarter Finals as well, but after their historic victory over Australia earlier in the tournament is was Ireland’s to lose.

Despite the hype of an Italy upset before the kick off the Irish easily saw off the Italian threat with a stunning 36-6 victory to win all their pool matches and head the Pool C table over heavily favoured Australia. Scotland on the other hand were not so lucky.

Needing to beat England and prevent their old rivals from claiming a bonus point they failed dismally as the English stumbled to yet another World Cup victory 16-12. The game was over shadowed by the wet and blustery conditions that made handling a major issue for both sides in Auckland. Scotland will count themselves unlucky that they couldn’t put the game to bed as the English gave way numerous penalties in scoring positions for the Scots and failed to put away scoring opportunities of their own.

The Scots had the advantage at the half with a 9-3 lead but whatever England coach Martin Johnson put in his player’s tea certainly did the trick as England came out a new team. Despite some ranging runs from the English backs, the Scottish defence held out and after another error from the English the Scots extended their lead from the boot of Patterson. The tie was in Scotland’s hand but the every present drop goal threat of Wilkinson bore fruit as on 63 minutes the English pulled three points closer. The Scottish line out failed near the Scottish touchline as Wilkinson again gave the English a lifeline from his boot to put the English within three points. However, with England trailing 9-12 and the game entering its painful finale for Scotland, English replacement Toby Flood threw a devious miss-pass to Ashton on the right wing who dived over to end Scotland’s hopes, with Flood adding the extras from the touchline.

The rest of the weekends fixtures were games to make up the number as the Pools had all but ended as expected, Australia routed the Russians 68-22, Argentina rested a few first team players as they ran out 25-7 winners over Georgia. The Welsh continued their fine form as they demolished Fiji 66-0 in Hamilton and New Zealand took a leisurely stroll to beat Canada comfortably 79-15.

In contrast to the majority of tier one nation’s relatively easy passage to the Quarter Finals, the French failed to qualify in style, as they suffered an ignominious 19-14 loss to Tonga. The loss meant that Les Bleus limped into the Quarter Finals, with Marc Lievremont’s side in disarray after a fine start to the Pool stage of the completion.

So the cream of world rugby has risen to the top and the only shock is the omission of Scotland from the Quarter Finals but for Argentina it is a well-deserved spot in the last 16 after some combative and spirited rugby. The Quarter Finals have separated the Northern Hemisphere sides from the Southern, meaning that it will be a North versus South World Cup Final.

The 2003 winners England have looked less then sterling in their Pool play and can count themselves lucky to have squeaked through, after some awful displays. France has also looked like a disjointed team bereft of originality and clearly not at the races in their last two outings. Ireland and Wales both look like they can beat anyone on their day, unfortunately one of them will miss out on a Semi Final spot.

Reigning champions South Africa have a formidable test against Australia but New Zealand will be quite happy that they be playing Argentina in the Quarter Final and hoping that their possible Semi Final opponents have a very tough match. However, the teams got to the Quarter Finals it is now that the real World Cup starts in earnest.

Pool A
1. New Zealand
2. France
Pool B
1. England
2. Argentina
Pool C
1. Ireland
2. Australia
Pool D
1. South Africa
2. Wales

Quarter Finals

Ireland Vs Wales
England Vs France
South Africa Vs Australia
New Zealand Vs Argentina

IRB Rugby World Cup – New Zealand 2011 – Final Pool Week Round Up. is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Australia collapse another scrum to nullify a dominant Ireland

The 2011 Rugby World Cup got its first upset of the tournament as the Irish turned over Australia in a thriller at Eden Park, Auckland. The United States recorded their first win as they beat Russia, and reigning champions South Africa and host’s New Zealand sustain their dominance in their pools.

The United States had come off the back of a fine performance in their defeat to Ireland to face a Russia side that has one eye on improving their performance as Rugby Sevens is to be included in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. The USSR had regularly beaten the likes of Italy in the 1970’s but with the decline of the Soviet Union their players had spread to the four corners of the broken up Soviet Union.

The Eagles outperformed the Bears on their World Cup debut, under horrendous conditions with the wind and rain lashing the Stadium Taranaki in New Plymouth. Russia got off to a fantastic start, as Yury Kushnarev kicked Russia’s first World Cup points from a penalty after only three minutes. Ultimately though, despite the early lead the debutants ended up losing 13-6 to the stronger American side. Russia’s coach, ex-Sale head coach Kingsley Jones would have been pleased with the stalwart defensive play of his charges who despite an overwhelming size difference in the pack managed to hold the Americans to one try in the first half, and prevented them scoring any in the second half.

For Russia their second match of the week was against a slightly stronger side than the US, in the shape of Italy. The Italians needed to rack up some points if they wanted to challenge Ireland and Australia for one of the two quarter final berths from Pool C. Unfortunately for Russia that is exactly what they did. As the ran out clear winners with a 53-17 victory to claim all five points up for grabs and claim their first victory of the tournament and leave Russia squarely at the foot of Pool C.

The Pool was thrown wide open for Italy as Ireland pulled off a fantastic mauling of the Tri-Nations Champions Australia at Eden Park, Auckland. The Aussies had gone into the match up as clear favourites but the Irish who have stuttered in the last couple of years produced some of the form that gave them the Six Nations, Grand Slam in 2009 to record an historic victory by 15-6. The Wallabies were without their playmaking flanker David Peacock and influential hooker Steven Moore, but the front five of Ireland would have made it difficult for any team out there, with their total dominance.

The other home nations came through relatively unscathed from their ties but England coach Martin Johnson will not be pleased with the manner of his team’s victory over Georgia. England stuttered through their match, winning 41-10, scoring six tries to gain the extra point but it was only the fitness levels of the English that told at the end to allow them the dominant victory, as they only led 17-10 at the half. Johnson will be hoping that his charges concentrate more on their team performance then their late night partying after a number of them were caught drinking late into the night at a local night club.

The Welsh are sitting in third place in Pool D, after a narrow 17-10 victory over second placed Samoa. In previous World Cup’s the Welsh have struggled to defeat the Samoans but with only Fiji and Namibia to play the Welsh will be feeling confident of moving onto the quarter final stages for the first time since 2003. However, they will be mindful that it was a 38-34 loss to Fiji that stopped them qualifying for the quarter finals in the last World Cup.

Scotland did not play this week but there has been some grumbling in the Scottish camp that their most difficult games come in the span of five days against Argentina and England. However, with nine points in the bag and joint top of Pool B with England, a berth in the quarter finals is theirs to lose.

In other matches the hosts New Zealand gave Japan a 83-7 thumping as they continued their dominancy in Pool A. New Zealand’s main rivals for winners of Pool A, are the French who gave Canada a thumping of their own as they ran out 46-19 winners. The two giants of pool face off next week as the All Blacks and Le Bleus attempt to top the pool, but speculation is rife that the French who have knocked out the All Blacks in recent World Cups are going to play a second string starting XV, in an attempt not win, with the hope of an easier route to the final.

Reigning champions South Africa trounced poor neighbours Namibia 87-0 in Pool D, to all but guarantee their place in the last eight of the tournament but with only second placed Samoa to play it is their berth in the quarters to lose.

In the battle for the wooden spoon in Pool A, Japan were on the end of another loss as Tonga beat the Cherry Blossoms 31-18 and in Pool B, Argentina beat the pool’s whipping boys Romania 43-8 to leave themselves still in the hunt for a quarter final spot at the expense of either England or Scotland.

The second week of ties has shown that the established nations will beat the tier 2, nations, in the Rugby World 99 times out of a 100. This has led to a call in some quarters for the exclusion of the emerging nations from the actual finals. However, this would be wrong. For many players from the lesser rugby playing nations it is a chance to play in some of the finest rugby stadia in the world, in front of thousands of fans. It is a chance to pit their wits, energy and skills against the world’s finest rugby playing athletes. It is a chance at glory, a chance to cause an upset and maybe a chance to be seen by a scout from one of the world’s professional clubs and turn professional.

For the established nations these games are vital, they give the teams a chance to come together as a squad for over two months, a chance to iron out kinks in their games, a chance hone their skills so that when they (barring a humiliating defeat) reach the quarter finals they should be firing on all cylinders. The coaches should know who their ideal first XV is. They should know what tactics they should be employing as they take on their top flight opponents and whether they actually have a cat in hells chance of winning the tournament.

Rugby World Cup – New Zealand 2011 – Week Two Round Up is a post from: Anglotopia.net

We’ve been hard at work behind the scenes and now we’re ready to announce the launch of our latest website – Kiwitopia – the website for people who love New Zealand.

I’ve long been fascinated by the other land down under and since a big chunk of our traffic happens to hail from New Zealand, we’ve decided to branch out and launch a site completely dedicated to NZ.

On Kiwitopia, you can read the latest travel news about New Zealand, watch videos, browse pictures learn about places to go and people to see. We have a lot planned for this site so we hope that you’ll take a minute to stop buy, check it out and subscribe.

Click Here to Visit Kiwitopia.net

Oh and if you’re worried this new site will take away from Anglotopia – don’t worry – Anglotopia will continue to be our top priority for some time to come, we’re just diversifying!

Introducing Kiwitopia.net – The Website for People Who Love New Zealand is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Pilot Dave ‘Wheely’ Sykes has reached Sydney in Australia after an epic journey flying from West Yorkshire in England. Report by Dominic Mason.

Amazing Story: Paraplegic man flies from England to Australia in mircrolight is a post from: Anglotopia.net

A couple of Brits are attempting to break the world’s record for the longest taxi trip by driving from London in the UK to Sydney Australia and they’re blogging their adventure.

Here’s something from their author:

I am part of a team driving a London Black Cab from London to Syndey to break the Guinness World Record for the longest taxi journey. We set off last Feburary and have a full blog at our website.

However, here are the blog updates since it all started to get exicting in Iran. We always use our facebook fan page to keep folks updated, so please become a fan if you’re interested at http://www.facebook.com/itsonthemeter

Read about their adventures here.

Brits Driving London Taxi from London to Sydney – Blog About Their Adventure is a post from: Anglotopia.net

He may be busy with work and his upcoming wedding, but Prince William is going to manage a visit to disaster-stricken Australia and New Zealand next week.

According to the BBC:

Prince William will visit New Zealand and Australia next week to tour areas devastated by recent natural disasters, St James’s Palace has said.

The prince will travel to Christchurch, New Zealand, where more than 150 people died in an earthquake last month.

He will also go to Greymouth, near the site of the Pike River mine disaster in New Zealand in which 29 people died.

William will then travel to Australia, where he will visit areas hit by flooding in Queensland and Victoria.

The prince will visit the two countries on behalf of the Queen following invitations from the prime ministers of New Zealand and Australia; he will not be accompanied by his fiancee Kate Middleton.

I’d wondered if the Queen was going to send a Royal to pay respects in her other realms, and I’m glad to see that it’s happening.

William’s glamorous fiance will not be joining him on this trip – which I think is a shame. While it may be seen untoward to introduce some glamour to this occasion, it may do well to build good relations.

We’ll provide coverage of William’s visit to Australia and New Zealand as it happens. Stay tuned!

Prince William to Visit Disaster Stricken Australia and New Zealand Next Week is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Here at Anglotopia.net we love having the opportunity to review products. We receive all sorts of products like; food, books, and DVD’s. But nothing brings a smile to a pregnant lady’s face like the package we recently received from Darrell Lea. I have had the biggest craving for sweets during this pregnancy so I was thrilled when I opened the package to see that we had been sent liquorice! Darrell Lea Liquorice from Australia to be exact. I had never had this brand of liquorice before but, boy was I in for a treat.

We tried the traditional strawberry, mango, green apple and black liquorice. I can honestly say that this Australian made liquorice was the best liquorice that I have ever had! Each piece is fatter than American liquorice and about two bites long, the perfect easy snack. The flavor of all the samples were amazingly good. I was especially impressed with the Mango flavor. I remarked to a friend that also some of the candy with me that it was the most realistic mango flavored thing aside from an actual mango that I have ever had.

I found it hard to stop eating these delicious treats. The flavors were incredibly realistic without being too sweet. I also liked that they did not stick to my teeth, which is what I would expect from a soft chewy treat. I found it the liquorice to be the prefect remedy to a craving for sweets. Two pieces was enough for me to satisfy my craving in a low fat way. The trick was to stop at just two pieces.

This Australian treasure, which is still made there can be found at your local Target stores or other major retailers. They will sell all four flavors; green apple, traditional strawberry, mango, and black liquorice. They will be sold in 7oz. bags which is the perfect treat size. Each 7oz. bag will run a very affordable $2.99. I know that Darrell Lea Liquorice will now be on hand in my household. I was sad when we had finished the sample but I am glad that I can run to Target to fulfill my newest craving.

More information and you can buy it online here.

Delicious Australian Liquorice Comes to the USA: Darrell Lea is a post from: Anglotopia.net

We’ve got some exciting news that we’ve been waiting anxiously to share – and you may have seen whispers of it on our Twitter or Facebook accounts.

We’re launching an entirely new site dedicated to Australia called Aussietopia – the website for people who love Australia.

On top of my interest in Great Britain, I’ve always had a huge interest in Australia and since Anglotopia gets about 10% of it’s traffic from Australia, I thought this would be an excellent opportunity for us to branch out and launch a new site dedicated to everything Aussie.

Over on Aussietopia you’ll find anything and everything dedicated to Australia. From travel destinations and culture to history and lifestyle – you’ll find it all. We’ve already got a great selection of posts you can browse through – but be sure to check back often or subscribe as we’ll be updating Aussietopia several times a week.

If you’d like to contribute to Aussietopia – contact us and let us know. We’re looking for anyone interested in writing about Australia and everything it has to offer. If you’re an Expat in Australia (or an Aussie expat abroad) please get in touch – we’d love to bring you on as a columnist.

Whenever we launch a new site – we like to let our new readers the goal: we really want an opportunity to go to Australia. Our success over at Anglotopia made that happen for us twice – now it’s time to see if we can do it again, this time for a way to get to Australia.

So, join us as we explore the great Land Down Under!

Introducing a New Site from Anglotopia – Aussietopia is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Editor’s Note: The following is an excellent guest post on just what the heck The Ashes are.

One of the oldest sports being played today is the cricket; its origin can be traced back to 1600s. And the oldest tournament that people are anticipating to take place every two years is “The Ashes.”

Basically, The Ashes is the cricket battle between the two nations—Australia and England—that are considered home to the strongest teams in the world of cricket.

Currently, Vodafone Ashes Series is being held in Australia wherein England is the currently holder of the urn. This series has already started in the 25th of November this year, and will end in January 7, 2011. But how did The Ashes tournament start?

Brief Historical Sketch of The Ashes Cricket Series

Ever since, England’s cricket team has always been victorious. England itself is considered to be the father of cricket where kings and princes have played the sport in the early 1600s. The colonization brought the English culture to its colonies, and Australia is just one of them.

The first cricket Test Match between England and Australia was played in 1877 but it was not the first Ashes tournament. The Ashes started 5 years later (1882) in The Oval in London.

The first innings were not good for Australians. Although, they bounced back early in the second innings, England was just too strong for them to beat; they have been demoralized midway through the second innings. And just like a battle where heroes are born during turmoil, Australian Spofforth didn’t want to give in to England saying, “This thing can be done.” Those words were the flint stone that ignited Australian players beating the English to the surprise of all audiences and spectators.

There was no formal declaration that the name “Ashes” will be used to describe a tournament exclusive for England and Australia. However, it was used after Reginald “Bloobs” Brooks wrote a mock obituary that appeared in The Sporting Times, the weekly British Newspaper devoted to sports or horse racing. The obituary read: “In Affectionate Remembrance of ENGLISH CRICKET,which died at the Oval on29th AUGUST 1882. Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances. N.B.—The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.”

It was Ivo Francis Walter Bligh who used and first promised to bring back “the ashes” to England during a tour in 1883-1883 wherein he was the captain. He spoke of the ashes several times which made it to become popular locally. The Australian Media also used the term and the fame that goes with it.

The Venues

The Ashes series is hosted alternately by United Kingdom and Australia. Within each country, a Test match which is usually composed of five tests or games, will be held in five different cricket grounds. Here are some of the venues where the Ashes series are held;

Cricket Grounds in England

The Brit Oval – commonly referred to as “The Oval”, located in Kennington in London. It is the first in the United Kingdom to host Test Cricket match and the Ashes cricket series.

Old Trafford – founded in 1864 and situated on Talbot Road, Old Trafford. Since 1884, many test matches have been played in this ground.

Lord’s – its foundations were laid out in St. John’s Wood, London on 1814. It was named after its founder, Thomas Lord who has been responsible in building several cricket grounds in the United Kingdom.

Trent Bridge – named after the main bridge over the River Trent. It is one of the easy options to hold test matches. The first ever test match held on this ground was in 1899 between England and Australia.

Headingley Stadium – both cricket and rugby are played in this stadium. It stood since 1890 and hosted many cricket test matches and rugby games.

There are many other cricket grounds in the UK that hold test matches or Ashes series but the five mentioned here are the most common and usually on the top priority of the grounds where ashes test matches are played.

Cricket Grounds in Australia

Brisbane Cricket Ground – also commonly known as “The Gabba” since it is located in Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland. The first test cricket played on this ground was in 1931 between Australia and South Africa. Although, it is usually criticized for its notorious basic amenities and rules, still it is one of the grounds which is on the top of the list for Ashes series.

Adelaide Oval – it is known to be the most picturesque Test cricket grounds in Australia. Its history can be dated back to 1870s. It is comfortably situated in Adelaide, South Australia and adorned with beautiful tree lines.

The WACA – basically, it is a sports stadium located in Perth, Western Australia. The name is actually the initials of its owners, Western Australian Cricket Association. The first test match was played here on 1970.

Melbourne Cricket Ground – it is the largest Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and founded in 1838. The first ever cricket match was played in 1854 while the first test match was on 1877. MCG can hold up to 100,000 spectators.

Sydney Cricket Ground – located in Australia’s capital, Sydney, this ground is often the most-played cricket ground in Australia. SCG is not just a cricket ground; it is a sports stadium and is home to Australian rugby, football and cricket teams. The first Test cricket was played on 1882, and since then, it held many international cricket matches.

The Key Players

Cricket is a sport of skill, thus, without the players this sport could have attained high recognitions. The matches and the players are what make this sport what it is now. Here are some of the current Ashes Series key players;

Australian National Cricket Team Key Players

Ricky Ponting – he is the current captain of the Australian Cricket team and also known as the “Punter.” He is also regarded as Australia’s best cricketer in the modern era.

Michael Clarke – the current vice captain of the Australian Cricket team and captain of Australian Twenty20 national team. Regarded by many as “Pup”, he is a right-handed batsman and highly-regarded fielder.

Doug Bollinger – a professional cricketer who plays first-class cricket for New South Wales Blues. He is one of the squad members of international cricket team playing for Australia.

Michael Hussey – he is widely known as ‘Mr. Cricket’. Although a latecomer to both One Day International and Test matches, he is still one of Australia’s most valuable cricketers in the modern era.

Shane Watson – he debuted in Test cricket in January 2005 against Pakistan. He is a right-handed batsman and fast medium bowler. He always acts as opening batsman in Test internationals but he seldom does so in domestic matches.

England National Cricket Team Key Players

• Andrew Strauss – a professional cricketer playing for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is currently the captain of England’s national team.
• Alastair Cook – he serves as the opening batsman, plays for the Essex and currently the vice captain of England.
• James Anderson – he plays first-class cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club. This right-arm pace bowler has represented England in over 100 One Day Internationals and 50 Test Matches.
• Ian Bell – plays for the Warwickshire County Cricket Club in first-class cricket. He is described by The Times as an “exquisite rapier” because of his sharp reflexes and in close catching.
• Graeme Swann – this right-arm off-spinner is a native of Northamptonshire. In March 2010, he became the first English off-spinner (since Jim Laker) taking 10 wickets in a match.

The Ashes is being currently ongoing with England on the lead. The first Test was played in The Gabba in Brisbane from November 25-29 in which it was drawn. The second test happened on December 3-7 in Adelaide Oval, England won by an innings and 71 runs. Three tests to go and The Ashes will end.

The question is who will take The Ashes home?

You can keep track of the Ashes Series through BigPond’s cricket live scores.

British Sport: A Introduction to The Ashes – Ultimate Battle Between Australia and England is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Oprah Winfrey’s trip to Australia will reportedly be funded by the country’s government.

The talk show host – who announced to her studio audience on Monday (13.09.10) that she planned to mark her final season on the programme by flying them Down Under – has sparked fury after it emerged the Australian tourist board are planning to splash out more than $2.3 million to pay for 300 guests to enjoy an eight-day all-expenses-paid trip.

One angry message board user protested: “Australian tax payers will be helping to pay for it. You got to love how this government wastes our money.”

Another blasted: “Can’t you see? We’re a gimmick to the USA, and the only city they really know of is Sydney, so makes sense. They’ll probably be asking why they can’t see the kangaroos in the streets.”

However, Australia’s Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson called the deal “a major coup”, claiming he had received federal and state funding to convince Oprah to go to Australia.

It is believed the country’s government is donating around $1 million “mostly in accommodation costs” for the trip, which will culminate in a finale shot at the Sydney Opera House – which will be renamed the Sydney Oprah House for the occasion.

Hollywood star John Travolta – who is a qualified pilot – has promised to fly the plane taking the guests on ‘Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure’.

Still the trip of a lifetime! Though it’s not rainy England – I would LOVE to go to Australia one day (as well as New Zealand).

Oprah Not Footing bill for Australia Trip – Australian Government Is is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Prince William’s journey to woo the people of the lands down under is now over and it’s time for the pundits to weigh in on whether or not it was a success and just when New Zealand and Australia will finally ditch the monarchy.

Fromt the Guardian:

In the end the lure of celebrity proved just too much. The arrival of the diffident 27-year-old Old Etonian, who might conceivably one day become their monarch, provoked sneers in Australia before he touched down on Tuesday. But by last night he had been transformed from Willy the Wombat into – acccording to the tabloid Herald Sun – a Dinkum Aussie Larrikin. You could go a long way through the Outback to find someone less like a larrikin (which usually translates as a bit of a hoodlum), but that’s what the presence of royalty can do for you.

Many thousands turned out to see the prince here in Australia and in New Zealand earlier in the week. Outside the new supreme court building in Wellington, which William had been sent to open on behalf of his grandmother, people greeted him with cheers and worried about the effect of the sun on his bald spot. Maoris beamed with pleasure that the grandson of the Great White Heron had come amongst them.

In Sydney, Aborigines who spend their lives crammed into a dismal slum area called the Block came out in their thousands to welcome a young man as different from them as it is possible to imagine. William’s gay fanbase turned out in “I Love Willy” T-shirts.

Read the rest here. It’s worth a read and the included video is hilarious!

Good Summary of the Success of Prince William’s Odyssey Down Under is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Continuing our coverage of Prince William’s visit down under, here are the latest pictures.

You can mouseover the pictures for a caption.

Pictures of Prince William in Australia During His Unofficial State Visit Day 3 is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Continuing our coverage of Prince William Down Under here are some more pictures of the Prince enjoying everything Australia has to offer.

You can mouseover the images for captions.

Pictures of Prince William’s Unofficial Visit in Australia Day 2 is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Prince William is done with his whirlwind visit to New Zealand and now it’s off to Australia for his ‘unofficial visit.’ Here’s pictures from his last day in New Zealand and his first day in Australia.

Pictures from Prince William’s Final day in New Zealand

Pictures From Prince William’s First Day in Australia

Prince William Pictures Official State Visit to New Zealand and Then Onto Australia is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The latest Anglophile related contest to hit the news wires is a contest for a free trip to Australia to go to the 2011 Australian Open.

The prize includes:

• Trip for two to Australia.

• Return airfare from the United States provided by Qantas
• Melbourne with tickets to the 2011 Australian Open
• Australia’s spectacular Great Barrier Reef
• The remote outback of Australia’s desert interior

To enter, go to the Tennis Channel’s website here: Tennis Channel Australian Open Contest.

Good Luck and Happy Travels!

Anglophile Alerts: Win a Trip to Australia for the 2011 Australian Open is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Australia was in the news this past week for getting hit by some freak dust storms. The dust storms whipped up red sands from Australia’s interior and blew it to the coasts, creating an alien Mars like atmosphere in big cities like Sydney. Here are some pretty incredible images of the event.

Editor’s Note – I’m trying out a new image hosting service that may allow us to post more images with posts. Let me know what you think.

Australia Turns Into Mars – Sort Of is a post from: Anglotopia.net

I came across this company a few days ago and think it’s simply brilliant. An enterprising company called Oz Bus has started running a bus journey from London to Australia.

Before you ask, “How?” First, you need to know that the trip takes 13 weeks. The journey begins in London and takes you all the way to Sydney, Australia overland. The journey takes you through the following countries:

• England
• France
• Belgium
• Germany
• Czech Republic
• Austria
• Hungary
• Romania
• Bulgaria
• Turkey
• Iran
• Pakistan
• India
• Nepal
• Myanmar
• Thailand
• Malaysia
• Indonesia
• East Timor
• Australia

What an amazing journey this would be! You’d get to see a large chunk of the world in a short period of time. This trip is not for the faint of heart, it does take 13 weeks, it’s expensive and you’ll spend a lot of time camping. Overall the journey costs £3,850 or approximately $5,800.

They have the following dates for 2009:

• 24th May 2009 to 23rd August 2009
• 23rd August 2009 to 22nd November 2009
• 6th September 2009 6th to December 2009

They are also planning another journey that takes you from London to New York, going East, much like they did in the TV Show Long Way Round.

If I had the money and the time, I would definitely do this. It would be such an adventure and it would quickly fill up that passport book with exotic stamps.

And for all those wondering, how do they drive across the water to Australia? There are ferries from Indonesia.

Check out the Oz Bus Website here.

Trip of a Lifetime: The Oz Bus from London to Australia is a post from: Anglotopia.net

This site is an really cool archive of old pictures from the UK.

From the site:

This website is an archive of old photos of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, including England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and the Republic of Ireland (which of course is not in the United Kingdom).

This website was launched in July of 2006, with the idea of preserving old pictures in perpetuity, and displaying as many old photographs as we can of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

This is a free to view website, that doesn’t sell images, purely displays them for your pleasure. It will never be complete, and is already (2009) one of the most useful of resources available on the internet, enjoying literally millions of hits a year.

Check out Old UK Photos here.

Strange Things I learned in Australia

Interesting list from the Matador travel network of the strange and interesting things the author learned about Australia.

From the Article:

They aren’t called operating hours but trading hours.

And, for some reason, businesses stop “Trading” around 6 pm. I know Aussies love to be slackers but why close a store at 6? What about the after work people? This is true for not only small towns but also big cities like Sydney. I tried going shopping at 7 to find everything closed!

Check out the rest of Strange Things I learned in Australia here.

Gorgeous Pictures of Australia

This is a really cool travel guide website to Australia that also features some fantastic pictures. The best part is that if you select the sideshow function, you can get beautiful wallpaper sized images. Definately worth a visit if you’re looking for a new desktop wallpaper.

Check out Pictures of Australia here.

Persephone Books

This suggestions comes via a regular Anglotopia reader, Else. I’ll let her explain them:

They specialize in British (and some U.S.) women writers and books for women (not sappy romances, by the way, but good drama, etc.). Many are historical. I think they are worthy of being included as a link. It’s been a wonderful source of Britishness for me. Check them out!

Thanks Else!

Check out Persephone Books here.

Tudor Primary Sources

This is a fantastic resource, especially if you’re doing research for a paper or novel. It’s a database of primary sources from Tudor England such as letters, journals and poems.

From the site:

Primary sources are important historical documents which allow readers an unparalleled glimpse into the past. They are written from the perspective of a participant or observer and can include letters, speeches, diary / journal entries, and manuscripts.

Check out Tudor Primary Sources here.

Anglophile Links: Link Friday Weekly Roundup is a post from: Anglotopia.net

This will be a quick Anglophile Alert but I thought it was worth sharing. Airlines are desperate for passengers these days and Qantas, the Australian Flag carrier, is locked in a price war with the new Virgin Trans-pacific competitor – V.

So, in this instance the consumer wins as Tickets to Australia are the lowest they’ve been in years. Departures from most major US hubs are now less than $1000 person, round trip. Not only that, but most Qantas flights from the US use the awesome new Airbus A-380.

Here’s a sampling from the e-mail Qantas sent me:

Can’t Miss Airfares from $299* each way!

We’re proud to announce the release of our “travel stimulus” offers! For a limited time, you can save up to 60%** off flights from Los Angeles or San Francisco and up to 55%** off flights from New York (JFK). So if you need to get away, and Australia or New Zealand have been calling you, it’s time to answer… but don’t wait too long, this sale ends at midnight Pacific Time (PT) on Friday, 20 March 2009.

Don’t wait, book today!
Australia & New Zealand Travel Stimulus Offers

Travel is valid for departures between 15 March 2009 and 24 October 2009 unless otherwise noted. Fares listed are each way based on roundtrip purchase.

Chicago to Each way from*

Australia
Sydney $439

Brisbane $439

Melbourne $439

New Zealand
Auckland $439

So, if you’re planning a trip to Australia or New Zealand, now is the time to go. The e-mail says that you need to book by Friday, March 20th, but honestly, with the downturn in the economy continuing, I expect airfares to be this low for a while.

Happy Travels!

Anglophile Alert: Australia on Sale is a post from: Anglotopia.net

From the cool blog, Little Aussie Cynic, comes a series of pictures of interesting Australian Road signs.

It’s also a really cool blog. Definitely worth subscribing to.

Check them Interesting Aussie Road Signs here.

Interesting Australian Road Signs is a post from: Anglotopia.net