Independent, The (London): WORLD CUP GLORY: How was it for you? Expats (and a Scot) tell all

RUSSIA

Expat: Andy Keeley

Occupation: Research analyst

Venue: Sportland casino bar,

Moscow, midday

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? I paid a stranger two quid to drive me across town through the snow in his clapped-out old Lada. The match was being screened in a run-down dive with massive bouncers. Entry cost $20 (pounds 12). It was packed with 200 people: English, Australian and some bemused locals playing roulette and gambling on dog races from England. There was one screen and it's normally reserved for the dogs. The match coverage was taken from a South African satellite feed with a dodgy reception. It didn't matter. I haven't seen such a tense conclusion to a sporting event since Dennis Taylor's final black at the Crucible in 1985. Awesome. As soon as the final whistle went, the manager switched over to the 11.51 live from Crayford. Uproar. The security men got jittery and switched back for the trophy presentation.

MONGOLIA

Expat: Dominic

Graham

Occupation: Project manager and part-time editor, The Mongol Messenger

Venue: Block 13, microdistrict 220, Ulaanbaatar, 5pm

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? Glad to be out of the chill (minus 16C), I waited for my fellow England supporters in the lobby at the Bayangol Hotel and then, not wanting to stay at the bar, which was crowded with Canadian miners, we scuttled round the corner to a nearby apartment block. The moment we stepped in through the padded entrance doors it was clear we were outnumbered. Australian flags covered every bare patch of wall. A swaying group crowded round the television while our host struggled to find Australian match commentary on the internet. He failed. We had the choice of Chinese or Russian, an empty decision as the armchair generals were in full voice. When Jonny Wilkinson sealed the game, but before the English could properly savour victory, the city intervened. There was a power cut.

JAPAN

Expat: Emily Richardson

Occupation: Teacher

Venue: Sports bar, Kobe, 6pm

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? There were so many foreigners, so much beer, cheering, excitement and patriotic passion that for a moment I was completely disorientated and forgot that I was actually in Japan.

I felt both at home and homesick at the same time The bar we found was so packed that we had to stand in the doorway and could barely see anything at all. I had to rely on some New Zealander friends talking me through the action on my mobile.

ZAMBIA

Expat: Dominic Eastham

Occupation: VSO worker

Venue: McGinty's bar, Lusaka, 11am

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? There was a cosmopolitan crowd of about 100 but few locals, who were deterred by ludicrous drink prices and general apathy, despite Zambia once claiming the tallest rugby posts in Africa. A group of Aussies had painted their faces but English support was dominant, with a Union Flag draped on the mounted head of an antelope. The place went mad after that drop goal. Strangers embraced, beer was sprayed, a lengthy conga line went outside and never came back. "It's just like being in a pub back home," said a friend. "Yes," I said, "Except for the pool of crocodiles you pass on your way to the toilets."

FRANCE

Expat: Marcus Graham

Occupation: Accountant

Venue: Bowler pub, Paris, 10am

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? Inside, there was a steaming throng of hundreds of England supporters who could be heard a street away. Jason Robinson's try and Wilkinson's kicks set off seismic celebrations that shook the entire arrondissement. The French had lost all enthusiasm for the tournament after the semis but the occasional curious local did peer in through the misted windows. When Wilkinson kicked the decisive drop goal the place went wild. The delirium produced a strangely continental twist with men kissing each other on both cheeks, and the cheers, songs, champagne, horn- honking and shouting continued long into the Parisian afternoon.

FALKLAND ISLANDS

Expat: Julie Clarke

Occupation: Landlady

Venue: Globe Tavern, Stanley, 6am

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? I got up at 4.30am to a beautiful, sunny, cloudless day. We opened the pub at 5.30am to serve full English breakfast before kick-off. There were about 60 people including a handful of Aussies. The atmosphere was brilliant then nail-biting. Because we needed to get ready for a lunchtime tourist party from a cruise ship, I had to ask the lads to go outside after the match. They bought a crate of beer each and went into my beer garden, where the party really got going.

NEW ZEALAND

Expat: Katy Horwood

Occupation: Bookseller

Venue: Friend's house, Wellington, 10pm

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? I watched with three neighbours, all Kiwis, and we made it a special occasion with crayfish and wine. None of us has anything against Australia's sportsmen but we all hate their media and they way they crow when Australia win. I also enjoyed - and I'm not a royalist - seeing Prince Harry taking such pleasure in England's win. I liked his energy.

UNITED STATES

Expats: Kevin Jones, Vicky Whitlock

Occupation: Draftsman,

embassy worker

Venue: Back garden, Washington, 4am

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? Kevin: We erected a big screen in the garden, and invited about 20 people. They came round at 3.30am. We woke up the whole neighbourhood with the cheering. It was just magical. Even a couple of the Americans thought it was exciting.

Vicky: We had a big bonfire in the garden and champagne at the end. It would've been nice to go to bed but we've got a two-year-old who was raring to go, so no chance.

IRAQ

Expat: Major Ben Richards

Occupation: Soldier

Venue: Former departure lounge of Basra airport, midday

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? It was a fantastic way to spend a brief bit of time off. It was a nice sunny day, there was a good atmosphere and a crowd of about 100. One of the old departure lounges in the airport has been converted to a dining hall. We've had a big screen there for the whole tournament with ITV's coverage relayed via the forces broadcasting service. I was one of the lucky ones not involved in patrols or operations while it was on. Sometimes we get the opportunity for an odd beer, but not on Saturday. It was a break from work, but then back to it with lots of smiles on faces.

CHILE

Expat: Rosie Stancer

Occupation: Polar explorer

Venue: Internet cafe, Punta

Arenas, 6am

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? The nicest thing about it was the sense of bonding that it brought to all the British expeditions based here who are about to head for Antarctica. Some of the guys persuaded a bar owner to stay open all night. But with my departure imminent [for the Snickers South Pole Solo challenge, an attempt to become the first British woman to walk solo and unaided 600 miles to the South Pole] and so much to do, I'd gone to bed and caught up with the result when I got up. England's win sends a message of inspiration to us all.

TONGA

Expat: Paul Nessling

Occupation: British high commissioner

Venue: Garden of Australian high commissioner's residence, Nuku' alofa, 10pm

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? Driving over there, the streets were empty. The whole of Tonga was inside watching the final. There were about 50 of us at the party, including Australians, New Zealanders and Tongans. You couldn't have had two better sides or been more on the edge of your seat. We all had a glass of champagne at the end. The Australians were a bit sad but we're all great friends - and everyone recognised what a great player Wilkinson is. We already get a lot of applications from young Tongans who want to play rugby in England. I can envisage even more now. We wound things up about 1am because Sunday in Tonga is strictly religious.

FIJI

Expat: Peter Forster

Occupation: Head of psychology, University of the South Pacific

Venue: Home, flat in the capital,

Suva, 9pm

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? It was one of the rare times in my four years here that I wished I'd been in England. During the match, I could hear all my neighbours. On one side, the Fijians were drinking kava and beer, singing, and supporting Australia. One of the Wallabies, Lote Tuqiri, is from Fiji. The Kiwis had a barbecue and got drunk, but they do that most nights. I felt like the only person in Suva shouting for England. After the match, I walked around the filthy, rain-soaked, streets. Apart from cruising cabs and some elderly sex workers, all was quiet. I headed home for a beer and happy reflections on an England team that didn't choke.

AUSTRALIA

Expat: Neal Brewster

Occupation: Mining company analyst

Venue: Friend's barbecue, Perth, 5pm

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? It's always fraught supporting England in any sport, but as an Englishman who has just emigrated here, it was even more nervy. The press around here are especially parochial and had portrayed Wilkinson as a mummy's boy who phones home every day. Ha! In the end it was poetic. Every Brit here has mortgaged themselves to the hilt making bets with work colleagues. It's payback time.

CAYMAN ISLANDS

Expat: Gareth Thacker (English) and Mike Percy (Australian)

Occupation: PE teacher, commerce

Venue: Fidel Murphy's pub, Seven Mile Beach, 4am

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? Gareth: The world and his mother were in the pub, and even the mother was wearing a bikini thong that read: "Go Jonny, Go Go Go". Breakfasts were downed rapidly in the early stages but the rollercoaster soon had people leaving their bacon butties to go cold. Late on, silence turned to disbelief and then to a group hug. The limbo dancing started at the final whistle. Even the Aussies acknowledged they'd seen a great contest.

Mike: When it rains here, there's a tacit understanding that everyone stays at home. Foolishly, I ignored the drizzle but still saw the best 100 minutes of Test rugby ever. But we stayed in it to the death. Good on ya boys! Afterwards I had a dip in the Caribbean before going back to bed. When are the Ashes?

SCOTLAND

Native: Peter Robertson

Occupation: Assistant pub manager

Venue: Three Sisters pub, Edinburgh

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? As a rugby player, I was supporting the England side because they are the better team. What did grate was how many times the commentators mentioned the 1966 World Cup game and I think at one point they referred to Harry as the Prince of "England". I am dreading hearing about this for years to come. We have not stopped hearing about 1966, after all.