Australian sports fans frequently ridicule their English counterparts about the fact that many of their international sportsmen come from other parts of the Commonwealth.
They regularly forget how they too have adopted sporting heroes, Kepler Wessels (South Africa), Kostya Tszyu (Russia) and Lote Tuqiri (Fiji) to name a few. Of course we should not forget the man to face the first ball in Australian Test cricket, Charles Bannerman whose score of 165 retired hurt, remains 130 years later still the highest score by an Australian on debut, he was born in Kent.
It was therefore strange to see certain Australians trying to claim some reflected glory in England’s impressive Ashes form, by lying claim to some of Captain Andrew Strauss’s success. Strauss was born in South Africa, moved to England at the age of six, and then spent a brief spell – one year – in Australia at Caulfield Grammar School in Melbourne, before returning to England Preparatory school, Caldicott.
In fact debate was raging as to whether he is Caulfield Grammar’s best ever sportsmen!
