CORNWALL cricketer Stuart Nye helped England celebrate a remarkable double success Down Under as the national Over-70s side retained both the Silver Ashes and the Over-70s Cricket World Cup.

Representing England Over-70s cricket team, Nye – who plays for Menheniot-Looe Cricket Club – made history as the first Cornwall Seniors player to represent England at any senior international age-group level.

The tour began in Australia where England produced a dominant display to retain the Silver Ashes with a 3-0 victory over Australia Over-70s cricket team. The closely fought series included a dramatic second one-day Test that England edged by just a single run in sweltering conditions.

After the Ashes triumph, the squad travelled across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand for the Over-70s World Cup, where eight international teams competed in a round-robin format before the top two progressed to the final.

Heavy rain disrupted parts of the tournament, forcing fixtures into a packed schedule towards the closing stages. But England held their nerve to reach the final – where they faced familiar rivals Australia once again.

Australia won the toss and elected to field, only to watch England pile on an imposing 288-3 from their 45 overs. Australia responded strongly but lost momentum through the middle overs before launching a late surge. Despite the fightback, the target proved just beyond reach as they finished on 273-5, sealing another trophy for England.

Nye, Cornwall’s leading Over-60s wicket-taker since the county side reformed in 2019, took eight wickets during the tour and featured in several key matches, including the opening two ODIs against Australia.

However, his campaign was cut short after he suffered a hand injury during England’s fourth World Cup match, ruling him out of the remainder of the tournament.

Despite the setback, Nye summed up the whole experience, saying: “it’s been fantastic.”