As I have said before I am lucky in that my McArdle's is quite mild - i now believe that my lifelong passion for cricket, thanks dad!!!!!!!!!!, has had a role to play in making my battle against the disease at least possible. I recently came across some old school reports, which highlight how the game has helped me. After the first term, aged 11, my Housemaster, a lovely man, had this to say:
"He is a pleasant, courteous and willing boy, perhaps a little shy. He tries hard at rugby but it is likely that his main contributions will not be on the games field."
rugby in truth was a real challenge for me - as any McArdle's sufferer could imagine - much too physical. Cricket was a different matter. I had the advantage over many others in that i had been schooled in the game since a very early age by my father, who in another era might have played at a higher level than village cricket, where he excelled, while it is a game where reflexes and timing are as important as muscle strength, and so I was able to compete - certainly McArdles prevented me from being as good as i might have been but cricket meant i kept active and helped my self esteem no end:
After the summer term the same Housemaster had this to say:
"The advent of the cricket season has revealed a new dimension to him: enormous confidence. he has performed well in this sport both for the house and the school and i hope that it will lead to a continuation of this present exuberant attitude."
Cricket has been the one sport i have been able to hold my own in and has been the incentive to fight the disease and to keep moving. While i am not playing here in Singapore I hope to resume my career when we eventually return to the UK, as i want to play alongside my son and that is one incentive to keep exercising to prolong that possibility.
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