ENGLAND has taken the Ashes back at last though I have to say that, ardent cricket fan though I am, I didn't have the mental strength to watch much of the test series this summer, let alone the last game. Far too harrowing.

The result has prompted the usual flood of remarks about how this will renew interest in sport.

Let's hope so, but let's hope it renews an interest in taking part, not spectating.

Sport is great fun to watch, unless it's nerve-racking like this summer's test matches or boring like England's current football performances, but the people who watch really ought to be too old to do it.

Playing sport at whatever level is good for people. You enjoy it while you are taking part and then afterwards when you think you will be knackered you feel on top of the world. In the short term, taking part makes your cheeks glow. In the long term it builds fitness levels that will last you all your lives.

Watching the best competing doesn't make a sportsman. It makes a spectator. It's a different thing from getting out and having a go.You don't need to be a champion just enjoy the experience at your own level.

Sport has to start at school. Timetables must make room for it every day and let exam results be forgotten for a while. And that means dedicated staff who are prepared to give up their spare time at weekends Their efforts can start an enthusiasm in youngsters that will last all their lives. Getting kids involved doesn't happen just because England wins a match now and again.

I am told by the Free Press sports department that Bucks is better off in terms of school sport than many other area, for which we should be thankful. Our sports reporters know what they are talking about. They sit and watch sport for a living.