It is not pleasant being down to three team members and scrambling to get a squad together. Your sister team is down with injuries of their own - 9th league team are injured and some writing exams - 6th league have team members abroad or with a broad and finally saved by Louis courtesy of Stuart Vey who bent over backwards to help out. Just when you think you can relax cause all your ducks are in a row then you get a message from the opposition saying "come early, we are all ready for you" so you phone everyone and organise early arrivals etc etc etc - and I thought that being the cappie was going to be fun! Methinks it might be crappie being the cappie.
#1 - Louis on against Steven and I think that coming down a league is not a nice thing to do as it puts all kinds of pressure on you to perform and as we all know performance anxiety has made mice of many a man...Steven plays a good game and leaves Louis feeling like he just doesn't have an answer for him - at 2 down Louis is almost despondent but finds some tighter lines and basic play coming to his aid and he manages to pull one back but then goes down in the forth. (1-3)
#4 - George rushes ahead in the first game against Roy and is brimming with confidence on the adjacent court and when next I look in to check progress he is suddenly 1-2 down. Roy’s boasting on and off court is obviously on top form and unfortunately George does his stats no favours and also goes down in four. (1-3)
#3 - Now the pressure has shifted back to Steph and myself playing on adjacent courts. By the time I start my match Steph has already won the first so I have some comfort that things can swing our way. I did not see any of his match but Steph pulled out a 3-1 win against wham bam Sanjay and presumably showed that power with control goes a long way - which then shifts the attention back to crappie cappie. (3-1)
#2 - As if getting a team together to play on the right night, at the right (amended) time wasn't enough!!! Now I have to deliver the ‘Captains Innings’ and fortunately I win the first and although I let things get away from me in the second I manage to pull it back and eke out a win and now knowing that I need to win the third to avoid the points count - I just got too tired to fight and Jaycee puts pay to my dream innings – damn blast!. Fortunately Jaycee makes one too many errors in the fourth and I cruse to a decisive points scoring win. (3-1)
For the first time in many crappie moons we win the points count 204-198. YAY I hear you screaming – finally!
Quotable quote - the match ain't over till the middle order sings…and the song is sung to the tune of MONTY PYTHONS "every sperm is sacred" substituting the word sperm with point.
Crappie cappie feeling happy.
“Ear-Ear”
Gary
Overall result: Won 10 - 8
