Ashes 2009 - ASHES SONGS AND POETRY

 "An industrious farmer of crops, sheep and beef,

Took an excursion with Kerry O'Keeffe,

To Headingley Oval with chins on the ground,

But just 3 days later it was beers all around..."

 - AST Tour Members and Leaders recount their experiences in a lighthearted and sometimes sombre manner through poetry and song.

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Ashes 2009 - TOUR 5 REVIEW

"With so many famous and celebrated sites such as the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral and Louvre Museum – home of the Mona Lisa, there was much to look forward to. During our time in France, the group headed up to the Somme Battlefields, including the Australian Memorial at Villers Bretonneaux. It sent tingles up the spine knowing what these gallant Australians went thru during the height of the First World War"

- AST Tour Leader Stu Simmons recounts his 23 day experiences in the UK as his tour group witnessed the fifth Test Matches of the 2009 Ashes Series and the T20's and 2 ODI's...

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Ashes 2009 - TOUR 4 REVIEW

"After a day of sightseeing in Istanbul it was enroute to Gallipoli. It was a special day entering ANZAC Cove, viewing the memorials at Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair, and seeing the original Turkish and Allied tunnels and trenches. It was certainly a moving and emotional experience to see first hand what our soldiers had to endure in this incredibly rugged terrain and to try and picture the bloody battles gave you a sense of the ultimate sacrifice they gave for our country. While tourist Vera Rothwell read out a loud her Anzac poem it certainly sent shivers up my spine as we stood at Anzac Cove"

- AST Tour Leader Mark Allen recounts his 23 day experiences in the UK as his tour group witnessed the fourth and fifth Test Matches of the 2009 Ashes Series...

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Ashes 2009 - TOUR 3 REVIEW

"With a high percentage of the group growing up in the rock ‘n’ roll era of the Beatles, we stopped in at Matthew’s Street, The Cavern Club and took a drive down Penny Lane and past Strawberry Fields. Many chose to also go on the Magical Mystery Tour which gives a fascinating insight into the lives and cultural surrounds that helped immortalize the Fab Four as the world’s greatest band, while others stuck with the musical theme and took a “ferry across the Mersey”.

- AST Tour Coordinator Damon Minotti recounts his 18 day experiences in the UK as his tour group witnessed the third and fourth Test Matches of the 2009 Ashes Series...

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Ashes 2009 - TOUR 2B REVIEW

"Whilst the cricketers were preparing for the crucial third test, our 126 strong tour boarded an international flight to the ‘City of Love’. Paris was a city where you could not afford to leave your camera at the hotel with photo opportunities around every corner. These included the Musee du Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe and Sacre Coeur with most braving the long lines and daunting heights to climb the Eifle Tower"

- AST Tour Leader Chris Banwell recounts his 24 day experiences in the UK as his tour group witnessed the second and third Test Matches of the 2009 Ashes Series...

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Ashes 2009 - TOUR 2A REVIEW

"This tour was one of the highlights witnessing such cricket icons as the Ashes Urn, the famous Long Room and the hallowed sloped turf that is Lords. After a day of sightseeing around London town where we took in sights such as Buckingham Palace, The Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey and a lot more, it was time to bring on the cricket!"

- AST Tour Leader Daniel Jordan recounts his 24 day experiences in the UK as his tour group witnessed the second and third Test Matches of the 2009 Ashes Series...

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Ashes 2009 - TOUR 1 REVIEW

"After arriving into London at 6am on 7th July 2009, the first Australian Sports Tours Ashes Group made their way down the M4 Motorway bound for Test Match venue number 1 – Cardiff. We arrived at our base for the next 6 nights, the Futures Inn in Cardiff Bay and the first evening was spent meeting new tour members over a couple of pints and distributing the all important tickets to the first test to be staged at Sophia Gardens."

 - AST Tour Leader Allison Nugent recounts her two week experiences in the UK as her tour group witnessed the first two Test Matches of the 2009 Ashes Series...

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 Ashes 2009 - POSTCARD FROM IRELAND

"Following the tour path to Killarney, the gateway to the dramatic scenery of The Ring of Kerry, I attempted to touch up my social skills with a quick lip smack on the fabled Blarney stone, marveled at Bronze aged stone circles and was hypnotized by the wild, craggy cliffs of the mountains, blanketed in a thick covering of snow and skiable for the first time in living memory."

- AST's Tour Manager Damon Minotti relays his experiences in the UK as he goes about inspecting our hotels and finalising all arrangements ahead of our 2009 Ashes Tour...

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 Ashes 2009 - POSTCARD FROM EUROPE

"In Paris, whether it was looking out my hotel window at the Eiffel Tower, or strolling 10 minutes down to the Champs Elysees to visit the traffic chaos of Arc de Triomphe or the indulgent artistic pleasures of the Louvre, there is literally something for everyone."

- AST's Tour Manager Damon Minotti relays his experiences in the UK as he goes about inspecting our hotels and finalising all arrangements ahead of our 2009 Ashes Tour...

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Ashes 2009 - POSTCARD FROM ENGLAND

"Cardiff, with the smallest capacity of the grounds used, will be an intimate affair with all of our seating in the ground within metres of the boundary line in the small stands. It will be an historic first ever Test Match at Sophia Gardens and a unique way to start an Ashes campaign - I for one cannot wait!"

- AST's Tour Manager Damon Minotti relays his experiences in the UK as he goes about inspecting our hotels and finalising all arrangements ahead of our 2009 Ashes Tour...

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Ashes 2009 - POSTCARD FROM TURKEY

"To stand there amongst the trenches, between the graves and under the lone pine and try and imagine the hell, the trauma, the courage, the mate ship and the spirit that was and has endured from this place in the last century is a moving experience that is genuinely impossible to put into words."

- AST's Tour Manager Damon Minotti relays his experiences in the UK as he goes about inspecting our hotels and finalising all arrangements ahead of our 2009 Ashes Tour...

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