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John Halpern: A failure of technique and of etiquette in my first match

Things could have been so different.

I rather fancied myself as an opening bat. My forward defensive had been honed through hours of practice in the garden. If I could be unbeatable with a straight delivery I could play shots wide of the wicket. 

At school, considered more an academic than the sporting hero, I strode confidently to the crease for my first ever schoolboy match. 

This was to be a defining innings, where my classmates would finally recognise my talent, and respect me for being something more than a bespectacled nerd with a dodgy side-parting. 

The wicket itself was uneven, but I reckoned I could deal with that. I fancied myself against the bowler’s pace too. 

In strode the lanky bowler, the ball dropping perfectly for my forward defensive. Head down, I stepped forward, swinging bat back, ready to play my first ever ball. 

And then, the clatter. I’d stood too close to the wicket and had knocked my own bails off. 

Worse. I failed to walk. 

And that’s how I fell in love with the game - of football

Memory added on July 4, 2021

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