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Ben Nevis (pt. 2)

Despite feeling sore for the remainder of our trip, Josh and I packed in a load of stuff and had an absolute blast.

(Day 3)

The following morning, we drove west towards Glenfinnan Viaduct, a trainline made famous by its appearances in the Harry Potter films. The Jacobite steam train crosses over a few times a day, so we endeavoured to get there in plenty of time to scout the area. However, it is a hugely popular site and we were unable to find a parking space for our house-on-wheels, so we decided to carry on our way and try again later in the day.

We continued west through more gorgeous scenery until we reached Mallaig, a small fishing town with a bangin’ bakehouse and some postcard-worthy viewpoints. Its train station sits at one end of the Jacobite’s route, so we made sure to be stood on the platform as she rolled into town.

We then set off for another crack at Glenfinnan, imagining ourselves engaged in a Top Gear race vs. the mighty steam engine! The drive itself wasn’t too tricky, but finding parking was; we saw some laybys and pop-up parking areas that might have worked if we were in a smaller vehicle, but after doing a figure-of-eight loop and nearly giving up, we tried once more for the viaduct’s own car park and were rewarded for our persistence. Not too long after finding a viewpoint, we heard the telltale chug-a-chug and watched as The Jacobite rolled across the viaduct, leaving a plume of smoke in its wake.

(Day 4)

Golf was the prime attraction of the day, at Woodlands Glencoe Activity Centre. It sits on the shore between two lochs, with a couple of mountains in the background for good measure, making it a ridiculously pretty place to knock some golf balls around. Plus, the place was virtually empty – the only brief source of noise coming from the sudden appearance of a fighter jet screaming by overhead! I started out patchily but finished stronger – the number of peachy shots I hit throughout the round made up for the inevitable collection of absolute shockers, and I finished with 3 pars across the final 4 holes! We went around a second time, but our hearts (and legs) weren’t as invested. I did at least finish with a flourish and nab my second par on the 9th hole – AKA ‘The Assassin’!

The sun continued to blaze down, so we made good on the only other thing left on our wishlist – a BBQ back at base. We sat in the late evening sun demolishing food and sipping cider, until finally calling it a night.

(Day 5)

I drove us back to Glasgow next morning, trying (and failing) not to say “wow!” every 30 seconds at the scenery surrounding us. The only flaw in our otherwise perfectly planned week was the lengthy wait until our flight that evening, but Josh had a brainwave and sourced us a reasonably priced hire car for the day, which allowed us to squeeze in a bit more sightseeing and a place to catch a few zzz’s before getting to the airport! We wandered around Ibrox and Celtic Park (agreeing that Ibrox has the nicer exterior), had lunch at Maggie’s Rock ‘n Rodeo (brisket doughnuts to die for), and even found one last bit of magic dust in our pockets upon reaching the airport – we camped out in an area that was entirely deserted for the best part of two hours, allowing us some additional quiet time before finally getting on our flight home.

We made it back to mine shortly after midnight, battered but buzzing from our efforts. A bloody awesome week, and a trip I’d enthusiastically recommend. Turns out Scotland’s rather pretty* – who knew?!

*f’king gorgeous

[benjaminsblog]

Ben Nevis (pt. 1)

I’m spending 5 days in Scotland with Josh, the main aim being to ascend the summit of the tallest mountain in the UK; following my successful Snowdon trip a few years prior, I had my sights set on another misty mountain hop. We flew to Glasgow on Monday morning and collected our home for the week before driving it 2h30 to Glen Nevis - a campsite situated near the base of Big Ben.

The drive took us along the length of Loch Lomond, which was pretty but narrow - I winced every time a lorry passed by in the opposite direction, but the closest we came to an ‘inchident’ was friendly fire from a fellow camper van carrying a bit too much speed into a corner After a lengthy day of travel, we had a chilled evening and I cooked us fajitas before our climb the following morning.

We opted for an early start and started our trek just before 9 - source(s) claimed a round trip of 7-9 hours, but I was confident we’d be ahead the curve. We took things at a steady but casual pace, which worked out well considering most of the terrain was rocky/uneven. The first half was fairly straight, and it then became a zigzag pattern until the final stretch to the summit, where 3 hours and 6 minutes later, we were standing on the peak’s plinth.

BN was definitely a level up from Snowdon (both in elevation and difficulty); the up journey was taxing on the thigh muscles, whilst the knees and ankles bore the brunt on the way down. I think Snowdon was overall a prettier journey, but BN had some great views of its own - though not at the top, which was shrouded in mist.

Not that this dampened my sense of achievement at reaching the top; after a celebratory photo and a short breather we started the return leg, doing our best to ignore the protests from our increasingly ailing bodies. We made it back to ground level just as our stopwatch hit 5:45 - a great effort if you ask me!

Almost as impressively, we managed to drag ourselves to dinner a few hours later - we retraced the first few hundred steps of our earlier trek to Ben Nevis Inn - the kind of building the word ‘rustic’ was made for. We treated ourselves to a well-earned scotch whisky apiece, which - at 55% alcohol - nearly burned my lips off! The food was very good, but they lost points for a) not making any of the tweaks to my burger I requested (most glaringly venison instead of beef), and b) forgetting Josh’s haggis spring rolls entirely!

[benjaminsblog]

Strasbourg

I returned to Strasbourg after my first visit the previous year for the same tennis event - I don’t recall last year’s tournament being particularly taxing, but things were even more serene this time around.

This was mostly in part due to me having some company on the operating front - Jenny and Affonso joined me at different points during the week, which was a welcome change from doing the entirety of Strasbourg ‘24 solo.

Another happy upgrade was I had an ‘enforced’ day off mid-week; due to ‘strict French labour laws’, I was not allowed to work 7 days on the bounce (don’t know where this rule was last year), so I had Tuesday all to myself! I spent it wandering around the centre of Strasbourg for a couple of hours, and enjoying a very cheesy slice of quiche for lunch.

[benjaminsblog]

Arrows and 8-balls*

I spent the best part of a week op narth covering Premier League Darts (in Leeds) and the UK Open Pool Championship (in Telford) - I've often stated my inclination to work on 'pub sports', but I rarely get the chance outside of snooker.

As it turns out, the Leeds leg of the Premier League wasn't much to write home about, but Telford was the main attraction of my week - pool jobs are seldom seen in general, so I was pleasantly surprised to be drafted in for my first pool gig since Atlantic City (Oct '22). I teamed up with Erin at Telford International Centre (the new home of cue sports?!) as we covered the final two days of the UK Open; the entire 256-player tournament takes 6 days to complete but only the latter stages are televised, so we got a manageable morsel of matches to operate over the weekend.

I was able to tick off another new role by scoring some pool matches for the first time, which I enjoyed. I noted several similarities between pool & snooker operating, which helped me pick things up more quickly - I was soon channelling my inner Mr Snooker and flinging stats anywhere I could!

While pool is simpler than snooker, it still requires a significant level of skill and understanding to master it - plenty of snooker pros have tried their hand at it only to be taught severe lessons, and the top players this week demonstrated just how devastating they can be.

None more so than the eventual winner Aloysius Yapp - the sedate Singaporean faced off against swashbuckling Spaniard Jonas Souto in the final, who - despite some impressive performances in his earlier matches - arguably had less involvement in the final than I did:

Before poor Jonas had even had a shot he was 4-0 down - Yapp broke off and subsequently cleared up four times in a row, and things didn't get much better for Souto after that; Yapp obliterated his young opponent 13-1 in one of the most one-sided finals I've ever worked on. He compiled four more flawless breaks along the way, meaning that Souto - despite the embarrassing scoreline - truly didn't do a whole lot wrong.

Team GFX weren't complaining, though - it was great to watch one of the top pros put on a clinic, and came with the added benefit of wrapping things up in record time; we were off air at 8.40pm and derigged so swiftly that I was able to make it back to Hemel in time to catch the last train home!

*OK, so the UK Open was in fact a 9-ball event as opposed to 8-ball, but that's not as catchy a title!

[benjaminsblog]

April 2025

This month has been the busiest of my working life - I've travelled to Manchester, Ayr, Newmarket and Madrid, and only had 3 days to call my own:

Manchester once again played host to the final ITV snooker event of the season, which went okay. There were a few more blemishes than we're used to, but we made for it up with some additonal graphics - One-Pocket Challenge Leaderboard, anyone?!

Due to the structure of the tournament, Team GFX got a bit more time off in between sessions, so we were reunited with the mini tables in the fanzone. I even knocked in a few worldies in plain sight of the World Snooker crew manning the main table, who registered their approval!

After an off-day and an office-day, I headed up to Ayr and then back down to Newmarket for some horse racing; when I went to Ayr for the first time last September, the hotel I stayed in was nothing special, but on this occasion I was treated to Marine Troon hotel. As well as being a rather nice hotel, it is home to Royal Troon Golf Club (part-time host to one of golf's four major tournaments) which made for some cracking scenery. I even had some fun on the lightning-fast practice green outside the hotel; my colleague Crofty and a gentleman walking his dog all bore witness to my best ever putt - I will definitely be telling the grandkids I drained a 45-footer at The Open!

I was generously afforded two days off before flying to Madrid for the third straight year to work on WTA tennis. After a very smooth couple of rig days, I kept things ticking over alongside Paul, whilst colleagues Ryan and Affonso pitched in from back home in Hemel. As something of a regular in these parts, I didn't plan on doing any sightseeing of note, opting to spend my time off relaxing after a hectic month.

However, after a power outage on Day 6 that affected the WHOLE OF SPAIN AND PORTUGAL, I was forced into an impromptu 2-hour walking tour in order to make it back to my hotel. Thankfully, the problem was fixed later that evening shortly after I'd collapsed into bed, and I thusly resolved to walk as little as possible for the remainder of my stay!

[benjaminsblog]

DITV - Part 3

Completing the lineup:

House

2004-12 (177 episodes)

Favourite character: House (who else?)

Favourite moment: House chooses his new team via ‘challenges’

I have only watched the entire series once through, but thanks to repeatedly getting sucked into endless Youtube spirals, I feel like I know House far more intimately than that. There were times I grappled with just how unpleasant the title character became and treated those around him, but it’s addictive viewing watching Hugh Laurie deliver dumbfounding diagnoses and laparoscopic tongue-lashings in equal measure. His supporting team(s) has their moments, but it’s very much all about House – just the way he likes it.

QI

2003-present (321 episodes)

Favourite character: David Mitchell and his ‘angry logic’

Favourite moment(s): Stephen/Sandi lose control of the class

Who said learning can’t be fun?! An inspired series that has an endlessly excellent supply of both topics and guests; when Stephen Fry stepped down as host he was generally considered irreplaceable, but Sandi Toksvig slipped into the teacher’s chair as if it had always been hers. Alan Davies is an ever-present participant and performs his role as class clown perfectly – he has driven both Stephen and Sandi to the edge of reason on numerous occasions.

Like the contestants, I’ve been suckered into the obvious (incorrect) answer countless times (I think my personal klaxon score currently sits at -46,834), but it has always been fascinating to learn why I was wrong – though I will forever dispute that water has no taste!

Suits

2011-19 (134 episodes)

Favourite character: Jessica

Favourite moment(s): Mike and Harvey fling pop-culture references at each other

Sharply dressed and sharply written, this series centres around bigshot lawyer Harvey Specter hiring Mike Ross as his new associate after the latter demonstrates his inexhaustible capacity for retaining knowledge. The only snag is that Mike has zero credentials to be a lawyer, so they must go to great lengths to keep this information hidden whilst making waves in the corporate world.

While there are many engaging characters, it is the duo’s relationship and delicate balancing act that is the focus of the series. Unfortunately for the show, Mike and his recently wedded wife Rachel made a departure at the end of season 7 (due to actress Meghan Markle’s marriage to Prince Harry). It wasn’t the same for the final two seasons, but there is more than enough over the first seven to justify Suits making the cut.

Top Gear

2002-22 (240 episodes)

Favourite character: They come as a package deal, sorry

Favourite moment(s): The specials

It’s just three middle-aged blokes messing around and driving about in cars, but somehow this premise ran for the best part of two decades and became a global success. It’s 13-year run with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May was undoubtedly its golden period, with their effortless chemistry complemented by stunning cinematography, creative challenges and spellbinding specials.

In truth, the ‘car’ aspect of the show was secondary; I did enjoy some of the more informative pieces, but there’s no question the trio was at their best when finding new ways to mess around with both their cars and each other. The numerous specials were as fascinating as they were funny, including intrepid journeys across Patagonia, Vietnam, and even to the North Pole! Despite the show’s well-worn mantra of ‘ambitious but rubbish’, they always triumphed in their quest to boldly go where no car has gone bef…wait, wrong show.

[benjaminsblog]

Players Championship, Telford

The penultimate ITV tournament of the year went by smoothly – I was joined by a different collection of colleagues for the week in Nicola’s absence; Will, Rob and Jenny all pitched in at different times during the week, spearheaded by AE’s Head of Snooker (me).

The tournament took a while to get going but it ended with a suitable final – World #1 Judd Trump v World #2 Kyren Wilson. Trump enjoyed a relatively calm journey through the rounds which included a 6-0 thumping of Shaun Murphy, whereas Wilson had to work a little harder; his SF match against Neil Robertson was the best of the week by some margin (David Hendon anointed it as best match of the season) with both players maintaining a high level throughout. Wilson fought back from 4-1 down to draw level, only to throw the 9th frame away by fouling on a re-spotted black! However, the reigning World Champion produced two nerveless, faultless breaks in the last two frames to reach the final.

Both finalists promised attacking play and they duly delivered. Between them they averaged just four safety shots per frame and an average frame time of 14 minutes (only one frame passed the 20-minute mark!). They registered similar stats in most departments (except for long pots – Judd was a ridiculous 18/22), so it fittingly went all the way to a decider. Once again, it was Kyren Wilson who held his nerve to win a 10th ranking title – 5 of which have been at the expense of Judd Trump.

[benjaminsblog]

DITV - Part 2

The first half of my 8 finalists:

Brooklyn 99

2013-21 (153 episodes)

Favourite character: Captain Raymond Holt

Favourite moment(s): The cold opens are things of beauty (#thefullbullpen)

I was a bit late to the party on this one (I’m generally late to the party on all pop culture), but as soon as I sat down to give it a proper go, I was cuffed. Each member of the cast is equally hilarious and gets their chance to shine, but I think they go up another level when they combine their powers with those of their squad mates – in a very Power Rangers-esque way, I might add!

Community

2010-15 (110 episodes)

Favourite character: Troy

Favourite moment: Chang’s Spanish lessons

Another hilarious ensemble cast that can deliver the laughs in any combination. In my opinion the first four seasons are streets ahead of the final two, though this was largely due to events beyond the show’s control (actors/writers leaving the show). But even if you omit seasons 5-6, you’re still looking at 90-odd episodes chock-full of pop culture references, meta moments and lightning-quick quips – all delivered with such unrelenting speed that if you turn away for a second, you might miss something…or get a paintball pellet to the face.

Fawlty Towers

1975-79 (12 episodes)

Favourite character: Manuel

Favourite moment: Basil vs Mrs Richards

Only 12 episodes were ever made but ‘Farty Towels’ was a lock-in from the start, which just shows how brilliant the short-lived series was. I was introduced to the show during a drama class at school and instantly loved it – I soon had the set in my possession by the next birthday/Christmas and had the majority of lines consigned to memory shortly after. It is quoted constantly among my family and even by one or two colleagues who have a Touch of Class!

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

1990-96 (148 episodes)

Favourite character: Uncle Phil

Favourite moment: Will’s Dad leaves (honourable mention for the ‘Carlton’ dance)

I watched this regularly as a kid and it had me laughing every week. But like much of my favourite media, when I watched it again as an older, wiser individual it took on different dimensions. The show is rooted in the real world and often dealt with real-world situations; sometimes the subject matter became quite serious, but they were always handled incredibly in my opinion. My ‘favourite moment’ is one such example, and I think it just might be the best piece of television I’ve ever seen – a flawlessly acted, raw moment that hits me in the feels every damn time.

[benjaminsblog]

February 2025

The second month of the year was monopolised by tennis – I began February in the UAE and ended it in Mexico!

I was joined by Chanda in UAE for the (*takes a deep breath*) Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council – a name so ridiculously long that we had to shorten it to make it legible on our graphics. I can’t say I was enthusiastic about travelling to this part of the world, but on the (very) bright side, the weather was a stark improvement on what I’d left at home – I think I saw one cloud all week! Chanda told me that last year’s tournament was delayed due to a rainstorm, but even after seeing video evidence I couldn’t quite believe it. If anything, Mexico was even sunnier and came with the added bonus of a pool on the hotel roof, which I made good use of during my stay.

In Abu Dhabi, Swiss Miss Belinda Bencic won her second M.A.D.O.P.B.A.D.S.C. title from two visits (#undefeated), while world number 10 Emma Navarro made the most of a depleted field in Merida to win the biggest title of her career; she faced Colombian world number 133 Emiliana Arango who’d come all the way through qualifying to reach her first WTA final, but 55 minutes and two bagels later, it was all over.

Both jobs went so smoothly as to be unremarkable, and sadly both locations weren’t much to write home about either. I didn’t try too hard to sightsee in Abu Dhabi but the few attempts I made in Merida yielded nothing, which was doubly disappointing given the very light workload. There were potentially better options further afield, but I opted to kick it by the pool instead…gotta save some energy for work!

[benjaminsblog]

Desert Island TV Shows (DITV) - Part 1

Time for another round! It’s been a while since I did one of these, so in short, I get 8 TV shows to take on my desert island. I always have fun agonising over my choices, but for this version, it was a little tricky deciding on how to approach building my octet – the original rules set some importance on the emotional connection you share with your choices, but I also had to balance that with shows that I would still enjoy rewatching, otherwise I might lump myself with 156 episodes of something that once meant a great deal to me but I could no longer stomach watching (thanks for the memories, Power Rangers).

Happily, those two criteria often overlapped, but there were still some tough decisions I had to make - my initial shortlist yielded 12 results, and after thoroughly weighing up each of their pros and cons, 4 admirable candidates fell just short of making the trip to my desert island:

Match of the Day

1964-present (5,000+ episodes)

Favourite character: Thierry Henry

Favourite moment: The Invincibles Season

I watched MotD more ardently than any other TV show every Premier League weekend for nearly 15 years. I didn’t have many opportunities to see full games when I was younger, so the weekly highlights show became my fix of ‘live’ footie. I therefore spent countless weekends trying to avoid results during the day (a hugely stressful, often futile undertaking) so that when the familiar theme tune started to play, I had no idea what was coming in each game.

Being an Arsenal fan, my enjoyment of the show could fluctuate wildly, but I count myself very fortunate to have witnessed the Wenger years and the achingly beautiful football that his teams could conjure on any given day. I still re-watch that Dennis Bergkamp goal and wonder how on earth he did it…

The Office (US)

2005-13 (201 episodes)

Favourite character: Dwight

Favourite moment: “Knock-knock”

I’ve never had the pleasure of long-term office work, so I think that’s partly why The Office (UK) never clicked for me. The Scranton branch in Philadelphia opted for a comedic rather than satirical approach, which was more my thing. There are heartwarming moments among the hilarity and the main characters do grow during the series, but it is first and foremost a fabulously funny show, and that's why I love it so much (that's what she said).

South Park

1997-present (328 episodes)

Favourite character: Cartman

Favourite moment: Cartman vs The Nannies

It's a cartoon, but it certainly isn't family-friendly. No individual or topic has escaped the SP treatment over the years, and the show has withstood countless criticisms during its almost-30-year run. SP's reputation for its absurd shock humour is well-earned if at times misunderstood (there are plenty of moments that I find myself squirming at) but I am in awe of the creators' imagination and audacity.

I totally get why South Park is not for everyone - in fact, it was quite hard finding a somewhat-usable clip for this post (you might want to skip past this one, mum)! But in my opinion SP is a darkly clever, funny show - of this much I am positive. And not just positive...

Ted Lasso

2020-2023 (34 episodes)

Favourite character: Roy Kent

Favourite moment: Ted plays darts

A wondrously heartwarming series that even got Mr Robot over here a lil’ bit choked up by the end. Like most of the characters in the show, I was initially sceptical when I heard the premise – an American football coach (different sport) with an unfailingly positive outlook on life coming to England to coach one of our soccer football teams?! I wasn’t expecting it to be my cup of tea - being a product of the real world, I fully expected to get sick of Ted’s shtick at some point – but Coach Lasso soon won me and his team over.

[benjaminsblog]

Swing, swing, swing

I’ve been very active this week! Along with a swim in the local pool and two sessions of tennis (6 times this year, yo!), I cashed in on a present from Dad – a Red Letter Days voucher for a 9-hole golf lesson with a PGA pro. I picked out Northampton which was within reach, and got in touch with the resident coach Paul; we’d initially agreed a slot at the end of November ’24, but due to multiple rearrangements from Paul’s end (bad weather, illness, double-booking himself), it took another two months for me to nail him down.

I arrived in plenty of time to warm up, having not hit a golf ball in months. I went into the pro shop and introduced myself to Paul, who gave me directions to the range and told me there were some balls already out there from his last lesson that I could use. It took me a while to find the range, as I was looking for some kind of structure, but eventually I discovered a few open bays pointing out into a field with golf balls scattered across it. I didn’t see a basket anywhere, so I walked back to the pro shop to get some more. The chap behind the counter explained that the balls I’d seen strewn across the range were in fact the balls that Paul had referred to, and I would simply have to collect some up myself!

After a spot of manual labour, I had my warmup and then met Paul on the first tee. My performance was patchy; after a decent couple of opening holes I struggled for fluency, but my short game was in great nick – I chipped a handful of delightful shots onto the greens from varying distances/lies! Paul was friendly and chatty, but I wouldn’t have minded a bit more input from him during our round. As we neared the end, I got the impression that he had one eye on the finish line, and our leisurely-paced play sped up a bit. My performance suffered further from playing faster than I normally do, though it wasn’t until I started on the back 9 (solo) that I recognised this. With the course all to myself, I took my sweet time and immediately saw an uptick in my play. I saved my best for the last 3 holes, which were also the prettiest:

#16 was a par 3 with the tee boxes and green separated by a mahoosive lake. I’d been playing off the shorter tees throughout my round, but they almost made the lake a non-factor, so I chose the farthest box (166 yards) for my Tin Cup moment. Attempt #1 skimmed across the water a couple of times before sinking to the depths, but attempt #2 sang as it left my 5 iron and landed less than 9ft from the hole! I was a whisker away from one-putting it but had to settle for a ‘par’ (shhh).

#17 was a par 4 with ‘say-goodbye-to-your-golf-ball’ woods all the way down the right-hand side. I sliced my drive off the tee and heard a loud ‘thunk’, so I played another which I sent safely left. Miraculously, upon reaching the bend in the fairway, I saw that my ball somehow managed to bounce back onto the course! I figured that this ball must have some residual magic dust on it, so I aimed directly at the towering tree that was blocking the pin from view and sent my magic ball sailing over it to land on the very edge of the green, mere metres from the flag! Alas this was one of the holes that was employing temporary greens, so I picked my ball up and consoled myself with the knowledge that I basically scored a second consecutive par (shhhhhhh)!

The #18 par 4 crossed back over the lake and up the hill to the clubhouse, and was easily the most beautiful spot on the course. I chose the big stick for one last hurrah and hit the purest shot of the day – I rifled my drive up, up and away over the lake, and a fair way (heh) up the hill! It was such a sweet shot that it took me a moment to find it, as I hadn’t realised just how far it had gone (the scorecard suggests that it may have been as long as 220)! I couldn’t help wondering if anyone had seen my missile from the clubhouse, but no applause greeted me as I approached the final green. I was about 50 yards from the flag and still below it, but my trusty short game stood firm and I flopped a doozy onto the dancefloor. It was a long-ish putt which I got close enough to end the day with a third consec- oh alright, a legit par!

[benjaminsblog]

Christmas 2K24

I had a fantastic couple of weeks to end the year on; I had the week before Christmas off, and made the very most of it by hosting friends/family on 4 separate occasions. First through the door was Mum, Helen and Granny for some soup and tea. It was Granny’s first visit and she was suitably impressed with my pad – though not as impressed as I was with her reaching the age of 97 on the same day!

The following afternoon, Dad rocked up for a few days. We popped into London for his Xmas present, which was the F1 exhibition I went to a few months ago. I was confident it would go down well, and it did – he’s still going on about it! He helped me hang a load of stuff on my walls which made the place feel a lot less empty and a lot more like home. I think I’ve got a great collection too, including canvas prints from various places I’ve visited, as well as artwork by me, Dad, Hannah and Granny! I told Mum she needs to get her paintbrushes out…

After a brief respite, Josh was next up; I christened my slow cooker in style, making a buffalo chicken mac and cheese (drooling noises), and the day whizzed by as we played a bunch of games – I was undisputed Mario Kart King.

The following day, I completed my hosting duties by welcoming Sam, Erdoo and Ive to Flat 16. I was still in full-on Cook Mode so I offered up a salmon & pasta dish, followed by a hearty helping of Gooey Butter Cake (A.K.A. Missouri Cake).

Christmas shenanigans were briefly put on hold as I took a van to Kempton Park on the 23rd for a half-day of rigging, but that was dealt with painlessly and I found myself in Reading surrounded by noisy cousins by 4pm! Multiple food courses, 3 egg nogs and one Christmas quiz rounded off a wonderful couple of days, before Hannah and I headed to Mum’s for Christmas Day itself.

I spent Christmas Day feeling a bit under the weather – I suspect the past 10 days finally caught up with me – and although it meant I was of little use socially for most of the day, I was still able to enjoy some more lovely company and a delicious lunch. Hannah’s latest lab Whitney unquestionably had a good time - snaffling 24 uncooked (and unattended) pigs in blankets from the kitchen counter within minutes of arriving!

Boxing Day racing at Kempton came and went in the blink of an eye – the highlight was my colleague Crofty bringing along some of his “award-winning ham” for me (cooked in nothing but Strongbow Dark Fruit cider), which was scrummy. We were off air so promptly that I wandered down the road to Josh’s for some more games and one more excellent helping of food. Crofty and I aced two more days of racing before I closed my account for the year.

[benjaminsblog]

Champion of Champions, Bolton

A week at the snooker was just what the doctor ordered – a solid, hassle-free week and some decent games to boot.

Mark Williams rolled back the years (again) to make the final and faced the week’s star player Xiao Guodong; Xiao kicked off his week by losing 3 frames to Ronnie O’Sullivan (without even potting a ball) before achieving a miraculous turnaround to win 4-3! Another 0-3 deficit was erased in the next round as Xiao outlasted Mark Selby, before a comprehensive win over Mark Allen in the SFs - quite the route to the final!

The title match started off in familiar fashion for Xiao – Williams took the first three frames, and then another two for 5-0 despite not playing particularly well. Once again, Xiao did not let a slow start deter him; he won the remaining four frames of the afternoon to keep himself very much alive heading into the evening session. However, Xiao’s magic dust finally ran out, and Williams completed a comfortable 10-6 victory to be crowned the Champion of Champions…Champion?!

Just as notably, for the first time in all the years Nicola and I have been doing ITV snooker, our names were added to the end credits! Typically, it has been “Graphics: AE Live” (per ITV guidelines apparently), but it was brought up at the last event and momentarily dangled as a possibility before being taken away. Imagine our surprise then, upon receiving this week’s credits list to see our names up in lights!

I’d never given it a moment’s thought at any of the previous tournaments, but after having the carrot dangled in Cheltenham it was disappointing to be denied. We are as regular and integral to the snooker shows as everyone else, so I was very appreciative of the nod, however belated it was. Even better, we made our credits debut underneath the face of the Champion of Champions Champion!

[benjaminsblog]

No-vember

November suddenly got very busy for me. In the space of a week, I was thrust into three new roles – Rugby League, Europa League & Saudi Pro League (the latter two are football). I generally enjoy adding strings to my bow, but it was not a stress-free experience; due to the quick change-up in my chart, I was not afforded a whole lot of time to fully acclimatise to each position. And although they are not a million miles away from similar roles I have performed, each of them has different requirements, and sometimes – bizarrely – different buttons for the same graphic even if it’s the same sport! Thus, I could not get through the jobs on muscle memory alone, and as a result I felt a lot less comfortable than I normally do in the hotseat.

However, as a tenured operator of 5+ years I knew the task(s) was not beyond me. I travelled to Leeds for a double-header of international Rugby League friendlies and performed as solidly as the home team(s); in a mismatch of huge proportions, England Women pasted the Welsh 82-0 before the men’s team saw off the challenge of a far more competitive Samoan side, winning 34-16. The latter was a fantastic watch, and even in an unfamiliar role, I was able to enjoy it while I worked.

Another trip op narth to the red half of Manchester followed, and a first visit to one of the UK’s most famous stadiums, Old Trafford (A.K.A. The Theatre of Dreams). I didn’t get a chance to wander around the ground, but it was still cool to see it and tick another sporting sight off my list. Due to some sudden technical issues originating from back home at the office, it threatened to become The Theatre of Screams, but the team worked overdrive to fix things in time for kick-off. Manchester United welcomed PAOK (A.K.A. Panthessaloníkios Athlitikós Ómilos Konstadinoupolitón) for some late-night footie, and although it was a far cry from the European nights of yesteryear, the Red Devils eventually got over the line 2-0 against their Greek guests. I also kept a clean sheet in the van.

No rest for the wicked as I continued to cover the miles at a rapid rate, driving back down the following morning to be in situe at Stockley Park for an afternoon Saudi match (operated remotely). I visit SP about once a year for the odd Premier League match, which isn’t regularly enough to feel entirely at home anyway, but for some reason my feelings of discomfort are exacerbated here. It also doesn’t help that each time I visit I end up working with new faces – another minor struggle for Mr Wallflower over here.

I had the least prep time for this job too, so when my first proper mistake of the week came (animating the wrong team’s lineup over the arrivals shots), it felt somewhat inevitable. It was an avoidable one, and it took me a while to shake off the negative feelings, but I made it through the rest of the show unscathed.

I escaped SP as soon as I could and bade good riddance to a trialsome week. I abhor feeling unprepared and always like to do my due diligence, but as that wasn’t entirely possible my aim was simply to survive it. I suppose overall I did, but ending on the lowest note isn’t a good feeling. A stint of snooker is up next (up north once again), so at least I can retreat to my safe space for a little while.

[benjaminsblog]

British Open, Cheltenham

Snooker season kicked off with the ‘BO’, and it was a busy but successful week. We covered two tables for a change, which meant an extra pair of hands in the van (Adam), while Nicola oversaw Table 2 from inside the venue. I’d spent a few days in the office training Adam up, and he got to grips with it so quickly that I stuck him in the chair for the opening session.

He enjoyed a dream first day on the keys, overseeing rapid wins for Rory Thor, Judd Trump, Shaun Murphy & Kyren Wilson. I told Adam that it doesn’t always go so smoothly on the snooks, and – as if summoned by hearing his name uttered three times into a mirror – Mark Selby materialised to ruin our evening(s). He went to a decider in each of his first four matches, the worst being on opening day when he kept Nicola and me onsite until half-past midnight.

In brighter news, my personal highlight was notching up the fourth maximum break of my operating career! Mark Allen was the obliging player, making a very classy clearance that included an incredible plant+double combo halfway through his attempt. I considered myself rather fortunate to be sitting on the keys for this 147 – it was on Table 2 and I’d just sat down for that one frame to give Nicola a break – she was not happy when she returned!

There was another milestone we spent all week waiting for – Judd Trump started the tournament on 998 career centuries and was aiming to join Ronnie O’Sullivan & John Higgins in the esteemed 1,000 centuries club (Higgins only made it the previous week). Everyone was looking forward to being part of the momentous moment, and after Trump got his 999th on Day 1, it was surely only a matter of time before we’d be animating in our “1000th CAREER CENTURY” graphic. Despite scoring all his matches, we had to wait until the QF stage for the landmark ton; it was a cool moment – the crowd went berserk, prompting Trump to acknowledge them with a smile and a wave, shortly before waving goodbye to the tournament as Allen pooped the party by knocking him out!

Semi-final Saturday arrived and despite heavy rain, there was an even darker cloud looming inside the venue; the second SF pitted Mark Allen against Mark Selby, which for the last couple of years has been the matchup I’ve wanted to avoid above all others. The Selby Effect has been well-documented on this blog, but in recent times Allen has done his darndest to take the Jester’s mantle as Public Enemy #1 with an incredibly negative brand of snooker. The thought of them sharing the table on Saturday evening made me very worried indeed.

Unbelievably, the match started off even worse than I had imagined – 31 minutes into Frame 1, the two antagonists looked at each other and agreed on a re-rack! At this point I was fearing an absolute horror show of an evening (+morning) but thankfully, the pace picked up after that and Selby got past Allen in relatively painless fashion.

Selby faced John Higgins in the final, which is another matchup that had me slightly worried, but the two of them combined to put on a show in the afternoon session with a ridiculously high standard of play – only 6 balls were missed in those first 8 frames, 5 of which were long pots and thusly somewhat excusable. Selby led 5-3 heading into the evening, at which point I took over from Nicola. Disappointingly but not unexpectedly, the standard dropped (on the table, not in the van!) as a few nerves – and flies – flitted around the arena, but while Selby managed to maintain a solid level, Higgins eventually faded.

For the first time on a snooker job since my last involvement at the World Championship (2021), I saw Mark Selby lift a trophy and I can honestly say I don’t begrudge him his victory. Although he frustrated us for the majority of the week, he ended it with two superb performances against world-class opposition and thoroughly earned his 23rd ranking title. And even more amazingly, I came to the realisation that he may not even be my least favourite snooker player called Mark anymore…

[benjaminsblog]

Up in the Ayr

In the week since I officially moved in, life has barely stopped and I haven’t had a chance to settle into my new home. I woke up the following morning and felt the unmistakeable first symptoms of a bug bearing down on me, and although a few aspirin (aspirins?) were enough to get me fighting fit for Monday’s epic tennis match, I have been struggling ever since.

Dad came down on Tuesday so see my place and deliver the remainder of my stuff, so I have at least managed to collect all my worldly possessions for sorting at a date TBC – I’m looking forward to feng-shui’ing the crap out of my flat once I feel up to it! For dinner, we went to a Brazilian restaurant in Hemel called Rodizio Villas – a belated birthday dinner for Dad that we’d rearranged a couple of times, but one that was worth the wait. The food was decent, but the highlight was when the waitress brought Dad’s coffee and momentarily tricked him into thinking it was decaf – I thought it was hilarious, and Dad grudgingly agreed once he got over the initial shock!

On Wednesday, I spent all day (and a bit of the night) in the office prepping for next week’s snooker tournament (our season opener), before driving back to Mum’s to collect her from the airport. Then on Thursday, Mum took me back to mine for a quick peek, and then to Luton airport so that I could board a plane to Scotland (alas, for work, not holibobs). All this activity meant that my immune system’s decision to take a vacation of its own has not come at an ideal time, but I’ve managed to soldier on, albeit rather weakly at times.

I spent the last few days in Ayr covering horse racing, which was generally unremarkable. That is how I would describe Ayr itself, except for the beautiful beach (yes, beach) that I got to see bathed in the warm (yes, warm) evening sun (yes, sun)! It was almost deserted and wonderfully peaceful, and it did the world of good for my mental + physical wellbeing – as a good ol’ coastline walk always does.

Once the final furlong had been run on Saturday, I set off once more – no rest for the sickly – as I had nearly 350 miles to cover by noon on Sunday in order to make call time at the snooker; the British Open is once again being held at Cheltenham Racecourse (the irony of which was not lost on me), which meant I had a further 6-7 hours of driving to do before reaching the relative safety of a snooker OB. On the bright side, I finally got to see some ‘proper Scotland’ for the first time in my life; the opening 1h30 of the drive was unbelievably gorgeous, and although I resisted the temptation to stop and stare at the stunning scenery, I did take a slight detour so I could tick Hadrian’s Wall off my UK bingo card.

I had already been on the road for a while before the thought entered my mind, and after some deliberation, I said ‘sod it’ and punched it into Google Maps. My only slight concern was that since HW isn’t confined to a single point on a map, my deviation might end up being a fruitless one and I’d rue the wasted hours I could’ve had in bed. However, I reasoned that it would likely be a long time before I was ever this close again, and if I couldn’t spot a 73-mile wall then I didn’t deserve to see it!

Having said that, it wasn’t as easy to identify as I’d thought; I had vague images in my head of a low-level, dilapidated stone wall, but my drive through the country roads was festooned with them, and it was clear that I hadn’t yet found the real McCoy. The point that I’d selected on Google Maps was by a small Roman fort (Birdoswald) with a visitors centre that had long since closed for the day, but after parking outside and walking a short way down the road, I found an information point that verified I was standing beside ol’ Hadrian himself.

Looking back down the road I’d just come from, I wondered if in fact I’d spent the last five minutes driving alongside him without realising (honestly, the walls all look the f’king same around there), but this confirmation was good enough for me. Normally I do my due diligence before such a trip to ensure maximum satisfaction, but this was the fleeting-est of flying visits, and the main aim had been to see Hadrian before I couldn’t see anything at all. If you ask me, I think this photo would suggest I timed my visit perfectly!

[benjaminsblog]

A tennis showdown of epic proportions

I joined the Langley lot for our final match of the season away at Croxley, and the stakes could not have been higher – the standings were so tight that depending on the outcome, we could have been promoted, relegated, or stayed put! It was the very last match in our league to be played, and with both teams targeting promotion, everyone knew the situation and it made for a cracking finale.

There were murmurs that, with so much riding on the result, Croxley would switch up personnel and even sub in some coaches – I couldn’t quite believe that people would take it that seriously, but there were a couple of unfamiliar faces – one of whom did turn out to be a coach! I got to renew my partnership with Aaron, which was undoubtedly the star pairing in last seasons’ promotion run; we’d only played a few matches each this season, but never at the same time. In fact, we’ve barely seen each other since last season, so it was a long-awaited reunion!

We kicked off against what turned out to be Croxley’s strongest pair, and immediately realised it would be a toughie. But Aaron and I are no pushovers, and we managed to keep pace with them, growing in confidence as the set progressed. The momentum shift came with me serving at 2-3 15-40; we saved two break points, won the game, and then surged to the finish line by winning the following three games as well!

Emboldened by our excellent victory, we kept our level up against the next pair, who were also tricky. There were a couple of questionable terrible line calls they made at critical moments, and Aaron in particular was not happy. But we retained our focus and channelled our displeasure in the right way, taking a second satisfying win of the evening.

By the time the final round of matches kicked off, darkness had fallen, the floodlights were on, and a sizeable crowd had gathered outside the courts to watch the conclusion. It is customary for the visiting team’s pairs to stay put and for home pairs to switch courts, which meant that Aaron and I were on ‘show court’ all evening. The crowd was unsurprisingly 100% Croxley, and they weren’t afraid to cheer and clap their boys on. I quite enjoyed the partisan atmosphere, though I wouldn’t have minded a few more appreciative claps when we did something right – the fact that Aaron and I did a good job of keeping them quiet for most of the night was its own kind of reward.

Our final set ebbed and flowed – we went a break up but our opponents steadily improved and broke back. By this time, everyone else had finished, and the body language was enough to tell me that the tie was now poised at 4-4. Thus, it all came down to the final set of the final match of the season!

While our opponents grew into the game, Aaron and I struggled to maintain our level, and I could sense things were starting to get a bit sticky. Things got a whole lot stickier when they broke to lead 5-3, and we were swimming in molasses after they raced to a 40-0 lead. But in the face of raucous support (which at this point was directly behind us), we saved not one, not two, but three match points! We were hanging on for dear life, but after a few more deuces (and at least one more MP), the two of us hit a searing down-the-line winner apiece to steal the game and keep Langley alive! I served next, and after saving a few more match points for good measure, we somehow dragged ourselves back to 5-5.

In a weird way, as unbelievable as it was, I wasn’t wholly surprised by our Houdini act; I didn’t feel nervous even when we were at death’s door – the atmosphere was electric, and probably the closest I will get to experiencing what the pros do, but it actually helped to focus my mind and I fully embraced it. I always felt we could beat this pair (even though I found out afterwards that one of them was a coach), and by the time we'd escaped six match points I started to think that we were destined to pull off a comeback that even Andy Murray would call fanciful.

Shows what I know, because sadly, the miracle attempt fell agonisingly short; the tension ratcheted up with every point, and after Croxley held for 6-5, the match ended in painful fashion with Aaron serving two double faults. It was a sickening way to end, and Aaron was understandably gutted and apologised repeatedly, but I told him – honestly – that I didn’t hold him accountable. We played 2.5 great sets of tennis, won two, and nearly achieved the mother of all comebacks in the third. Plus, if one of our other pairs had pinched another set elsewhere, then it wouldn't have come down to the final game.

Given how well we played, it greatly lessened the sting for me. On the night I think we were the best pair out of everyone, and my old mantra of “I’d rather play well and lose than play poorly and win” just about held firm in the face of its strongest test. Don't get me wrong, in the heat of battle I wanted to win just as badly as everyone else, but at the conclusion I was at peace with our efforts – we couldn't have done any more.

Also, I could appreciate just how exciting a night it turned out to be for all involved, and it felt cool to be a part of it even though I ended up on the losing side. The remaining crowd members did clap us off court at the end, and there were heartfelt handshakes all round before we all went our separate ways.