Why England winning the Ashes is a good thing

Last updated : 16 January 2011 By Stuart Gillespie

I'm someone who likes looking for coincidences, signs and omens. And, bizarre as it may seem, the fortunes of the English cricket team seem to be intrinsically linked to our cup runs.

You may be aware that England recently beat Australia to win the Ashes. This was the first time they had won the series in Australia since 1986-87. By coincidence, this is the last time Saints made it to the Scottish Cup final - and we won.

Of course, this is hardly enough proof in itself. However, England went into the recent series as holders, having won the series in 2009. And that season, we went on to make the League Cup final, although let's forget about that.

Before that, the most recent English Ashes series success was in 2005. That season, we won the League Challenge Cup final and also went on to win promotion. Before their 86/87 success, England won the Ashes in 1985 when we did, er, nothing of note.

OK, so it maybe falls apart a bit then, however it is a rather interesting coincidence that our last three runs to cup finals have coincided with England's three most recent Ashes victories.

So, should we start getting ready to head to Hampden in May? Probably not. After all, England don't have to contend with Peterhead in the Ashes...