Another season gone, but for me the feelings at the end of it are very different from those previously.

Sometimes I would look forward to the end of the season as my aching muscles and tired mind were crying out for a rest.

This year I'm rather disappointed it's all over. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first full year as a journalist and it is as if I just don't want it to end. Mind you, there is plenty of rugby to cover, and that too fills me with enthusiasm.

Having said all that, with the ICC Champions Trophy this has been one of the latest finishes to an English season in living memory.

It would be wrong to say that that has been a success though. England v Australia in the semi- final and a crowd nowhere near approaching a full house. I ask you. That cannot be right. Poorly planned and poorly marketed.

But that was some performance by England to thump the Aussies. How sweet was it to see our antipodean friends on the receiving end for once?

We should not gloat too much because it was only a one-day game and a complete one-off, but with all the talk already of next year's Ashes series, it was an important psychological blow for England.

And were there not signs that some of the Australians are maybe past their peak? Was Glenn McGrath lacking that nip which made him so formidable? Silly to get carried away, I know, but McGrath has been making some outrageously arrogant comments about the Ashes so it was good to hear those who were there at Edgbaston getting stuck into him.

I'm not sure they should have been singing "Ashes coming to home" mind.

It would be fitting if England could win Saturday's final to cap off an extraordinary summer and to prove that they are making strides in the one-day game as well as the Test format.

And to think that Glamorgan's Alex Wharf could be walking away with a Champions Trophy medal. What price on that earlier in the season? He must be wondering if it is all a dream, so quickly have things happened for him.

He did not play much of a part on Tuesday - skipper Michael Vaughan quickly realising the slower bowlers were a better option on that pitch and exposing the folly of the Australians' selection of an extra quick bowler - but I would be surprised if England chose to change a winning combination at the Oval.

For Glamorgan there was an anti-climactic end to their campaign - apart, of course, from their now annual collection of the MCC Spirit of Cricket award - as they were frustrated by Matthew Hoggard of all people on the final day against Yorkshire at Headingley.

Hoggard's career best was testament to some good work by Duncan Fletcher, who has long insisted that all his players work hard at their batting, however low they might come in the order. Hoggard is a shining example of what can be achieved through sheer hard work. Many hours in the nets have been rewarded.

However, why were Yorkshire not interested in making a game of it? I was at Old Trafford where something similar happened between Lancashire and Gloucestershire. With all other issues settled, why was there no intention to provide some entertainment?

Counties should not forget that they are there to provide entertainment- that is part of their business plan. So it was disappointing neither of those two games provided any sort of excitement.

In general, however, I think it has been a good year for county cricket, as illustrated by the ease with which those elevated to the international side - Andrew Strauss, Robert Key, Ian Bell, Vikram Solanki and Wharf - have adapted to the more rarefied surroundings.

That proves that the county game can be a fertile breeding ground for international players, contrary to what a lot of ill-informed so-called experts might say. It has its faults, but I get irritated by the criticism of people who see little of it. It is an easy target too often.

Even I, a staunch county cricket advocate, am irked by a number of issues but before I start ranting about EU players and the like, it is time to end.

Before I do I must congratulate Robert Croft and his team on an excellent season, one of Glamorgan's best for many a year. Let us hope 2005 brings similar success.