Cricket Retirement Nine Ends, Effective Immediately

2nd Grade begins at Keith Grey Oval. Photo by Josh Simpson

Yes, I guess I have made a few "this is my last game/season" remarks in regard to cricket. Funnily enough, however, given that my body could stand up to the rigours it was going to face, I was keen to have another run around in the 2013/14 season. The chance to play a bit more cricket with my eldest nephew Zac, and possibly even some with Zac's younger brother Flynn, and one last chance for my own kids to see their old man do something useful and almost physical, meant that I was happy to have a run. i wasn't sure when that might occur, but as it turns out it happened a bit sooner than I expected.

2nd Grade started today, and through the week I was interested to see such names as Steve Norris, Jason Wills and Gavin Hartley all listed to play. At the time I thought, "Wow, it would be great to have a game with those guys again". In fact, it turned into quite a talking point on a post on Facebook late in the week. Then the offer came from skipper Dave Timbs to join the crowd, and I jumped at the chance.

The result? Well, the report is here to read if you are interested. I made five with the bat, felt comfortable, and then blew it by playing a rash shot. A shame really, but hopefully I can do better next week. With the ball, I got caned - 2 overs, 0/28 and at least three sixes over the fence. The kid who took me hit it cleanly, and they weren't all bad balls. Again, hopefully next week if I get the chance I can redeem myself. But the day was a joy, a lot of fun, just like the old days. No doubt it is going to hurt for a couple of days, but I hope I can get through more of this season, because I think we can have a successful one. But it will be fun.