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...