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Distance creates a huge component of the Ashes mystique - cricket's longest-running rivals split by 10,000 miles, across different hemispheres, the ultimate sporting journey.

Contemporary England players face Australian hostility as soon as they land. However, current teams fly in maximum ease - exclusive areas, business class, restful environments.

Those Bygone Time of Ocean Travel

Regarding England sportsmen of the past – and visiting sides journeying the opposite way – an Ashes tour was completed by vessel, meaning weeks and weeks at sea.

The emerging talent, one of the concluding England group to reach Australia by boat on the historical tour, had a "dream" experience.

"You enjoyed being on a massive ocean liner like that, and the experience it offered while you were on there," remembers Larter, now in his eighties.

Voyage Specifics

Even the that particular tour was not quite the challenging journey of previous Ashes journeys. The England team took a flight some of the way, to Aden, where they boarded their boat The Canberra for the rest of the voyage to Perth.

Larter was merely 22 at the time. Standing 6ft 7in, he was a fast bowler of lively pace, capable of producing challenging bounce.

Activities Aboard the Liner

Following departure there was the issue of how to occupy the days at sea.

"In my case, you eat," says Larter. "Frankly, I've never had, either before or since, such a ongoing period of superb eating."

Given plentiful portions of cuisine accessible and an Ashes contest to prepare for, the players had to stay fit.

Fitness Struggles

The England leadership wanted to advance things a step further.

Coincidentally, they learned that British runner Gordon Pirie was on board. Pirie had earned 5,000m second place at the Melbourne Olympics.

"He was invited to manage us," recalls Larter. "He turned up with his shorts on and decided the optimal training would be jogging around the boat."

Not everyone in the traveling group was as agreeable as Larter. The veteran cricketer, never hesitant of voicing his thoughts, had only recently completed more than over a thousand overs in the domestic summer.

Personal Experiences

To Larter, the voyage was not merely a maiden England overseas trip, but a maiden time out of the country.

"We discovered the most enthusiastic response came below deck," he explains. "There were passengers emigrating or moving for different reasons."

Sporting Challenges

The voyage was not a straight passage to Perth. Interestingly, England practiced for a tour of Australia by disembarking in Sri Lanka to play a match in Colombo.

"We walked out on to the ground and our leader announced I would be opening the attack," recalls Larter.

"I marked out a run-up, charged in, and collapsed flat on my body. A real fall. I got up, went back, approached a second time and did the identical thing.

"I'd misplaced my balance. They wouldn't cooperate where I intended, because I'd been on the ship.

Tour Organization

An additional learning curve for Larter was his encounter with England's tour manager. In those era, the administrator not only ensured the cricketers on the proper course, but also acted as a figurehead.

On the this specific tour, the unanticipated selection for the responsibility was Bernard Fitzalan-Howard, the 16th Duke of Norfolk.

"You had to acknowledge the situation he was of aristocratic lineage," explains Larter. "You didn't dare be cheeky to him.

"At the beginning in the morning, he was referred to as 'your highness'. If you were introducing him to somebody, it was 'his lordship'. After that, for the balance of the period, it was 'sir'."

Series Organization

The current period, England will play their single preparation match before the approaching contest.

During that period, England participated in 9 matches in five different various states across six consecutive weeks time before the initial Test began.

Personal Reflections

Larter embraced the Aussie lifestyle, living off his tour fee of one thousand two hundred fifty pounds – valued at over significant sum today.

"I got offered about three jobs, simply by talking to locals," he explains. "I almost considered 'this is the place for me'. I almost transferred there.

"We had Christmas dinner on the beach. That was extraordinary. How does an Englishman experience his holiday dinner on the coastline?"

Mixed Outcome

Yet Larter's Ashes was complex. Despite appearing to have attributes that would help in Australian circumstances, he did not play a Test, trapped after experienced fast combination Trueman and Statham in the hierarchy.

Though England moved one-nil up by winning the second Test in Melbourne, Australia responded to level the series in the third Test in Sydney.

It was "disappointing" for Larter, though possibility was nevertheless around the corner.

Memory

Larter now lives in Welsh countryside with his spouse Thelma. He has his traditional England cap on exhibition and still has the team photo from the historical tour.

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