England players apologise for Oval antics

England

England players released a joint statement via the ECB on Wednesday, apologising for their after-Ashes celebrations on Sunday, which involved urinating on the pitch at The Oval in the wee hours.

England players released a joint statement via the ECB on Wednesday, apologising for their after-Ashes celebrations on Sunday, which involved urinating on the pitch at The Oval in the wee hours.

England spinner Graeme Swann confirmed the story, after a few days of silence from the England camp, and the ECB then followed it up with an apology, saying they hadn't meant to offend anyone or disrespect the Surrey ground.

The statement read: "We got carried away amongst the euphoria of winning such a prestigious series and accept some of our behaviour was inappropriate. If that has caused any offence to anyone, we apologise."

"The England cricket team would like to state that during our celebrations after winning the Ashes at no time was there any intention to disrespect Surrey CCC, the Oval or anyone else involved in the game we love.

"As a team we pride ourselves on respecting all things cricket including the opposition and the grounds we play at. We want to reassure people that it was a simple error of judgement more than anything else."

Swann had said in the <i>Sun</i> on Tuesday: "We did go out to the middle of the pitch, all the lads, drinking beers, singing a few songs and enjoying each other's company," the Sun quoted Swann as saying.

"I think the call of nature might have come once or twice, but it was nothing untoward. It was midnight, a private celebration in the middle of the pitch and the ground was dark."

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