All things considered

Given the heats were set up so I couldn't fail to progress to the finals, I did have serious reservations about how well I would do at yesterday's tournament, especially when it became clear that the other heat winners had actually won their heats. What's more, I lost my only warm up game, here.

My first match didn't start well when I did an air shot for my first serve and didn't land my second serve on the table so I was 0-2 down and it was first to five. Fortunately, I was able to turn things around and won the match 5-3. I won my second match 5-0, lost the third match 0-5 (my opponent used the pen-holder grip) and won my last match 5-3 which saw me top the group having won 3 matches and reach the quarter-finals. The matches were truncated to first to three and I won my first match 3-0. In my second quarter-final match, I was up against another pen-holder grip opponent and lost 1-3 to the person who would go on to win the tournament. In conversation afterwards, he mentioned that he plays for his firm so I thought I acquitted myself rather well.

Next up was a chance to practice stroke consistency with a robot and I had two goes at each table before taking my leave.

The organisers had provided me with a brand new bat when I registered and on the red side was a sticker saying, PLEASE, PUT ME BACK! As I was on my way out, I asked one of the organisers who I should return the bat to and was very surprised and delighted when he said I could keep it.

Now I have a bat and balls, I just need to find myself a club.

There WILL be medals in 2012

The sport that embodies the Olympic motto of Citius, Altius, Fortius is athletics (some of you may know it as track and field) and that's my first love given that I was a high jumper and sprinter back in the day. So it was very nice to be back at Crystal Palace yesterday for the second day of the Diamond League London meet.

On my way to my seat I stopped to congratulate the person responsible for British success at the recently concluded European Athletic Championships and urged him to tell UK Athletics to give Linford Christie a more prominent role in the lead up to 2012 as he knows how to get his athletes to medal at major championships (Mark Lewis-Francis, silver medallist in the 100m and Christian Malcolm, silver medallist in the 200m are two of the athletes Linford coaches). His response left me in no doubt as to who calls the shots at UK Athletics.

Nigeria's Blessing Okabgare, who won her 3rd 100m title at the African Athletic Championships in Nairobi a few weeks ago, shocked the second fastest women of all time, Carmelita Jeter (PB of 10.64s), in the heats and recorded a PB of 11.0s while doing so. Sadly, she was unable to repeat this success in the final, but once again Carmelita Jeter was defeated, this time by her compatriot Marshevet Myers. Allyson Felix completed the 200m/400m double but had to dig deep to secure victory in the one lap race. She intends to emulate Valerie Brisco-Hooks and Marie-José Perec, who completed this illustrious double in 1984 and 1996 respectively, in London 2012. Kenyan women are starting to make their presence felt in the 3000m steeplechase, Milkah Chemos stopped the clock at 9:22.49 which was an ACR. The Empress of Entoto aka Tirunesh Dibaba unleashed her devatasting sprint finish to secure victory in the women's 5000m, but overall Kenya secured more victories than Ethiopia. Augustine Choge wrote his name, literally, into folklore by winning the Emsley Carr Mile, the meet's last event.

Canine wars

Today I realised that dogs have Napoleon complexes too because it's been the smaller dogs, Scottish Terrier and Cocker Spaniel, who've attacked me for my balls. The latter dispelled the notion that dogs are colour blind when he opted for my orange ball instead of the lime green tennis ball is owner had thrown. Once again the owner after retrieving my ball, telling the dog off and wiping the ball against her jacket handed it back to me while apologising profusely.

Her embarrassment contrasted sharply with the insouciance of the next dog owner I had reason to interact with after his sorry excuse for a dog bit chunks out of one of my balls. The difference between this mongrel and the other two, the mongrel was an ill-tempered BITCH.

Now dog owners be warned, I will take measures to defend my property from your ill-trained dogs, by any means necessary.

What did Bo get BO?

On this historic day, at a defining moment for the country of his father's birth, one cannot but ask what alignment of stars ensured a referendum that will chart a new path for a country that is yet to live up to it's not inconsiderable potential would fall on the date that a US president of Kenyan ancestry celebrates his not quite half century.

It does look as if the YES YOUTH CAN supporters will provide BHO with at least one of the presents he wanted, I wonder if Bo will provide him with another?

Made in Kenya

Mo Farah's historic 10,000m/5000m double at the European Athletic Championships in Barçelona was made in in Kenya's Rift Valley where he spends time altitude training with the world's best long distance runners. It couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy and here's to hoping it provides him with the motivation to take on his much vaunted training mates at next year's World Athletics Championships in Daegu.

Une médaille pour chaque couleur du tricolor

Christope a gagné une médaille pour le rouge, le blanc et le bleu, les couleurs de son drapeau, le tricolor.
Félicitations à Christophe et Renaud. À Teddy, pas mal.
Voyez-vous à  Londres en deux ans.
Allez les trois mousquetaires, allez!!!