More Balls...

I captained my last interleague pool team six years ago and when I surrendered my role as captain I promised myself I would never do it again. Not ever.

This was because the highs of winning matches and playing well in events never equalled the grind of chasing up players to ensure they could be at matches, organising transport and sorting out the venue. Captaincy at this level remains a job designed to grind the good will of even the most enthusiastic player into bitter mush.

Fortunately when I took over the captaincy of my local interleague pool team at the beginning of the year all that was a distant memory, despite the best efforts of the Missus to remind me.

Then before the new season even got under way a few players droppped out and a few others explained they had other commitments... and the title-chasing side I had inherited was suddenly in a state of disrepair and needed a bit of rebuilding.

This rebuilding process has now started and the core of the side is still there but it may take a while before it is at full strength again.

One of the plus points to come out of this, however, is I've decided to take a local junior player under my wing and spend some time bringing him through the ranks to strengthen the side in years to come. This happened with me when a long-time county player spotted some potential and started playing against me and taking me to events and helping me improve and that's what I intend to do with my Protege.

It's also good for me because seeing the Protege hungry to learn and improve all the time has made me realise I still love the game and want to improve again myself.

Who knows? I may not quite be ready to hang my cue up yet...

The Sweet Smell Of A Little Bit Of Success (Nearly)...

I recently entered a sitcom writing competition on BBC Writersroom where the winners get to have their work showcased in front of a panel of industry types. And the good news is I've made the long list of the final 32 scripts from 1200 entries.

I now need to write two more 15-minute episodes and aim to get into the last four to have a chance of getting my work seen and potentially get something optioned. Sadly success in the event is still a long way away but I now need to ensure I knuckle down and make the next two scripts better than the first one.

Having a little bit of success is quite strange as I'm so hardened to having scripts rejected that I didn't quite know how to react at first when I heard I'd made the long list. But I've now decided on a policy of smiling and feeling positive about it and I'm planning on sticking with that... until I start writing the next two episodes later tonight and the usual worry and self-doubt and over-analysis creep in.

But until then it's good news.

Going Potty!

This weekend I was at the National Intercounty Championships playing pool for my county.

Last year I spent a lot of time on the practice table but got very poor results in the county side and one game into the season it's the same story this year. The Nationals, however, was a chance to redeem that and going into it I genuinely felt like I was playing very well and was about to shine. Instead I missed a few key pots and just got murdered on the table. The team also struggled and we got booted out of the event early doors.

From a personal point of view I've been playing long enough to realise the following: bad results and bad performances happen no matter how well you're playing; and sometimes no matter how hard you try you will get into a rut and it will take time to break out of it.

In truth I may be missing a bit at the level that I play at at the moment but I'm still practising and I'll reassess at the end of the year.

On the plus side, however, I got a chance to sit down and watch a lot of our county youth team play and that really helped instill some positve feelings about the game. The team has four internationals and several other good players in it but the way they carried and supported each other throughout the weekend was superb and at the end of it they claimed a national title.

If my playing days are done then maybe the way forward for me is to help the kids come through. There are a lot worse things I could do and older players taking me under their wing is how I progressed in the game.

It's one to think about...

Genius...

I came across a new band the other day. They are an American harcore punk band called Gay For Johnny Depp.

I am yet to have a real good go with their music but on the strength of the name alone I'm going to have a dabble.

I suspect many men would be gay for JD.