David was sponsored by Arts Council England, East Midlands, to mingle with fans from both sides while writing a poem on each day’s play in the five-Test series.

He said: “As an England cricket supporter, the results on the field were disappointing, but as a poet it was an honour to have the opportunity to capture the many moments of success and failure, and to relate them to the world beyond the boundary.

“I have been really impressed by the interest that has been shown in my poetry on both sides of the globe and that it’s something which is worth doing regardless of the cricket results.

“Aware of the cultural differences between the Australian and English fans, I believe the act of writing the poetry helped bring the two nations closer together.

“Everybody was tremendously helpful and from a personal point of view it was a real opportunity to get an insight into another country.”

All David’s ‘dispatches from the Ashes’ can be viewed on his ‘Ashes Poetry’ website at www.ashespoetry.net. He is also in discussions with English and Australian publishers to produce a book of his work.

David is pictured with Samit Patel and Jacek Laskowski, Literature Officer for Arts Council England, East Midlands.