LONDON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - England's Ashes hopes already look destined for the scrap heap but at least their travelling fans, the Barmy Army, are winning praise for keeping the Adelaide Oval clean.
England's Barmy Army Commended for Litter-Picking Efforts
LONDON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - England's Ashes hopes already look destined for the scrap heap but at least their travelling fans, the Barmy Army, are winning praise for keeping the Adelaide Oval clean.
After reports of litter being strewn across the ground's grassy banks following Wednesday's opening day, the Army took matters into their own hands.
Charlie Smith, one of the thousands of England fans cheering on Ben Stokes's struggling team, stopped off on the way to the ground to buy bin bags and gather up the garbage.
"After seeing the mess on day one I felt slightly embarrassed," Smith told the BBC. "I thought we should do better. There were loads of us. The thinking was there were hundreds of us and it would take us 20 minutes or would take an hour or two for the other cleaners."
It was a gesture similar to that of Japan's soccer fans who routinely clear their area of litter after games and it earned praise from South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas.
"Class act by the Barmy Army. This just adds to the great atmosphere they bring to the Ashes and they are always welcome back to SA," Malinauskas said on X.
Smith said 30 bags were collected and the process was repeated after day two.
"When I started handing out the bin bags the lads were straight on it," he told the BBC. "Even more people helped (the second day), it was quite emotional."
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken Ferris)
