Sweet bitter sweet Sunday

I was spent.

The 1.6km stretch of beach in Sentosa took the wind out of me. Amidst the straggling runners, I did my utmost to overtake them, avoiding the pits and crevasses of the trampled sand.

It took all of my effort just to keep on jogging on the sand.

Before the REAL Run began, I reminded myself to take it slow and treat it as a warm-up run. Who was I kidding. Running 10km, even at a slow pace, was going to sap my strength.

And I had to save my strength for the Pesta Sukan Netball Carnival, that was due to commence immediately after the run.

In spite of the heat and, I must say, inadequate physical preparation, I am quite simply overjoyed to finish the race, in slightly over an hour.

It means I can get home, take a quick shower, get rid of the sand in my shoes, and hurry down to Kallang Netball Centre, where my wife and my team mates were.

Which was precisely what I did.

In spite of the refreshing bath, I still felt weary.

As I walked past the courts, and glanced at the teams shooting and passing the balls, I felt like I might have made a mistake. Should I have run at all? How am I going to answer to my teammates if I perform poorly?

Our first game started in ten minutes. As the GK, the man I marked was truly a giant. Almost my height, and twice my width.

At my physical 100%, I would have given him a run for his money.

But I was virtually exhausted, and not enough time had lapsed for my strength and stamina to return.

My team played nervously, unable to penetrate and provide much of an attacking threat. Our opponents were competent and passed the ball at will.

The first game was lost.

Sober now, our team got together and we exchanged ideas to improve our play. There was a good half hour before game two and it was useful for me to regain my strength.

Game two was certainly better. We were more cohesive and more shots were scored. I felt stronger, but still far from my best.

And we won the game.

The third game saw me pitting my skills against the same giant I had mentioned in my earlier blog entry.

This time, we exchanged warm smiles and a firm handshake.

As the match progressed, it became abundantly clear that our opponents were different compared to the last time we played.

Some players were unfamiliar. The new faces were very good. The team we played today was far superior.

Physically, I had recovered most of my stamina, and even got the spring in my jump back. Just in time, I thought.

But it was not enough. Our opponents' superior movement and clinical finishing meant that we did not stand a chance.



Our first foray into this mixed netball competition has been a bittersweet experience. Well, certainly the friendship between us has grown stronger. It is always special when the team is made up of husband-and-wife pairs and good friends.

On the other hand, our actual match performances today were shadows of our effortless wins during our earlier training sessions. We realised that we needed more match practice and we had to learn to keep the ball better.

After securing victory in our fourth and last match, we headed to the MacDonald's opposite the Netball Centre and had a bite there.

In the midst of the easy banter, jokes and incessant complaints (about the queer umpires and scorching heat), someone uttered, "Let's play again next year!"

I'm game!