We have all had times when we can’t watch a game live and have to rely on other ways of finding out the score. I was given permission from the BOP Mafia to miss the Auckland game to attend a cricket coaching course and I am very grateful to the Mafia for allowing me to attend (and I am sure my kneecaps will recover over time).

The timing was such that the match started during bowling coaching and would continue through wicket-keeping, with half-time falling between the two. Donsteppa had promised to text me the half-time score but meanwhile the bowling coach was Vaughn Johnson, the current Wellington cricket coach and somebody concerned about the score in some irrelevant Ranfurly Shield game (to see who was going to look after the Shield for us until next season). He was getting text messages detailing Wellington’s sad first half demise while I resisted the temptation to text Donsteppa, concentrating instead on bringing my arm over straight.

Eventually in the break, I texted Donsteppa and his response was “17 to 13 to bay, we played into wind!” which sounded promising even though our previous wins at the WBF Stadium had come through defiant second halves into the wind. I asked him for regular updates in the 2^nd half while I tried to concentrate on wicket-keeping as coached by Glyn Howell, who used to play for Canterbury. Of course he was getting texts about that Shield game which he kept on relaying to the group (as if they would be interested) while my phone would occasionally beep with an update. They went in order (in brackets my thoughts upon receiving said message).

22 to 13 (brilliant try conceived by Jackson and featuring inter-passing between forwards and backs)

25 to 13 (65 yard penalty by Jackson)

32 to 18 plus bonus point (another Bay try as above, Auckland try from bizarre and possibly illegal play – I was close with that thought!)

32 25 (message getting shorter as stress increasing, referee patently has Auckland in a large “Bet 5” wager at the TAB)

WON! (last message and imagining Donsteppa face down in the Baypark clay, overcome by the moment)

I wore a ridiculous smile for the rest of the coaching while Glyn Howell’s silly grin at 35-10 was replaced by an ugly scowl at 38-38.

So would I recommend texting as the best way to follow a game? It is about on a par with watching teletext as I did for the AB games against Wales and France when I was in England (and that French game was a bit tense – “how can you score 3 quick tries and then let them back into it, best drop Oliver and you’ll get 50 against SA and Aus”). The last 10 minutes on Saturday were pretty fraught I must admit, hoping for no text message in case it contained an Auckland try.