England in Australia: The Ashes 2006/7

Riding on the tidal wave of hope gleaned from that famous summer of 2005, we were looking forward to this series with anticipation and expectation. We'd lost Vaughany, but Freddie would surely lead his troops to glory...

We had one group heading to Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, and a second coming straight into Melbourne in time for Christmas.

Unfortunately, in front of the television on a cold November evening our hopes would start to fade before we even set off! After that Harmy delivery in Brisbane landed in Fred's hands at second slip, the tone was set. Defeat in Brisbane. A Colly double-ton in Adelaide helped set up a winning position in the 2nd Test. I woke up to the radio hearing that Ponting was setting up an incredible and unlikely Ozzie victory.

So as we jetted off to Perth the situation was precarious. Five days later, the Ashes were gone! Monty had at least been called up and taken wickets, but Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist in particular had been in imperious form to batter England and steal the urn. But Paragon weren't getting down about the cricket - we were, after all, in the beautiful city of Perth, making the most of it with superb city tours, wine tasting and some quality time at the Moon & Sixpence.

On to Melbourne and the new arrivals - who'd come to Oz to watch 2 dead rubbers! Fortunately the group's excitement outweighed the disappointment, and Christmas Lunch at the MCG only fed the anticipation for the following day. An incredible sight, the near-full MCG for the 100th Test match at the venue. Tuffers gave us a superb evening of stories before Warney took his 700th wicket and England crumbled in three days. But a stunning venue and a superb week in Melbourne.

To Sydney. Breathtaking, incredible Sydney. Everyone's seen the pictures, but being there in the harbour is just jaw-dropping. We arrived on New Year's Eve and enjoyed an unbelievable party at the Museum of Contemporary Art, right on the Quayside with a terrace giving spectacular views of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, City Skyline and magical fireworks. Two days off in Sydney enjoying the Ice Bar, Jet Boat rides in the Harbour and another Q&A with Tuffers and Derek Pringle, then the cricket was back on. The beautiful Sydney Cricket Ground hosted, the English were battered again, and a 5-0 whitewash was complete. But a superb atmosphere saw the barmy army sing goodbye to all the players (even the Aussie openers), the umpires, and the Australian fans ("Convicts, give us a wave...")

The cricket was poor but the tour superb. Here's what the guests had to say:

Thank you for sorting out such a well-organised tour. We had a great time, despite the cold in Melbourne and the actual cricket!
Lee Purnell

Thank you so much for the Melbourne / Sydney Trip. We had a great time as you promised we would, and despite the cricket it was a 10 out of 10! The special events - Christmas at the MCG, New Year in Sydney, talks with Derek Pringle and your own Phil Tufnell - were absolutely superb. The seats at the cricket were brilliant and it all turned out as it said it would on the tin!
Paul Bridge

From the moment we checked in at Heathrow to landing back I have to say that we thought the whole thing was fantastic. Organisation excellent, tickets superb, Christmas Day lunch excellent, Melbourne do with Phil Tufnell brilliant, the MCA in Sydney for New Year a night to remember. The tour was superb value for money and I'd definitely travel with Paragon again.
Steve Broadbent

Thank you on behalf of Andy and myself for the most enjoyable time we
had in australia. The evenings with Phil Tufnell were very good and it was a pleasure to meet someone of his fame. Christmas lunch and New Years Eve were excellent and the venues for both functions couldn't have been better.
John Wykes