Sporting ambition
As a young man, I enjoyed sport. As a slightly older man, I still do, though I don’t play nearly as much as I’d like to.
This aside, I used to have a list of sporting achievements I wanted to complete by, erm, whenever. The recent achievement of one of these accomplishments — my first 180 in darts — reminds me of that list and where I got to. Some are skilful, some are not. (Given the arrogance of youth has given way to the realities of life, I’ve also added in a thought or two on whether the outstanding achievement will ever be achieved.)
- Make a century break in snooker (I made a 92 once, but this one is never going to happen, unless I manage to secure a full-sized snooker table in the family home)
- In pool, complete a 7-ball from the break (done)
- Score a maximum in darts (done)
- Score a cricket century (done — 137 not out, as an A-Level student playing for my local team)
- Run a marathon (still to do, but surely more a question of motivation rather than inability)
- Hit a sub-par round of golf (virtually impossible, this one. I managed 9 holes in par once, but don’t think I’ll ever make a sub-par round)
- Score a hat-trick / win a penalty shoot-out (done — as a goalkeeper, I helped my school sixth form team win through to the final of the County Cup with a save from the fourth penalty faced).
All in all, progress is good (notwithstanding the fact that I am clearly living on past glories). The remaining achievements will probably remain just that, but I’m pleased with progress so far...
Filed in Personal, Sport