Man of letters and friend to all Phil Johnson talks AOC through a very English event.

Elstow Cricket Club in Bedfordshire are hoping to enjoy their own piece of Ashes glory this summer by hosting a team of Australians in a two-day ‘Test’ match, with the aim of raising money for Cancer Research UK.

Having been denied their yearly pilgrimage to Edgbaston for a day at the Test, the Elstow faithful launched a crusade to stage their own international match. Spawned from the squiffy thoughts of an outlandish human being [no, we don’t know what he means here either], ‘The Elstow Ashes’ idea manifested itself within the minds of the hardy and the quest has began to prepare the biggest Test match Bedfordshire has ever seen.

With months of preparation already undertaken, the event has snowballed and the club is confident of a sizeable turnout over the weekend of July 25-26.

Elstow recently appeared on Sky Sports’ Cricket AM programme to promote the event. The Sky team were so enthused by the club’s wholehearted passion that they have agreed to bare witness to the event.

Alongside the coveted match, food and drink will be flowing throughout the weekend, whilst live entertainment will be provided on the Saturday night. Other yet-to-be-confirmed events will be organized for across the two days.

Wanted: Australians. No, we don't mean it like that. Grow up

As it stands, there are still some spaces in the Australian team, and supporters and sponsors are needed to help raise money for a great charity and make the weekend an unforgettable occasion.

For more information, please visit www.elstowcc.co.uk