“Barmy Army, Best Fans In The World” Says Ponting
On the eve of The Ashes Series between Australia and England at a recent press conference, Australian Cricket Captain Ricky Ponting said that English Cricket fans ‘The Barmy Army’ were simply “the best sporting fans in the world”. Ponting went on to say that “They just stand there having fun pretty much regardless of what’s going on out on the field”.
When asked if there was a danger that the ‘Barmies’ might get under his skin, Ponting replied with a broad smile “Probably” to considerable laughter from the attending press.
The ‘Barmies’ have already got under the skin of the Australian authorities. Professional Trumpet player Bill Cooper was evicted from the Gabba ground and banned after attempting to entertain the crowd with a few tunes from his repertoire.
Barmy Army organiser Paul Burnham described the ejection as “surreal”. “We just want to come over and have a good time… not to be treated like school children,” said Burnham.
