When I was 14 I decided never to hurdle again after falling flat on my face at the county games and moving from first to last place within just a few seconds. The fact that I did this while looking like a Woody Allen approximation of an athlete, sporting a head-brace and oversized NHS specs just added to the humiliation. I was done! Aside from clearing a few country fences in style when necessary, I haven’t hurdled since.
With Christmas here now, the boardgames are out, and though we love to imagine wonderful scenes of family harmony, the chances of an argument erupting and someone storming off when a loss is in sight is pretty high.
