[source](Rodney Marsh and Doug Walters)
The Ashes are coming up again this year and this is the rivalry between Australia and England playing cricket. It is contested over 5 test matches which last for a maximum of 5 days each. It started when Australia beat England for the first time in 1882 . In 1883 England won the test series and were presented with an urn containing what is presumed to be the bails that was cremated. This represented the death of Australian cricket. This urn today is known as the Ashes and what they fight for every 4 years. The trophy is very small but it has much more meaning than just a trophy.
source
There are many records associated with this event including a really bizarre one that you would never imagine. The teams flew from Australia to England or England to Australia depending who was hosting the series. The team flying had 16 hours to kill in the air and they set about beating the records set by previous teams. The challenge was to consume as many beers as possible before they landed.
In 1973 Rodney Marsh and Doug Walters drank 44 cans of beer and even though attempts were made on the next trips no one came close. When the Quantas flight took off in 1989 from Sydney to Singapore and then onto London no one had any idea what was in store. They landed in Singapore and Boon's count was already at 22 cans. No pressure as he was half way into this mammoth challenge.
By the time they landed at Heathrow airport the whole plane knew as the captain of the flight had announced what David Boon's score was as it stood at 45 then. When they landed he had drank his way into the record books with 52 cans of beer and folklore history. The funny thing is they landed and went straight into a press conference and that was followed by a cocktail party sponsored by Castlemaine Breweries also known as XXXX where he had another 3 beers. Not surprisingly he passed out at the hotel and was asleep for 36 hours missing one training event with the team.
The record still stands today and will be harder to beat not only with quicker planes but by the way they train today. Most players don't drink too much and have a curfew when they go out. The mindset is totally different from 30 years ago. Does it mean the cricketers today are better than what we have seen in the past. I would say no as they had natural skills and a love for the game and maybe more than what the players have today. Players today are way fitter and more health conscious than the boozy ,smoky bunch that played many years ago.
The one upside form David Boon's record is he became an ambassador for VB Breweries and is still known for this feat to this day 30 years later.
