The Result

Final score of 9 – 1 in Sports favour. John and Dave Junior surprisingly picked up the doubles with some unorthodox play. I struggled as predicted, losing all three games in straight sets. I didn’t disgrace myself and it was a good exercise, but it was a little frustrating: Sports put out a weakened side against us, and five years ago I’d have easily won all three of my games. I’m just not the player that I was, and until I get nearer to my old standards, it’s going to be a very frustrating time for me.

Last night also reminded me of some of the reasons why I retired from the sport in the first place:

Mickey Mouse organisation – the league secretary had forgotten that there were matches on at our home venue and therefore nobody turned up to unlock the premises until 7:50 (matches should start at 7:30 – we were stood outside from 7:15).

Length of matches – we managed to play the match on two tables last night, reducing the evening’s play time by 50%. We still didn’t finish until 10:15. The thought of away matches with 11:30 finishes, with half an hour’s travelling time back home on a chilly January night, fills me with dread.

Blisters – I have a corker on my twiddling finger. My poor soft skin.

Cheerless players – any night out should be entertaining or rewarding, but the majority of table tennis players in the UK seem to have had personality bypasses. Two of my opponents last night even had pudding bowl haircuts and looked as if sunlight would disintegrate them. Visualise the nice Thermian aliens from Galaxy Quest. Playing against wooden stakes would have been more enjoyable.


Bad News

We’ve just had a company meeting. 14 people from our office are being made redundant. Surprisingly, I’m not one of them, but my colleague Jamie – who I would put behind me in the chopping block order – is. As Jamie is a) a nice guy and b) a rock of sanity for me in the face of J M T, he is going to be sorely missed.

I am in some shock.

http://www.alicia-logic.com/capspages/caps_viewall.asp?criteria=Title&term=Galaxy_Quest