MCC's 'elite' member John Fingleton disparages Oz fans ahead of Lord's ODI

London - John 'Fingers' Fingleton, who is a stalwart of the exclusive Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) for more than 40 years, has disparaged Australian fans ahead of the first  one-dayer between England and Australia to be played at Lord's on Friday.

Fingleton, a charity auctioneer, and others have taken to the MCC's members' online notice board to protest the presence of 'mobs of ill-behaved, ill-dressed screaming yobbos' in the  Lord's Pavilion during a domestic Twenty20 game this month.

Australia's visit to Lord's on Friday is a sell-out and there will be extra interest after the early exit of the Australian tennis contingent at Wimbledon.

Fingleton shared his experience with Australians at Lord's the home of cricket, and said most of them had been positive although a couple of episodes had slightly tainted his memory.

The first one he shared was also at a Twenty20 match, at the Sydney Cricket Ground, following the 2006-07 Ashes when he was seated in the Members Pavilion near the England dressing  room.

"After about four overs my panama hat suddenly went flying and from behind me a bloke said 'Take that f****** thing off, mate!" The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Fingleton, as saying.

In a bid to neutralize his rants against the Oz fans, Fingleton also praised the Australian cricket.

"Don't get me wrong. I love Aussies. I love their commitment to cricket, I've been to all your Test grounds, I've watched a whole Ashes series. It was one of the thrills of my life and I think the

Sydney Cricket Ground is one of the most beautiful cricket grounds in the world," Fingleton said.

However, he stood by his comments on the MCC message board, saying:  "Someone suggested I'm being a snob. I said 'No, I'm being elitist'. They are very different and I make no apology  for being elitist."