Grumpy

I kept away from Betfair yesterday as I felt a little under the weather. Fortunately the expected cold symptoms have not appeared today, so my emergency diet of fruit and hot tea seems to have done the job. It seems obvious to avoid the laptop if you’re unwell. But we’ve all done it, you’re in the house, there’s little to do, so why not try a make a few quid? In the past, I've had to learn that lesson the hard way.

I watched the Mumbai / Kolkata game yesterday afternoon, tucked up on the sofa with a duvet. I had watched a previous Kolkata game, and ( like Ronnie Irani in the ITV studio ) had been unimpressed with Sourav Ganguly’s performance with the bat – too slow, lacking in awareness of the match situation. He was no better yesterday. An under a run-per-ball innings, on what turned out to be a decent pitch. He must be the only player in the IPL who’s looking to improve his batting average.

I once had a celebrity encounter with Ganguly – in a Pizza Hut at Fosse Park, Leicester. I think the Indian squad were based in the area for the 1999 World Cup. I remember his disdainful smirk as he avoided any eye contact with the locals, many of whom were from the local Indian community and clamoured for his autograph. Nothing doing. That same smirk was constantly on his face throughout yesterday’s game. He seems to be more interested in Sourav Ganguly than in the Kolkata Knight Riders.

I’m now further in the red than I was at my last post. I had a couple of successful hours on Friday evening. Easy money. I went out on Sunday, but managed to sneak a couple of hours on my return, making over £100. I spent another couple of hours on Monday evening. More easy money. But Saturday…… ( silent groan ).

I am hopeless nowadays during long sessions. Whilst I know that you’re going to lose a few bets if you spend a long period betting, I just seem to get grumpy and my technique and tactics deteriorate. I then move into a semi-zombie state, watching my bank disappear down the plughole with what at the time seem like a series of unlucky bets. It’s only when you step away and come back the next day that you realise how crap many of the bets were. I must learn to break up these long weekend sessions, they just don’t work for me. Fortunately, spring is with us and I’m considerably more likely to get out of the house at the weekend in the spring and summer. I’ll be glad to see the back of March.