England lead Ashes after epic win

Images of the jubilant scenes on the home balcony after Ashley Giles hit the winning runs adorn the front pages of every English newspaper on Monday.

And the mood of celebration continues on the back pages as football once again gives way to the current national obsession with cricket.

While the final result came too late for Australian papers, all the coverage from Down Under predicts a catastrophic defeat for the visitors.

The press lead the calls for change, which will probably cause some wry smiles among England selectors, who are far more used to dealing with such things.

The Mirror
The paper devotes its front-page lead story to cricket with the headline "Wowzat!"

On the back page, it boldly predicts "The Ashes are coming home" and says skipper Michael Vaughan is on the verge of joining World Cup winners Martin Johnson and Bobby Moore as one of the country's sporting "immortals".

Inside, the paper proclaims the series as the "greatest ever" and their chief sports writer Oliver Holt says the Ashes have "lit up this summer like a burning sun".

Columnist Ian Botham warns that Vaughan's side will need to be as good if not better to see off the Aussies in the final Test but the hero of England's 1981 Ashes win tips the hosts to "announce the arrival of a new world order at The Oval".

The Sun
"Ash 'n Grab" is the paper's back-page headline, alongside a picture of a jubilant Ashley Giles.

Their cricket correspondent describes the final day's play as "another journey of unbelievable tension bound for Destination Drama".

The paper reserves special mention for Matthew Hoggard, the "shaggy-haired king of swingers" whose efforts in England's second innings is proclaimed as "the best eight not out in history".

England triumph in women's Ashes

And as cricket-mania sweeps the country, the women's game also gets a mention after England regained the Ashes with a 1-0 series victory.

Daily Mail
Its back page bears a remarkable resemblance to the Sun, the headline "Ash 'n Grab" alongside a picture of Ashley Giles.

Inside, former England captain Nasser Hussain does nothing for Australia's wounded pride by admitting he "feels sorry for" skipper Ricky Ponting.

Australia pair fined

"When everything is going against you in an Ashes battle, I know it can be very difficult to keep a lid on your emotions," says Hussain, referring to Ponting's outburst over England's use of substitutes.

But Hussain believes Ponting's frustration goes much deeper and is ultimately down to the "perception that he has been out-captained by Vaughan".

Daily Express
The paper hails the "Glory Boys", with the strapline "Freddie and the Dreamers are No 1".

But its cricket correspondent describes how England "stumbled ecstacially, almost blindly, over the finishing line".

He attempts to give England's achievements a sense of perspective by warning that the "Ashes are not coming home - not yet, at least".

But columnist Henry Blofeld is in no mood for calm: "As the era of Australian supremacy crumbles agonisingly towards its close, England find they have at long last climbed to the top of the pile."

The Guardian
"England do it the hard way" is the headline, with the paper putting the hosts' win down to the "sheer bloody-minded determination of the King of Spain (Giles) and a floppy-haired son of the soil (Hoggard)".

Happily for the Guardian, Giles is their columnist and the spinner rates the closing stages of the game as "a bit of an arse-nipper".

Giles also recounts how Hoggard arrived at the crease with 13 runs needed and Brett Lee in destructive form and said simply "Come on let's you and me get it done".

"It's reversing at 95mph," Giles replied.

"I thought it was best that he knew," adds England's hero.

Daily Telegraph
The paper sums up the mood of the country as their side staggered to victory with the headline "England shred a nation's nerves".

Geoffrey Boycott, never one to hide his patriotism, excuses England's last-innings struggle by saying "small targets are always difficult in Test cricket".

Error-strewn wicket-keeper Geraint Jones is the only England player to come in for serious criticism in any of Monday's newspapers.

And Guardian writer Martin Johnson warns that the "Ashes can still be lost as long as Jones remains a missed stumping waiting to happen".

The Times
The paper strikes the most negative note of all with the headline: "England need ruthless touch to keep Ashes demons at bay".

Chief sports writer Simon Barnes opines: "Just when Wimbledon was safely over, the England cricket team have set to outdo Tim Henman as a cause of national neurosis.

"One unbearable climax has followed another as England have repeatedly outplayed Australia and have found it hard, if not impossible, to make the killing stroke.

"The finger freezes on the trigger, the hand on the hilt of the knife. England simply cannot believe their own superiority over the old enemy."

Independent
"England triumph after epic finale" is the paper's simple headline.

It describes England's run-chase as spluttering like a "Ferrari running on diesel" and adds: "Cricket's new devotees may have been fooled into thinking the sport is always this compelling."

Sydney Morning Herald
Ex-Somerset captain Peter Roebuck, now the paper's cricket correspondent, leads the calls for change.

"Matthew Hayden looks out of sorts. Alas, the time has come to withdraw him from the firing line. Michael Hussey is the man to take his place. Never mind that he is not in the squad. Are the Ashes to be lost over trifles?"

Brisbane Courier-Mail
"Ricky fined as Poms march on", says the headline.

Ponting's behaviour after he was run out by a substitute fielder on Saturday continues to occupy the Australian newspapers almost as much as their side's defeat.

"Ponting suffered both defeat and indignity when he was found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute after a crushing loss to England," the paper writes.

The Australian
Hayden again dominates the paper's thoughts.

"Harsh assessments need to be made, and players who have not contributed must make way," says the paper.

Aussies unlikely to make changes

"Hayden... is so badly bereft of form and confidence that he has to be replaced at the top of the order and his inability to change his method of batting has cost his team."

Sydney Daily Telegraph
"Australia's 16-year hold of the Ashes appears doomed," states the paper.

"The heroic final innings aside, defeat at Trent Bridge capped a bad four days for Australia."

The Age
The Melbourne newspaper cannot help but take a small dig at Michael Vaughan's England side, while praising Australia's attempt to steal an unlikely victory.

"Australia fell agonisingly short after threatening to pull off one of cricket's most dramatic escapes," it says.

"Instead, England, despite a jittery chase and the last gasp heroics of Brett Lee and Shane Warne, will take a previously unthinkable 2-1 series lead into the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval."