As I write this, England appear to be crumbling against New Zealand in the second test. England failing in tests appears to have been a feature of my summers ever since I first got interested in cricket back in 1975. In those days, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson were terrifying our batters. The following year it was the West Indies speed quarter, making Tony Greig “grovel”. There have been occasional bright moments since, but on the whole, middle-order collapses have been as regular a part of the English summer as wasps and sunburned bald spots.

I used to love playing cricket. In particular I dreamed of being a fast bowler. Unfortunately my inability to generate terrifying pace was matched by my complete lack of direction. So I was content to be an utterly unconventional opening batter – playing everything off the back foot, having taken a guard of “middle and off” (I took that guard from the umpire, but actually made my mark in front of off stump). It could be genuinely annoying to an opening bowler to find out that he couldn’t actually see the stumps, while I nurdled soft outside edges along the ground through the slips or past fine leg.

I loved being a gully fielder. But I had a very wise captain he noticed that, though I was red-hot in a catching position, I lost all focus the minute we all ended up on the boundary. In the village cricket that we played, you didn’t exactly stand in the field with a can of beer in one hand and a fag in the other, wondering which one to drop if you had to make a catch. But my attention would wander, when out in a village with a lovely view of the Northants or Bucks countryside.

So “Fletch”, the captain, made a great move. He made me the wicket keeper. I’d never kept wicket. Never wanted to keep wicket. Never occurred to me that I could keep wicket. But I had to focus, or I’d get a ball in the mouth. The reflexes that made me a frustrating batter also made me a decent ball-stopper. And I was always in the game. I loved it.

Always be prepared to try something new – you might like it. You might be good at it. You’re never too old to try a new thing. I say that. If you’re on your death bed wishing you’d try abseiling, you’ve left it too late. Better try it now.

And especially with cricket. Don’t forget that they play village cricket in heaven. Just another good reason to want to be there. As it says in the old carol,

“Where like stars his children crowned,
All in white shall wait around.”

Revd Gary

“Pause for Thought” this month comes from Gary Alderson
Rector – Barnack with Ufford, Bainton, Helpston & Wittering
Telephone: 07503975588