David Gower has a lot to answer for...

1988 was the year that I really got into cricket. My Dad was a big cricket fan and the all conquering West Indian side that had dominated the decade came to England. With two Jamaican parents, I knew in no uncertain terms where my loyalties needed to lie that summer. To be fair the Windies team made it easy, they dominated the five match series and every game I remember England seemed to appoint a new captain. That summer down the park I was Viv Richards or Jeffrey Dujon carving the hopeless England attack all over the field.

The following year at school I was going to demonstrate my heritage by carting the other kids over the boundary. Thing is when you play down the park you don't have eleven pairs of hands, a leather ball and someone standing at the other end with an itchy trigger finger. As I played across the line, attempting to pull pitched up deliveries I soon discovered that my West Indian cricket heroes were more than a little bit talented. That season I learnt a lot of phrases such as "thick top edge", "plum lbw" and the names of all the fielding positions on the leg side as I dished out catching practice.

I needed a new plan. Taking the West Indian approach to the offside didn't work either. My attempts at playing those back foot cavalier cut shots frequently turned into wafts outside off stump or clunking edges to the slip cordon. I needed more control. Some of the kids at school had a lot of finesse and they were the ones who scored the most runs. They also seemed to hit the ball on the floor a lot. I needed to do that and as a result David Gower became my role model. It took me eight years before I could actually play a decent cover drive, the Caribbean tendencies to cleave the ball in the air remained strong. However, all of that work has resulted in a fundamental golf flaw. I can't rotate effectively through the ball. Another lesson today and another half hour spent retreading old ground. I hope that the message has finally gotten through.

I know what I am capable of and today gave me a reminder. Back in the pro shop and a sift through old competition vouchers and I belated collected my winnings from the April medal. I didn't realise I got anything for coming third in my division but a £13.84 credit note was sitting there with my name on it. That day I had gone out in 54 but played solidly coming in and scored a 43 for the back nine (+8). I'm now off to the garden to do my daily drills, the effect I'm looking for is a crisp on drive back past the bowler for four runs. Here's hoping I'm not out for a duck...