NY Kookaburras Reclaim Ashes Against NY England Expats

NY Kookaburras have defeated the NY England expats to reclaim the NY Ashes. NY England had held the Ashes since 2022 after defeating the Kookas at the Philadelphia Cricket Club that year. The Kookas had set their eyes on taking back the urn.

On a warm Saturday afternoon in August in New Jersey, the NY Kookaburras and NY England expats contested New York’s version of cricket’s greatest rivalry - the Ashes. Having been held by NY England for the last few years, the Kookaburras were determined to reclaim the urn. Having lost the toss, the Kookas took the field and entrusted Marty Worseley and Tom Colebatch with the new ball. The opening duo wasted no time dismissing each of the English openers for ducks to leave the opposition reeling at 2/2 after two overs. Tight bowling and athletic fielding kept the pressure up to the NY English team, who were denied the ability to form meaningful partnerships on their way to being bowled all out for 78. Wickets were shared around among the bowlers: Worseley 3/27, Kit Bhatt 2/8, Anthony McDougall 2/8, Colebatch 1/5, and Dan Cole 1/3.

In response, the Kookas top order struggled to form meaningful partnerships as tidy bowling from the English saw wickets fall in relatively short intervals. The game remained relatively in the balance as the Kookas fell to 5/56, still needing a further 23 runs from the Kookas’ lower order. Dan Cole compiled a hard-fought innings of 38* to serve as the foundation of the Kookas’ innings and help guide the club to victory without loss of a further wicket, managing to pass the English total five wickets down. The Kookaburras and English combined after the match to enjoy a BBQ and beverages while retelling stories of NY Ashes battles from over the years. The Kookas will look to retain the Ashes in 2025, but for now will take pride in the urn sitting firmly in the Kookas trophy cabinet, where hopefully it will remain for years to come.