Pool: The Final Frontier: Part II...

I was supposed to be retiring from playing pool at the end of last season but my interleague team and my county team qualified for the final knockout stages of two national tournaments. I also qualified for the trials for the England team, too, so after seven weeks of not picking up a cue I'm back on the practice table putting in the hours for a last hurrah. For a while at least...

Forcing myself to go out to do something I've always loved doing is probably a sign that I've chosen to have a break at just the right time, but I am enjoying the discipline of timing my run to the tournaments so I'm hitting peak form at just the right time. So a few recent sessions on the pool table and some improved form, then a snooker session with a 46 and a 66 break thrown in are all good signs with two weeks and plenty more table time to go.

The idea of not playing pool has opened up lots of exciting possibilities and it means I'll be able to commit more time to my writing and my martial arts training and the theatre company I'm now back working with. The prospect of time freed up by not playing pool and not having to practice for matches and tournaments is quite invigorating.

I miss the people, though, and when the opening county match of the season was held last weekend it felt very strange not to be part of it. But I think that will get easier.