Teamwork

I thought my apathy towards the current sporting extravaganza might have melted away now that it has actually started. I imagined that, once the showbiz bit was over and the games got under way, I would be glued to the screen. But no. I'd still rather watch repeats of Morse and Upstairs Downstairs. After the Tour de France, the test series and the rugby tours I must be all sported out.

It has got me thinking about teamwork though.

By the way, when did our boys and girls suddenly become 'Team GB'? Shouldn't Northern Ireland get a mention somewhere?

Anyway, whatever it's called, it's nice to belong to a team isn't it? I've always thought of myself as a team person. I emphasise this in any interviews I attend – “I'm a team player, I'll do anything anything for the team”. I have no inflated ego and I've always loved any activity that involves working together with other people. You don't always have to be shoulder-to-shoulder with your team-mates. I've taken part in a few sports that would appear to be individual disciplines but, nevertheless, I've often been a member of a club – and therefore a team.

And my greatest sporting moment? It's strange, but it's not the obvious ones that spring to mind. I was pleased to finish a marathon in a little over three-and-a-half hours, I finished several Olympic-distance triathlons and I received £45 prize money for 4th place in my age group at the Jersey Powerman. But there's one small incident that I recall most often. I loved playing rugby at grammar school but I wasn't good enough to be a regular in the school team. I did, however, make the house team and there was one occasion in a match where a ruck had formed and I was right in the middle of it. I managed to force my way through and hack the ball downfield. I chased after it followed by my team-mates but it ran into touch just short of the try-line. I turned to see my captain following up and apologised to him for not creating a scoring opportunity.

“Don't worry,” he said. “That was just what we needed.”

You have no idea what those words meant to me. I hadn't scored a brilliant try nor had I won a medal but I had made a significant contribution to the team and my efforts had been acknowledged. And that's all I want from writing really. Not necessarily to be famous or win national awards (although some money would be nice). But just for my scribble to be appreciated.