England fans at the Kite Inn, in Mill Street, Oxford, celebrate the victory Cricket fans across Oxfordshire have been celebrating England's stunning victory against Australia to win back the Ashes after 18 years.

In a series characterised by twists and turns, the home side secured a 2-1 victory to lay claim to the prized trophy.

Many people left work early yesterday to stream into pubs screening the match.

At the Kite Inn, in Mill Street, Oxford, fans watched as the gripping series finally ended with a draw in the fifth test.

Aussie landlord Peter McGarry was gracious about his team's defeat, laying on Champagne for his punters -- but warned that the Ashes were only on loan.

He added: "Everyone's been giving me a hard time of course, but England deserved to win -- they played better."

Engineer Craig Wheeler, 21, of Botley Road, Oxford, took a long lunch break and left work early to catch as much of the action as possible.

He said: "I've been getting into cricket the past year. England have been very good. I was a bit worried when Flintoff went and it was a bit touch-and-go at times, but I was confident we would win."

Avid cricket fan Steve Lawrence, 32, an archaeologist, said: "I was at the game on Sunday and left work early today. It's been fantastic. It's been swinging from day to day. It was a really dodgy start but a very good finish. It's been the most exciting series for years."

Software engineer Sam Brightman, 22, from Oxford, who also left work early yesterday afternoon, said: "We have been spoilt with such an exciting series."

Speaking from the Oval, Oxford Mail news editor Malcolm Bradbrook described the atmosphere as "electric". He said: "It's been absolutely fantastic. It went one way and another, we looked safe, then lost a couple of wickets and it looked like we were going to lose face again."

Plans for a victory parade in the capital today are already underway.

Captain Michael Vaughan and his team were congratulated by the Queen who described their success as a "magnificent achievement".