Our eldest son, Jim, was a really good footballer and our third son, Rodney, looked up to him and tried hard to be like him. So, as soon as he was old enough, Rodney joined the under-fives football team. We duly gathered at the football field to watch our tiny son put his best foot forward.
Rodney was on the wing and he and his opposite number became distracted by an aeroplane flying directly overhead. They stood there, side by side, hands on hips, gazing skyward, totally engrossed and blissfully unaware as the entire field of foot-ballers swept past them, first one way and then the other.
Having rejoined the game, the two little boys tried hard to keep up, even took part in a tackle or two. Then Rodney caught the ball and took off, racing down the field flat out and nobody could catch him. The whole two teams streaming out behind. It looked like a sure thing, the try line was fast approaching. He couldn’t miss, and then the coach, who’d also been racing down the sideline, caught up with the little boy, picked him up, turned around and set him back on the ground. This time facing towards the right goal line.
By Margaret Irwin