“God’s in his heaven, All’s right with the world!” But that stirring win in late September allowed England only to share a series they could easily have lost by then.England are third in the Test championship table – behind Australia and South Africa – but they have still won only three of their past nine series, the recent one against Bangladesh and two others in the early part of the English season in conditions bound to favour the home side.Progress is palpable in the past three years under Duncan Fletcher’s painstaking, observant stewardship as coach But England are some distance from being all-conquering. Do that and Vaughan and his men will be on course for greater things Dreams of future glories will be restored Defeat will be a bigger blow because of its timing. England have pummelled Bangladesh already this winter in matches of no moment whatever. But there is a perception abroad that England need a substantial victory – and that means one against decent opposition.The season of 2003 ended on a wonderful note at The Oval. They allow fishing journalists to get their grubby mitts on the latest tackle, and they give new tackle a rigorous test.

If hamfisted people like me can’t turn a reel drag the wrong way, break a line or knock off the rod rings, then there’s every chance that the ordinary fisher will have no worries.All the technical talk of test curves, line oscillation and progressive action baffled me. Send the bill to him, not The Independent on Sunday.Sessions like this have a twofold purpose. On the plus side, though, they have revived the tradition of innovation that once made their tackle the choice of kings.And then the company unwisely let someone like me have a go with it all. In fact, it wasn’t me that broke the new 15ft Sirrus salmon rod, though it probably would have been if I had been allowed to play with it for a few more hours It was Sandy that done it, Mr Hardy. They have taken an axe to their product lines, too, reducing them by two-thirds.

It has nearly been the death of Hardy’s, who have been making tackle since 1873.They have had to make nearly 30 staff redundant to cut losses approaching £1 million. In those days, if you didn’t own Hardy tackle, you were probably not the right sort of chap But times change. Even he couldn’t nobble one.I even had Andy Murray, a superb fisherman and casting coach, acting as my ghillie. He was remarkably patient and didn’t laugh audibly once, though I’ll swear I heard a snigger or two.We were there to try out new rods, reels and lines made by Hardy’s, the Alnwick company who were once the world’s most important fishing-tackle makers. Cheap, nasty Far Eastern tackle has stayed cheap but become very good. One grabbed my fly and was on for about three seconds, which is precisely three seconds better than I’ve managed on previous trips.What is the curse that accompanies me when I fish on the Tweed? The obvious answer is my own incompetence, but this time I was accompanied by Sandy Leventon, editor of Trout and Salmon magazine, who has caught masses of salmon.