Journey's End

The first thing to say this week is that the Mighty Penn Fourths have won the league! A fantastic achievement. You can read the full match report here.

However, this blog focuses on the personal side of our cricketing adventures and this week it is very personal.

I've had it in my mind since the start of the season that it would be my last as a player. There are lots of reasons for this and for cathartic purposes as much as any, I detail them below.

1. The Injuries and the Pain. My achilles tendons tighten up like fraying bow strings the days following a game and I literally can't walk properly down the stairs first thing in the morning. After 25 years of slamming my right foot down on the popping crease, my knee joint feels as if it is made of shredded slate. I'm not going to start on the infuriating gluteus maximus injury that STILL hasn't healed and leaves me unable to run properly (see 16th August post. No need to feel guilty Dev).

2. My Type of Player. Batsmen and slow bowlers have a greater longevity than medium (OK, slow medium) pacers like myself. If you bowl medium pace and you want to continue playing a decent standard, you have to be still fit and still quick like Chris Asbury, a class above like Chris Rudge, or naturally talented and obsessed by the game like Stewart Gill. I am none of these things.

3. Youth. We have been blessed this year with 13/14/15 year olds who have bowled in our team and bowled superbly. Tim Howard, Jack Cooper, Michael Hingley, Zak O'Neill, Alex Haynes, James Thomas, George Nock and a few others I probably haven't mentioned are excellent prospects for the future. All of these young players can do the job that I do in the bowling department and it makes no sense at all for me to be hanging around blocking their path.

4. Lack of Options. I've looked at ways of extending my playing days in a different role. I've always fancied keeping wicket but I fear the aforementioned knee will not bear all the crouching. I could shorten the run up and bowl dastardly leg cutters but it's a bit late in the day to be changing my bowling style. I've thought about continuing just as a batsman but erm... I'm not good enough.

5. Time and My Son. My son is playing cricket for the Under 13s and playing well. I've enjoyed watching him, umpiring his matches, doing the scoring etc all season and having played for 25 years myself, it's about time cricket in our house started to focus on him. This year, with both myself and him playing has meant an awful lot of summer weekend time away from home.

6. Finishing on a High. There is a lot to be said for ending one's playing days as a title winner.

7. The Time is Right. This is an indefineable one. It just feels like the right time to go. I don't know why, it just does. Maybe it's a combination of all the things listed above but I have that feeling you get after reading the final page of an enjoyable book. Sad that it's over, but invigorated by the experience.

So there we are. Next week's final league match will probably be my last ever match. That will be an odd feeling I'm sure.

I read today about how some believe that participating in sport is more about the journey than the destination. I think that's a good way of describing it. I've had a fantastic and immensely enjoyable 25 year journey and the final station stop is slowly creeping into view, just a week away.

I need to leave it there as the national and international press have collected outside my house and the neighbours aren't happy. Don't believe it when they publish the 'Exclusive'. You blog fans read it here first.