N0 family could be more deserving of the tag "cricket nuts" than the Tibbenhams of the Hadleigh and Thundersley Club where sons Paul and Mike both play and mum Mary is first team scorer.

Mary admitted to being glued to the final stages of the Fifth Test on Channel 4 throughout yesterday and added: "I spent much of the day sending e-mails to my son Paul ,who works in an office where they can't get on the internet, giving him up to date news.

"He stopped off on his way home to watch the closing stages at a pub.

"My other son Mike works with a lot of girls and he's been spending loads of his time explaining different cricketing terms to them such as bails, maiden overs, innings and things like that.

"It's amazing how this Ashes series has captured the imagination of people who've never had any interest in cricket before.

"Let's just hope that the sport is able to build on that and attract more young people to the game."