COLNE professional Marcus North looks forward to the Ashes series and the joys of small-town living

It's always good to see the Aussies do well and the Triangular Series win over Pakistan was no exception.

It was just disappointing to see the crowds reacting the way they did, going onto the wicket.

As a professional it is intimidating when there is a big crowd running onto the field and you can understand the reactions of the players when they walked off.

And now it's the Ashes.

It is going to be a good test for the England side because their Test match form has been good.

Forget their record in the one-dayers, their form in Test series over the last two years has been good, especially on the sub-continent against Pakistan and India.

I don't think the Aussies will be too worried though. They won't be thinking they will just go out there and win all five Tests, but I don't think they'll be too worried.

We haven't lost an Ashes series for a long time but one day we will. These things go round. The West Indies were very strong in the 80s and now it is our turn.

Hopefully it will be a little while longer before we relinquish that honour.

I have been in Colne for a couple of months now and my beautiful girlfriend Joanne and I are settling in well.

It is rather a culture shock though because we have lived in Newcastle for the past two years.

I was lucky when I first arrived here from Australia when I was 18 because I met her almost straight away.

But it is strange for both of us now because we are in a new town and it is a lot different to living in a city.

We have had to get used to everyone knowing everyone else and knowing that if you tell something to one person everybody else will soon know about it!

It was disappointing to get knocked out of the Worsley Cup, especially at the semi-final stage, on Sunday but it was amazing to see so many people come out to watch us.

For 1,200 people, out of a relatively small number, to want to come and watch local league cricket was brilliant.