Some of you may have noticed a distinct lack of  Blogs over the last week or so, this is because cricket has temporarily taken over my life as I run two under 15 Colts sides.They have had five games in less than two weeks. On top of that George has played two adult games and two school matches, plus I have also played in three Sunday matches culminating in a batting average of 3.5 and seeing my first delivery of the season dispatched for six somewhere in the grounds of Lord Portsmouths Manor House in Farleigh Wallop. This has all happened in the space of under three weeks and has made me a stranger to my girlfriend and my youngest son who finds cricket about as appealing as a kick in the testicles with a hob nail boot.

However, I love running the cricket side, it is great fun, it allows me to live out my own failed dreams as a cricketer through my son and all his mates and they are now having deserved success, winning their first five games of the season. When we formed the team in 2006 they didn’t win a game in their first season and lost all but one in their second, so the development of the team has been quite staggering. However we do have a temporary lull in proceedings now (at least until Sunday) and I must say I am looking forward to spending a bit of time with other people rather than my extended family that is Oakley Cricket Club, I guess many of the parents feel the same.

Spending all this time picking teams, watching games and filling out scores on the league website has left me with little else to blog about this week as I have barely had time to eat, let alone catch up on current affairs around the world. My dinner last night was a couple of ham sandwiches and a piece of Swiss roll nicked from the kids during their interval in last nights game followed by a lamb chop without vegetables at about 10pm, my digestive system is in dire need of a good meal that doesn’t involve a couple biscuits and a cup of PG Tips. I am effectively living off scraps, though if it wasn’t for Wendy one of the Mum’s who does the teas on these evening games I would be rummaging through the neighbours bins as my cupboards are bare because I have not had the chance to go to Sainsburys.

Since Sunday I have eaten the following:

Sunday evening (Farleigh House Cricket Ground) several cheese sandwiches, some nice cake and some carnation chicken washed down by four pints of London Pride
Monday night (Oakley Cricket Club) ham sandwiches and biscuits, two mugs of sweet tea to combat blurred vision caused by hunger.
Tuesday night ( Newfound sports ground) More ham sandwiches to stave off hunger pains followed by a lamb chop that has resided in my fridge since last Friday resulting in a fitful nights sleep.

Tonight I am taking my youngest son swimming, assuming that he doesn’t think I am a stranger who like boys in swimming trunks, before being fed at Diane’s with what will be my first square meal of the week, I have seen so little of her lately I feel like I am going on a first date. However, despite all the hassle and cancellation of social events such as my neices Christening, it has all been worth it really. I have known this group of kids and parents for several years now, and this is likely to be their last year together as a junior team. A lot of people say they do these things just for the sake of kids, but I think there is more than that to it, I get enormous satisfaction out of seeing them improving and winning games, especially when they have listened and carried out instructions, they are a great bunch of lads.

However, I am looking forward to reuniting myself with the other important people in my life over the next few days before coming back refreshed on Sunday.