Fantasy Ashes: Still time to sign up...

Related tags Cricket England cricket team Test cricket

High hopes followed by a disappointing last minute collapse - something which could describe any number of British sporting activities, but in the...

High hopes followed by a disappointing last minute collapse - something which could describe any number of British sporting activities, but in the case of the second Test in Adelaide leaves the touring English cricket team with a mountain to climb in their epic quest to retain the Ashes.

After four days of England dominance, the final-day drama which saw Australia go 2-0 up in the Test series was particularly frustrating for fans out in Australia, as well as those following the team's progress at home.

In pubs and bars up and down the country, England supporters are gathering to watch the daily highlight packages on TV, and for many of them, the excitement is heightened further by also checking the performance of more than 600 teams entered in the Marston's Fantasy Ashes brought to you by The Publican

One such supporter is Daryl Wheeldon, whose team Warwick Villa has been confirmed as the best performing fantasy side during the first Test. Daryl says: "You need to pick your team in advance of the toss, so on the first day I got lucky because I had Langer and Ponting in my team.

"After each day you can make three changes so you have to think in advance how that day's play will go. So the secret is a bit of knowledge of cricket and a bit of luck!"

As manager of the 'team of the test', Daryl wins signed England merchandise courtesy of Marston's the official beer of the England Cricket Board

It's still not too late to sign up. Teams can be entered at any time throughout the tournament, with great prizes on offer for the best performers during each of the five tests.

The star prize, tickets to the Caribbean to watch England, play will be awarded to the best performing fantasy team across all five tests.

Players can check the progress of their fantasy sides at any time by logging on to the game website, where the full rules, terms and conditions of the Marston's Fantasy Ashes can also be found. Visit the website at http://publican.fantasyashes.com

The prizes

1 x overall prize = 2 x tickets to the Caribbean to watch England play
5 x 'team of the test' prizes = Signed England merchandise
1 x League of Leagues champions prize = 10 tickets to a day at a test match next summer

Australia v England Test Match Schedule