SUN, sea, sand and the chance to see England win their first Test series in the Caribbean for 36 years.

All this combined to give Neil Shardlow a once in a lifetime holiday as he spent a week with the Barmy Army on the sun kissed island of Barbados.

The Corsham captain was fulfiling a lifelong dream when he booked tickets for the third test against the West Indies but, along with his two travelling companions, there was no way he could have foreseen the drama that was to follow.

Already leading the series 2-0, a victory would seal a historic triumph and a century from Graham Thorpe and a hat-trick from Matthew Hoggard ensured Shardlow enjoyed an unforgettable experience.

He said: "The whole thing was set up brilliantly for us. To get the chance to see England secure the series was exactly how we wanted it.

"After a quiet few days at the start, which we spent on the beach, the atmosphere started to build as the other English fans began to arrive.

"It got quite loud out and about but it was not too bad because it is quite a respectable area and everyone respected that."

The match was due to start at 10am on the Thursday and in order to savour the early atmosphere Shardlow arrived at the ground at 8.15am.

He said: "I could not believe it. By the time I got there the ground was already packed and there was not even anywhere for me to hang my Corsham flag.

"I would say that about 90 per cent of the crowd were English fans and it was like a home game. The atmosphere was like something I have never experienced before.

"The Bajan people are superb as well and it just all added to the experience."

The match started slowly, with West Indies making steady progress until Andy Flintoff ripped through their middle order late on to put England in the driving seat.

"The crowd went berserk," said Shardlow. "There was this Jimmy Saville lookalike who ran around in front of us trying to gee the supporters up and the noise was unbelievable.

"On our way home it was great because everyone was leaning out of the taxi windows cheering and shouting and the beers were flying."

After a masterful 119 not out by Thorpe gave England the advantage on day two everything was set up for a thrilling third day and the players did not disappoint.

A Hoggard hat-trick, only the 33rd in Test match history, sealed an eight wicket victory for the tourists and sent the travelling fans into raptures.

Shardlow said: "It was out of this world. I was lucky enough to see Dominic Cork's hat-trick for England a few years ago but this was even better. Definitely the highlight of the trip.

"For the hat-trick ball, I was standing on a white seat with my hat and flag draped round me and it was like slow motion.

"Hinds nicked it but it took for ever. When the catch was made, the ground went mad and it just stayed like that for the rest of the match. We were singing non-stop and my throat was gone"

He continued: "After the presentations the players came round and when they were in front of us I was told I was seen on Sky Sports television.

"This was not the first time either as within the first half hour of day one I was also captured by the cameras.

"I had my big red hat on and my flag and started waving. Almost immediately I got messages from my dad and friends asking me what I was doing and that I looked stupid."

After the match the inevitable celebrations followed and they carried on long into the night.

He said: "There was no hassle and no football fan mentality. It was all just good natured and both sets of fans mixed with no problem.

"When we were out in the evening we saw Michael Vaughan, Graham Thorpe, Flintoff, in fact the only player we didn't see was Nasser Hussain.

"It was like a carnival atmosphere, a real festival and I didn't stop celebrating until about 7am the next morning.

"When I was leaving at the airport on the Monday night the next gate was for the Antigua flight and it was very, very tempting to join the Barmy Army on their way to the fourth test.

"It was very hard to come back down to earth again when I got home because I just kept thinking about what had happened. That was my first ever away game and it really was an unforgettable week."