I’ve been thinking about Matt Prior and his debut test century. This may seem strange, but I was there and am a Sussex girl, so felt proud by association. On doing so Matt joined an illustrious group of debut test centurions, previous notables including Alistair Cook, Andrew Strauss and Charles Bannerman in the first ever Test match.
I wonder what it must be like to do such a thing. To completely blow your childhood dreams out of the water by not only representing your country but making a debut test century. Imagine the nerves and flittering butterflies, all tumble drying inside of you alongside excitement, pride and I imagine sheer terror.
When do those moments of real anxiety occur in real life? Job interviews and first days at a new job, a new baby? And almost certainly first dates.
I recently, after months of resisting pressure from my various friends, joined mysinglefriend.com. My mate Dawson, who isn’t really called Dawson, but really looks like the Creek boy, wrote my profile and there I was – online and looking for a man. The website is something like shopping for fruit – you just pick the ones you like the look of and add them to your favourites or send them a message (not that you would ever send fruit a message – that would be strange and what would you say?).
Anyway, my excursion on the website led to arranging my first date, which in itself led to an immense feeling of anxiety and nerves. What if he thought I looked nothing like my picture and was a mule? What if we didn’t have anything to say to each other? What if he had spinach stuck between his teeth? All of these thoughts and more were swimming round my head, in addition to dating seeming a million miles from anything that I had experienced in recent years and well, very American. Next I was going to talk about going steady or something.
Luckily as it turned out, it went well and there I was, um, dating. First go, debut date, I meet a nice chap and I was in my own little way feeling as debutant international centurions feel – relieved, happy and well a little flabbergasted that this could happen. And also, maybe a little bit cocky – this is easy, what was all the fuss about?
Of course my cockiness was ridiculous and within three dates we stopped seeing each other. The ‘this is just not worth it, internet dating sucks’ road beckoned but before I could step along the path, a friend pointed out (yes another cricket geek using cricketing analogies), that this was just second innings nerves. So, it didn’t go as well but would the greats of cricket, walk away? No, they would practice, practice, practice and this is what I have decided to do - and what does practice make…? Probably not perfect but it has to be worth trying….
Wednesday, 27 June 2007
Monday, 25 June 2007
RE: GINGER TOP
So a ginger man* is now England limited overs Captain in a society which apparently bullies, certainly ridicules and has a definite aversion to the ginger mop, the carrot top.
Don’t get me wrong, Paul Collingwood is I think an excellent choice to be the joint England Captain. He has throughout our disastrous recent one day campaigns shown talent, dedication, and perhaps most importantly the ability to catch the ball and to score runs. Something sadly the likes of Michael Vaughn and Andrew Strauss have not been capable of doing.
My point is that there has recently been media coverage of the case of a ginger family being bullied out of their home, simply because well, they are ginger haired. So what's the history of ginger bashing? Where did it come from and how common is it? Is it unusual for a ginger person to do so well?
Historically, ridiculing people for having ginger hair can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when it represented the devil and a sign of moral degeneration, indeed Vikings are often associated with being ginger. In these seemingly more genteel modern times, this is perhaps taking it a little too far, although evil fictional characters are often created as ginger, think characters from Dracula or the Brothers Grimm stories. Not forgetting real life scary examples, think Mick Hucknall.
Of course paradoxically, there is much to say being ginger is really something special with only 1% of the population enjoying the phenomenon. Ginger people are also very often positively portrayed as having a ‘fiery’ temper with strong characters. Take Queen Elizabeth I for example or um screen sirens, Rita Hayworth, Nicole Kidman and Gillian Anderson. Or the adored ‘Weasley’ family in the Harry Potter stories.
One would guestimate that there are more successful ginger nuts per head of population than say brunettes or blondes (no blonde jokes necessary here, I am one). Although, according to my cricketing guru father, Paul Collingwood is the first ginger England Captain (well at least in his living memory and he is significantly older than some). Suggesting the aforementioned family are really quite unlucky, although perhaps this whole blog is testament to the fact that a culture of mickey taking of ginger mops exists. But then, as stated above, it does for blondes – so what’s the worry?
More importantly, which set of characteristics would it be best for Paul Collingwood, the latest carrot top to make it to the top of his food chain to embody? He is by all testimony a jolly decent chap, but I wouldn’t mind if he was maybe just a little evil. The ability to drop and change the team when not playing up to scratch and to change fielding positions when and where necessary with a colder heart is definitely something we need and have lacked in limited overs cricket. There is just not the time to stick to a tactic just because it may have worked on a previous occasion.
Of course wearing a ruby on your teeth or singing ‘Something’s got me started’ would just be too much.
*yes, I do realise that he could perhaps be called strawberry blonde.
Don’t get me wrong, Paul Collingwood is I think an excellent choice to be the joint England Captain. He has throughout our disastrous recent one day campaigns shown talent, dedication, and perhaps most importantly the ability to catch the ball and to score runs. Something sadly the likes of Michael Vaughn and Andrew Strauss have not been capable of doing.
My point is that there has recently been media coverage of the case of a ginger family being bullied out of their home, simply because well, they are ginger haired. So what's the history of ginger bashing? Where did it come from and how common is it? Is it unusual for a ginger person to do so well?
Historically, ridiculing people for having ginger hair can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when it represented the devil and a sign of moral degeneration, indeed Vikings are often associated with being ginger. In these seemingly more genteel modern times, this is perhaps taking it a little too far, although evil fictional characters are often created as ginger, think characters from Dracula or the Brothers Grimm stories. Not forgetting real life scary examples, think Mick Hucknall.
Of course paradoxically, there is much to say being ginger is really something special with only 1% of the population enjoying the phenomenon. Ginger people are also very often positively portrayed as having a ‘fiery’ temper with strong characters. Take Queen Elizabeth I for example or um screen sirens, Rita Hayworth, Nicole Kidman and Gillian Anderson. Or the adored ‘Weasley’ family in the Harry Potter stories.
One would guestimate that there are more successful ginger nuts per head of population than say brunettes or blondes (no blonde jokes necessary here, I am one). Although, according to my cricketing guru father, Paul Collingwood is the first ginger England Captain (well at least in his living memory and he is significantly older than some). Suggesting the aforementioned family are really quite unlucky, although perhaps this whole blog is testament to the fact that a culture of mickey taking of ginger mops exists. But then, as stated above, it does for blondes – so what’s the worry?
More importantly, which set of characteristics would it be best for Paul Collingwood, the latest carrot top to make it to the top of his food chain to embody? He is by all testimony a jolly decent chap, but I wouldn’t mind if he was maybe just a little evil. The ability to drop and change the team when not playing up to scratch and to change fielding positions when and where necessary with a colder heart is definitely something we need and have lacked in limited overs cricket. There is just not the time to stick to a tactic just because it may have worked on a previous occasion.
Of course wearing a ruby on your teeth or singing ‘Something’s got me started’ would just be too much.
*yes, I do realise that he could perhaps be called strawberry blonde.
RE:THE JOY OF HINDSIGHT
So I was going to write a blog all about whether Michael Vaughn should have been reinstated as England Captain test captain, and I was going to say that I thought probably not. This was for a number of reasons; lack of form, give someone else a go, was the desire still there?
Hindsight being the thing that it is, I of course now know that he does have the form, the desire and the will to achieve this and become the most successful England Cricket Captain ever. Something that I think I need to take note of in my life.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not of course stating in a way, shape or form that I comparable to Mr Vaughn – god forbid, I do not foresee myself becoming the most successful cricket captain ever or indeed leading my country in anything - well apart from being clumsy and accident prone but surely that is a whole different kettle of fish, or is it?
You see this year I turned 30, and this year I have also suffered the two worst accidents of my life. I started of the year with a bang by falling down the stone steps in front of my house. It hurt and I ended up in casualty and now have a rather fetching scare on my chin.
Then after my birthday in April, I started my thirties with a bang by having a car crash – nothing too serious but there I was sitting on the plane going back, pondering on what it is that makes us all keep going. After the injuries and rehabilitation MV has had to go through, how has he managed to keep enthusiastic and determined to get back to the crease? Whilst ambition no doubt plays a part, a desire to prove to yourself and everyone else that you can do it and also I would imagine a complete love of what you do. He must wake up every day full of determination to get back out there and return again to his England Captaincy.
Therefore the question is, is that what makes one person a success and one not so much? Will I ever be that successful if I don’t really ever find what it is I love to do…? Or I don’t have the ambition and competitiveness to prove myself, and then am I just going to drift along going nowhere? That in itself is probably an indicator as why I am not as successful as some – because I look for excuses, sort of in that old Garfield adage, I’ll start my diet tomorrow.
We all work so hard and worry so much, but what for? Surely, to fulfil our dreams, but what about when you can’t think what your dreams are anymore? This is a state of affairs that simply cannot carry on, so this is it. I have decided to stop and think – to take a leaf out of the book of Mr Vaughn and get back to what it is that I love – now all I have to do is remember what it is that I want…..
Hindsight being the thing that it is, I of course now know that he does have the form, the desire and the will to achieve this and become the most successful England Cricket Captain ever. Something that I think I need to take note of in my life.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not of course stating in a way, shape or form that I comparable to Mr Vaughn – god forbid, I do not foresee myself becoming the most successful cricket captain ever or indeed leading my country in anything - well apart from being clumsy and accident prone but surely that is a whole different kettle of fish, or is it?
You see this year I turned 30, and this year I have also suffered the two worst accidents of my life. I started of the year with a bang by falling down the stone steps in front of my house. It hurt and I ended up in casualty and now have a rather fetching scare on my chin.
Then after my birthday in April, I started my thirties with a bang by having a car crash – nothing too serious but there I was sitting on the plane going back, pondering on what it is that makes us all keep going. After the injuries and rehabilitation MV has had to go through, how has he managed to keep enthusiastic and determined to get back to the crease? Whilst ambition no doubt plays a part, a desire to prove to yourself and everyone else that you can do it and also I would imagine a complete love of what you do. He must wake up every day full of determination to get back out there and return again to his England Captaincy.
Therefore the question is, is that what makes one person a success and one not so much? Will I ever be that successful if I don’t really ever find what it is I love to do…? Or I don’t have the ambition and competitiveness to prove myself, and then am I just going to drift along going nowhere? That in itself is probably an indicator as why I am not as successful as some – because I look for excuses, sort of in that old Garfield adage, I’ll start my diet tomorrow.
We all work so hard and worry so much, but what for? Surely, to fulfil our dreams, but what about when you can’t think what your dreams are anymore? This is a state of affairs that simply cannot carry on, so this is it. I have decided to stop and think – to take a leaf out of the book of Mr Vaughn and get back to what it is that I love – now all I have to do is remember what it is that I want…..
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