I have spent the last eight years as a cricket coach.
More accurately, I have statistically been the least successful coach in the 148-year history of Duffield Cricket Club.
I have three daughters. In 2017, rumours in the village were circulating that the ECB had introduced a new programme to get young kids into cricket called “All Stars”.
More importantly, this provided parents with two hours of precious childcare on a Friday evening during the summer.
The following year I got asked to become a volunteer, mainly due to my foghorn voice and Labrador-like ability to distract unruly kids.
This started a coaching journey. With girls. Amazing, funny, resilient and, as it turned out, hugely talented girls.
Over the last eight years, we have grown from one team of tremendous trailblazers to 80+ girls and ladies playing across five junior and four senior teams.
Our junior girls play against boys. Mostly... we lose. Sometimes... pretty heavily. Hence my suboptimal relationship with the win column.
Yet, we nearly always ‘win’. This summer, I had a mum from the opposition say to me, “I’m supporting my son today but I’m also supporting your girls, they’re just amazing”.
If hearts and minds scored points, we’d walk the league every year.
I have loved most of it. Lived all of it. But sadly got to the point this year when I realised I probably owed myself, my daughters and my wife a bit more time. So, I took the difficult decision to quit cricket coaching at the end of the season.
But… every now and again… life has wonderful ways of mysteriously thanking you for the stuff you put in.
Last Thursday, my middle daughter was asked by the MCC to represent the Northern state schools in a match against the South. At Lord's.
Then, on Saturday, my youngest won the ECB Girls Under 13 National Championships, again, at the Home of Cricket.
I was sat in the dugout with Mark, my fellow coach, whose life has been rejuvenated by cricket and coaching girls. And we cried.
I grabbed my little one as she came off the pitch… we cried.
Saw my wife, a treble-tough northerner… even she was in floods.
Got a cuddle from my mum and dad. All crying, obviously.
The sheer elation in the girls’ faces as they lifted the trophy… well, you can see it for yourself. Pure joy and ecstasy that comes from a team collectively finding a way to win, even under incredible pressure.
Doing stuff together is the most powerful and rewarding thing we can do. Sport, business, life... It’s all so much better when you’ve got others to share it with.