Sweet taste of victory for cricket's Barmy Army

"We haven't lost this year," sang England's Barmy Army at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday as Nasser Hussain's side clawed back at least a modicum of pride by beating Australia in the fifth and final Test of this Ashes series.

The 15,000 England fans at this fabulous cricket ground did not care their team had already lost the first four matches. Because, at last, England were on the verge of a memorable victory that made their global journey worthwhile. When England completed an emphatic 225-run win the relief was evident. From the England players, who knew that if they lost they would have become only the second side in the history of the Ashes to have been beaten 5-0, to the loyal supporters who have endured two months of misery, this was the day they had come for.

The partying began in the stands when the crowd sensed this was at last going to be England's day. This has been a superb Test match, not just because England won but because it has been full of occasion. Over the five days, 181,788 fans attended ­ only once have more people turned up to watch a Test match at the SCG. Steve Waugh, the Australian captain, scored a hundred amid calls for him to be sacked and England won a match in which nobody gave them a hope.

But the abiding memory will be that of the support the England side received. As the match progressed, and the likelihood of an England victory increased, more and more fans seemed to make their way to this suburb of Sydney. In the morning the English contingent among a crowd of more than 20,000 was spread around the ground. But at lunch, with victory in sight, they all made their way to "The Hill".

The way they sang and cheered as England performed their lap of honour, it looked as though you were at Highbury and Arsenal had just won the Premiership. But these supporters do not need police escorts wherever they travel and do not need to be segregated in the ground. They are a band of happy-go-lucky tourists who choose to take their holiday where the England cricket team are playing.

They come to drink, sing, feel the sun on their backs and have some fun at the expense of their hosts but never is there even the slightest threat of violence. For them, and the England cricket team, this was a day to be proud of.