Online tensions have flared between Australian and English cricket fans following a chaotic incident captured on video at the first Ashes Test in Perth. The footage shows spectators hurling beer cups and trays at one another in a lively display that has sparked heated online discussions.

Shared widely on platforms such as X and Instagram, the videos depict large groups of fans engaging in the frenzied exchange, seemingly unconcerned about the possibility of being ejected from the venue. This behavior prompted Perth Stadium officials to issue a stern warning on the big screen, stating, “Fans are reminded that throwing items is prohibited. If you throw, you go.”

The practice of building ‘beer snakes’—where fans stack empty cups into long chains—has become a quirky tradition at Australian sporting events, despite previous incidents leading to evictions, such as at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last year.

As the videos circulated, they ignited a debate online, with fans from both sides eager to point fingers and assign blame for the unruly behavior. The incident has become a talking point, further fueling the rivalry between the two cricketing nations.

On Saturday, a video shared by former sports reporter turned content creator Josh Garlepp on X showed fans in two separate stands throwing cups and trays, along with the caption, ‘The barmy army are trashing the place tearing each other limb from limb.’

Pictured: A grab from a video showing fans throwing cardboard beer trays down onto English fans during the first Test on Saturday, with the trays littering the aisles

Another video on X showed beer cups and trays raining down from the upper levels of the stands (circled) as a security guard (left) went through the crowd as a warning about spectator behaviour flashed up on the big screen

Pictured: Fans in a section with a large Barmy Army presence show off a huge beer snake made out of empty cups. Several spectators at the ground said objects were thrown when the snakes started to get confiscated

The post kicked off a debate over which set of fans were responsible. 

‘I was in the top tiers and can tell you it was the Aussies lobbing the cardboard trays because their beer snakes were confiscated,’ one commenter wrote.

‘I was there not sitting with the barmy army. Loads of stuff came cascading down from the locals above us,’ another cricket fan added.

‘It was the whole stadium. I was there,’ an English supporter commented, with another spectator writing, ‘It was everyone, not just the BA [Barmy Army].’

‘That was not the barmy army fans you t**t. Plenty of Aussies. Happened because they stopped their beer towers,’ wrote another fan.

Australians chimed in on the argument with comments like, ‘English fans are the worst lot. Sore farking losers,’ and, ‘That’s English culture.’

An Instagram video posted by former AFL star Daniel Gorringe showed spectators throwing cardboard trays from the first tier of the stands onto the fans below, with the caption, ‘Aussies giving it back to the Barmy Army (stop singing songs about Steve Smith crying)’.

The vision shows the area around the seats at ground level littered with the trays, with so many thrown that they are piling up in the aisles.

A video on Instagram captured a huge beer snake in another section of the ground on Saturday 

English fans went online to blame local supporters for the scenes at Perth Stadium

Aussie fans also took to X and responded in kind

English flags are seen on the fence at the front of the area, indicating that a lot of Three Lions fans were seated there – and some of them have built their own beer snake, which is also visible in the footage.

One of the comments on the video read, ‘The whole ground started throwing trays at this stage, it was bloody great.’ 

Content creators Those Carter Boys – who are the brothers of Aussie Olympic gold medallist Kaylee McKeown – posted vision to Instagram of a huge beer snake that stretched for more than 20 rows, almost covering the entire length of one stand.

Western Australian Police said the only arrest made during the Test was related to a traffic offence outside the ground. 

The scenes came as the English fans witnessed their team suffer a complete meltdown after going to the lunch break with a lead of 99 runs and the loss of just one wicket.

Skipper Ben Stokes’s men then went from 1-65 to 6-88 in a stunning collapse, ending up all out for 164. 

That meant the Aussies had to chase the highest innings total of the match – 205 – for victory on what had proved a treacherous strip for batters.

However, Travis Head then pulled out an innings that will go down in Ashes folklore, smashing the attack for four sixes and 16 boundaries as he raced to a sensational 123 runs from just 83 balls.