THEY are the proudest parents in Hampshire this weekend.

Tim and Carolyn Tremlett couldn’t contain their joy after seeing son Chris take the wicket that sealed England’s Ashes victory in Sydney.

Southampton-born Chris’s dismissal of Michael Beer sparked scenes of celebration Down Under as England wrote themselves into the history books with a 3-1 series win – their first triumph in Australia for 24 years.

And in doing so, the former Taunton’s College student became the first Hampshireborn player to help England to an Ashes win since Fareham-born Graham Roope in 1977.

Dad Tim, who followed events from his home in Otterbourne, said: “It’s hard to put it into words.

“We are extremely proud of what he’s done in Australia, especially bearing in mind that he went out there as a reserve player. But he got his opportunity in Perth and put in some very good performances.

“We knew that once he got that opportunity, as long as he held his nerve he would cause the Australians a lot of problems with his pace and bounce.”

A third generation professional cricketer, 29-yearold Chris, a former pupil at O t t e r b o u r n e Primary, made cricket history on his Test debut in 2007, becoming the only grandson of a former England player to be capped for his country.

His grandad Maurice had played for Somerset and England during the 1940s and 1950s, while father Tim represented Hampshire at county level. Tim, who is now the secretary at Hampshire Cricket, added: “We have been staying up until the early hours watching as much of the series as we can.

“It was really great to see the smile on his face every time he took a wicket.”

The former Hampshire player took 17 wickets in the series, despite not being selected for the first two matches.

The heroic display marked an amazing turnaround in fortunes for the 6ft 7in pace bowler. He left Hampshire almost a year ago after a struggle for form and fitness saw him relegated to the county’s reserve team, before he signed for Surrey.