Paul Johnson - 766 and All That. Over by Triumphant Over – How England Won the Ashes

Its late Boxing Day night. Freezing cold, an angry, icy wind and snow on the ground. The roads are empty. The Guardians London offices are deserted. Well, almost deserted. In one corner of the second floor two computer screens are alight and a couple of hunched, unshaven, bedraggled figures pore over the incoming messages. The debris of the night is all around them: beer bottles, coffee cups, discarded, half-eaten sandwiches, polystyrene-flavoured savoury snacks, bits of cake, piles of newspapers and notes. Every so often the motion-sensitive lights go off, plunging the room into darkness and forcing one of the figures to jerk into life, waving his arms above his head in mock celebration to get them back on again. Ten thousand five hundred miles away in Melbourne one of the most exciting Test matches in memory is under way; England are about to crush Australia in a manner we havent seen in a generation. And yet, for tens of thousands of people, it is those two figures usually Rob Smyth and Andy Bull, gentle, intelligent men far removed from the wild and wanton look of their newspaper picture bylines who provide a window onto this epic, describing the game in their own unique way: vividly, with wit, repartee and more than a nod to the history and minutiae of the game. Welcome to the Over by Over.

Of course, theres another absolutely vital ingredient of the coverage: the audience. Many watch the games live on TV but follow the OBO to enjoy the mischievous entertainment. Thats the difference with the OBO: you can join in. And join in they do. Readers let us know they were in Khartoum, Kazakhstan, Canada and the Cayman Islands. On a beach in Brazil drinking caipirinhas, at a party in Mexico City drinking tequilas, on the beach in Perth, knocking back the VBs. On a riding holiday in Patagonia, on a diving holiday in the Philippines. Climbing a volcano in Ecuador, climbing a volcano in Chile, on an archaeological dig on an island off Kuwait. In a traffic jam in Beijing trying to get a child to the Christmas play, stuck in a car in Tokyo, and caught in a snarl-up in Lagos. There was the fan who emailed from a strip club in Medellin, Colombia, saying he couldnt keep his eyes off the OBO; the diplomat writing budgets for the UN in New York who welcomed the distraction; the anxious England supporter messaging from Riyadh; and the lonely cricket lover living 30 miles from the North Korean border.

Thanks to all of you, and hundreds of others, who joined in to help make those winter nights so much fun via the OBO and Steve Busfields Ashes blog. This is an edited version of those sessions along with a sprinkling of wonderfully written pieces from Australia by the cricket writers of the Guardian and the Observer that capture the drama and joy of the series.

But lets go back to Boxing Day night. Im a junior doctor halfway through my week of nights, and I wondered if you could give a shout out to all my glum patients stuck in hospital on orthopaedic wards 26 and 27, says Dave Hogg. Each time we take a wicket I shout Howzat! and they give a little cheer, albeit somewhat diminished as we get into the early hours. They appreciate my providing top-class entertainment whilst meeting their medical needs, Im sure.

Paul Johnson
Deputy Editor GNM and Head of Sport