Stupid decisions made recently:

• last Thursday: biking to work in the snow
• Saturday: assuming that she'd phone me when I should have phoned her
• tonight: popping a Zammo-esque max strengh ibuprofen before the game

Lowlife lowlights first. Twisted my ankle in today's footy and tumbled over, not even gaining a penalty. Joint noticeably swollen like someone's inflated my Admiral sock. Even so, should have won my first game, going 5-1 up in the fifth end. He came back and claimed an edge (which hit the side, and that doesn't count), and that was my spirit broken. I played worse in the next match, and later threw away my final game in a painful teeth-pulling encounter. I left with nothing.

Step forward new recruit Arvind: he's Indian, you know, in case you were onshore. Geddit? Moving on, his nerves did for him initially before a storming second match, winning the first end from 3-9 down and going on to secure a precious point. Top man.

Kev was his usual below potential self up to his last singles when suddenly a transformation took place: out with the pat-pat, in with winners, fore and back, and ... what's the word? ... concentration. Shockingly he won the third end; amazingly he triumphed in the fourth end; unsurprisingly he lost the fifth, but quite a performance. More than enough to earn a place in the doubles with Arvind leaving yours truly to score. Like the ankle, ouch.