Disclaimer

This blog contains junior cricket analysis from a parent who still thinks “pairs cricket” sounds like something involving fruit, casual weather commentary from someone born in Germany and therefore genetically suspicious of British heatwaves, and an alarming amount of enthusiasm for board games. No children, cricket bats, kayaks or cardboard components were harmed in the making of this article. Although some dignity may have been lightly dented.

After a comparatively quiet week preparing for half-term, it was once again left to the weekend to provide the sporting highlights. Because apparently a calm week in our household merely means the sport is gathering strength in the background like a low-pressure system over the Atlantic.

Friday night started gently enough with Taunton Vale cricket training. The session went ahead, which already counts as a small miracle in British sport, and our son received his team shirt. Dark blue and purple, no less. He looked very smart in it. Naturally, this now means he is approximately 43% more official and probably expects us to treat him accordingly.

Saturday then produced the usual Richardt family itinerary: swimming lessons, martial arts, and then two hours of tennis in the afternoon. This all happened while the weather decided to behave like we had accidentally booked a family holiday in southern Spain without packing a passport. Temperatures have been soaring into the mid-30s in parts of the country, including Somerset, which is frankly unnecessary. Somerset is supposed to provide cider, rolling fields and mild confusion at roundabouts — not conditions requiring a tactical hydration strategy.

Sunday morning brought cricket: Ilton at home against North Perrett. The match started an hour earlier than usual, at 9am rather than 10am, presumably because someone looked at the forecast and decided that playing cricket before everyone melted into the outfield was the sensible option.

When we arrived, there was still dew on the grass, making the ball rather slippery. I casually mentioned to our son that bowling first might be a good option. The team captain apparently had the same thought. Unfortunately, Ilton lost the toss, and North Perrett had also consulted the ancient cricketing wisdom of “wet pitch equals awkward batting.”

They put Ilton in.

This became immediately apparent when Beauden was bowled out twice in the first over. Not ideal, but also one of those things that looks much easier from the boundary while holding a coffee and pretending you understand the full tactical complexity of Under-10 cricket.

As the sun rose higher, the pitch dried out, and batting became easier. Ilton recovered well and finished on a respectable 278 with four dismissals. Considering the early conditions, that was a decent total and showed some very good resilience from the team.

Then came the bowling, and Ilton did very well again. They also managed four wickets, including one from our son, which is now becoming something of a recurring theme. In all three cricket matches so far, he has taken at least one wicket. I am trying to remain calm about this development, but clearly the England selectors should at least have his number somewhere.

One of the more bizarre wickets came when a North Perrett batter hit the stumps with his own bat. Beauden immediately spotted it and correctly appealed. Excellent awareness. A proper cricketing shout. No hesitation. No confusion. No need for VAR, Hawk-Eye, UltraEdge or a parliamentary inquiry.

North Perrett eventually finished on 288, winning by 10 runs. That result gives Ilton their first defeat of the season and puts North Perrett top of the league.

Obviously, losing is never ideal, but it was a close game, played in a good spirit, and there were plenty of positives. Also, in junior sport, the difference between victory and defeat is often about 10 runs, one damp pitch, two early wickets and at least three parents saying, “Never mind, you played really well,” while silently trying to work out the league table.

From Ilton, we went straight to Lyme Regis for some well-earned beach time. By the time we arrived at around 12.30pm, the beach was already packed. Parking was limited, beach space was limited, and human patience was operating at a moderate deficit.

Still, we made do.

That is, after all, the British seaside tradition: arrive too late, park somewhere questionable, carry too many bags, and then declare the day a success because nobody got stung by a jellyfish or emotionally destroyed by a seagull.

From Monday, my wife and I were officially on annual leave. Naturally, the first activity was house cleaning, because nothing says “holiday mode” quite like rediscovering areas of the house you had previously assumed were structural features.

After that burst of domestic glamour, we decided to go kayaking. We drove to North Newton and the boathouse, hired equipment for an hour, and paddled along the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal. It was genuinely lovely. Peaceful, scenic and — most importantly — nobody fell in. This is the benchmark by which all family water-based activities should be judged.

Earlier today, we went to Lydford Gorge on Dartmoor. A fantastic place, and with weather like this, walking in the shade felt like a tactical masterstroke. Waterfalls, woodland, shade, and the smug satisfaction of not slowly roasting in an open field. Excellent decision-making all round.

Ilton cricket training, however, was cancelled due to the heatwave. A sensible call. There is enthusiasm for sport, and then there is asking children to run around with a cricket ball in conditions more commonly associated with lizards and weather warnings.

Tomorrow brings our son’s first U10 tennis tournament in Bridgwater. That may well be a baptism of fire. Moving into U10 tennis is another little step up — bigger, faster, more demanding, and likely featuring children who serve like they have personal sponsorship deals and a strength-and-conditioning coach called Nigel. It will be interesting to see how he gets on.

And then, on Thursday, we head to Birmingham and the NEC for the annual gathering of the cardboard fanatics: the UK Games Expo.

As mentioned previously, I will be there this year demoing games for Czech Games Edition, which means I still have some games to learn.

This is fine.

Completely fine. Nothing says “relaxing annual leave” quite like reading rulebooks under mild time pressure while pretending that cardboard, wooden meeples and iconography are a normal adult lifestyle choice.

This may therefore be my last blog entry before UKGE. I will try to write something about the tennis tournament, but I cannot promise anything.

I had vaguely planned to write a daily report from the Expo, but Thursday through Sunday are likely to be long days involving demos, walking, talking, explaining rules, smiling professionally, and trying not to accidentally teach the wrong game to the wrong table.

So, we shall see.

If you are already planning to come to UKGE, feel free to say hello at the CGE stand in Hall 4 (Stand 4-502. I will be the one explaining board games with the calm authority of someone who definitely remembered all the rules and absolutely did not read one of them for the first time the night before.

Probably.