That's it then. They're home. The Ashes that is. What can I say that has not already been said about this momentous series?

Well, I can say sorry for a start. Sorry for being so negative and predicting a 3-1 win for the Aussies at the start of the series. I don't think I was alone in my pessimism though. I was even more pessimistic after England had lost that first Test at Lord's, but they showed enormous resolve and resilience to bounce back.

Mind you, I am certain that Glenn McGrath's injury before that second Test at Edgbaston was pivotal in the series. He did recover for Old Trafford but then an elbow injury struck him down for Trent Bridge. After Lord's he was never the bowler we have come to know and admire. Whether that was due to the injuries or the ravages of time we probably won't know until Australia's next series (against the Rest of the World) but there is little doubt that it had an enormous effect on the result of the Ashes.

I was lucky enough to be at the Oval last Saturday, not that I saw much. Apologies for being such a spoilsport during such a time of national celebration but such is the design of the new press box there that a mesh had to be put on its glass to prevent reflections affecting the batsmen. The only problem then was that the journalists inside could barely make out who was batting and bowling, let alone what the ball was doing.

I had to watch the entire day's play on the TV inside the press box, which allied to the insulation of the box, meant that I might as well have been at home. Well, OK, I quite enjoyed savouring the atmosphere when I did venture outside, but it did strike me as being ridiculous that such a big game was marred, even in a small way, by such a glitch.

Otherwise it was a game which teased and taunted us to the end - well, not quite because we had the slightly farcical ending when the Australians went off for bad light and then we had to wait for final confirmation that England had won the Ashes. But you know what I mean; there were moments when I thought that we were safe, other moments when I thought it was all over.

Andrew Flintoff was again a colossus with the ball, shouldering more of the burden with Simon Jones absent. He just never gave up and the manner in which he steamed in on that fourth morning will be one of the lasting images of the entire series.

And then Kevin Pietersen chose an appropriate stage on which to score a maiden Test hundred. As Mike Atherton said to him afterwards: "You are a bit of a show-pony. It was destined that you should do it on such an occasion."

He was right. Pietersen craves the big stage and was almost in his natural habitat when lording it in front of such a huge audience. But what about his mate, Shane Warne? What about that most costly of drops? Would England have still won the Ashes if he had caught Pietersen at slip when he had barely scored a run? Probably not, but it did not happen and that is that.

It has been the greatest series I have seen and the knock-on effect on cricket in this country will be massive. The celebrations in London on Tuesday were scarcely credible - who would have thought cricket could engender such euphoria? Some of the England players were clearly a little worse for wear during the open-top bus ride but who can blame them? There will be more partying. They should enjoy it while they can. And so should we.

Glamorgan can also be happy that they have managed to survive in Division One of the totesport League. Their win over Hampshire on Tuesday ensured that and that is not an achievement to be sniffed at in a horrid season. It may just be that the experience gained by the large amount of youngsters thrown in at the deep end will bear fruit in the future.

And further good news is four Glamorgan players being selected for the England U19 trip to Bangladesh this winter. Congratulations are due to Steve Watkin and the work he is doing at the Glamorgan Academy for that. Things really are looking up on all fronts.