Barmy Army eyes Ashes ticket swoop

Sneaky England supporters plan to raid Cricket Australia's family-orientated Ashes ticket system when seats go on sale on Thursday morning. Organisers of the Barmy Army expect to have 15,000 people supporting Andrew Flintoff and Co on the first day of the SCG Test, according to Sydney's Daily Telegraph.

"We are a bit more street-wise than the average Aussie fan," the Barmy Army's Craig Gills told the paper. "We have done this before on many campaigns, in Europe and World Cups etc. Whether by hook or by crook, we will get the tickets."

Cricket Australia expects a small amount of "leakage" to overseas buyers, but their Australia Cricket Family registration method was designed so parents and their children could get seats. More than 128,000 people signed on for the project and they must provide an Australian address as proof of their residency.

The Daily Telegraph reported tens of thousands of England supporters had joined the family and others were expected to on-sell the tickets to the Barmy Army. Seats go on general release from June 19, with Cricket Australia-registered buyers given a two-week headstart from 9am eastern standard time on Thursday.

In the Sydney Morning Herald the paper revealed that England fans complaining about the lack of access to Australia grounds for next summer were getting a better deal than their counterparts in 2005. The paper said Lord's made 3.5% of its seats available to Australians while Old Trafford was 2%, Edgbaston 3% and The Oval 0%. The SCG and MCG are expected to have at least 10% of tickets going to England supporters.

"People need to know they've got to get in early," Peter Young, a Cricket Australia spokesman, said in the Sydney Morning Herald. "If Sydney people wait until Thursday afternoon there is a significant risk of disappointment. There's a strong sense that days one, two and three are going to sell very quickly."