Wild About Harry

Today was the day to go to Castleford for the Rugby League fixture between the Tigers and the Warriors. I ummed and aahed about whether I should go, with my cold and all. I mean, if I wasn't well enough for work should I go to a rugby match? In the end I decided to go as you can see. Reasons being: We'd already bought the tickets and I didn't want to waste £22; I didn't want to spoil Brian's day by not going; standing watching rugby places far less demand on my mind and body than running like a dog at work for 7.5 hours; I really, really wanted to go!

We were playing Castleford Tigers, and in an interview earlier in the week their coach commented that when a previous team he'd coached had won the Challenge Cup, as Wigan did last week, they had spent the following week in the pub and were playing the next game feeling the full effect of that. He surmised that the same might be true of Wigan!

I'm sure they did have a drink to celebrate the win, but a full week bender would not be very professional. However in the first half we were not very good and I was concerned he may have been right! We gave the Tigers a 12 point start before pulling back one try before half time.

I don't know what our coaching team said to the players at half time but it worked wonders! They looked like a different team. Cas never scored another point, and Wigan won 32 points to 12!

I had my camera ready and a try was scored right in front of me, but I was so engrossed in cheering on the try scorer, Jake Bibby that I forgot about taking a photo. So I took this shot of Harry Smith, our best goal kicker for many years, getting ready to take the conversion which he scored! 

We came home happy.

Now I am not so happy. I noticed a box of Covid tests in the drawer and decided to do one - just to be sure that my cold really is just that. I don't know of anyone that has had the virus for a while and had not thought about it until I saw the box of tests. Shows how wrong you can be! I have effing Covid again! 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing! This time is not like last time - it feels milder, and just like a head-cold/sore throat so no alarm bells rang. 

Another mistake may have been all the shouting, singing and cheering I'd done. I had decided I wouldn't, but hive mind kicked in and I couldn't not join in. I now have very little voice, and what I do have is a croaky squeak!