Philobiblon

Well today I tested out, possibly to destruction, the theory of “sweating out” a cold. Having been down with a rotten one for a couple of days, I really wasn’t fancying a scheduled cricket game, but since I knew we were already two short I didn’t think I really could pull out – nine is almost a team; eight really isn’t.

So I trotted along, and wasn’t altogether surprised to be asked to keep wicket. Well, I told myself, at least I won’t have to run – just leap up and down and around hundreds of times ….

But in cricketing terms it worked quite well. I was pretty chuffed with how I kept, to one serious quickie and a couple of sometimes wayward medium pacers.

And then happily I didn’t (quite) have to bat as we astonishingly – with the help of a magnificent century – managed to successfully chase a total of 251 in 32 overs.

And I didn’t even get a lot of bruises …

It was only the third time I’ve kept since taking it up again after an 18-year hiatus, and I think I have to thank cycling for the fact that I survived the experience – without the underlying level of fitness it has given me I would never have made it.

And feeling rotten might have even helped in an odd way – it took some of the pressure off feeling like I have to succeed amid an otherwise all-male team.

But as for the sweating-out theory, we’ll see. I’m off to bed for a long sleep … I may be some time.