Oddball Ed’s amazing mission to the Ashes
THREE months into his journey, Ed Miller almost gave up hope of ever reaching the Ashes.
He was in the remote reaches of northern Indonesia, catching crowded ferries between islands to finish a 35,000km journey from England to Australia without stepping foot on a plane.
Cockroaches were crawling over his legs. Mattresses tossed on the ground were his only bed. He was starting to wonder whether it was all worth it.
“Everyone was telling me the only way to finish the trip was to fly,” Ed said. “I had to wait around for ferries to leave but there were hardly any of them. They were clearly designed for people who couldn’t afford a flight.”
Then, just when he was about to give up hope after hitting a dead end in Bali, he managed to convince a passing cruise liner to let him hitch a paid ride to Darwin.
“They were very, very reluctant to let me on because it wasn’t a hop-on, hop-off service,” Ed said. “It took a lot of wearing them down.”
It was unconventional. But it worked. Now, four months after setting off from London’s The Oval cricket ground, Ed has arrived at the Gabba to be welcomed by Aussie cricket fans in time for the First Test which starts on Thursday.
It’s very likely he’s the only person who’s gone to such extraordinary lengths to get here. But it’s all been for a good cause. Ed’s been raising money for the Oddballs Foundation, in support of testicular cancer.
To donate visit: justgiving.com/theedventures