But let's start this blog session by visiting Lowestoft in 1972 (you'll see how it ties in). I was a young cub reporter on the Lowestoft Journal and my main reporting duties surrounded sport and the arts - both of which I was and still am very interested in.
I found out that an Oulton Broad footballer had just played his 1,000th game for the club which was some going. I can't remember his name now but it was Peter something or other. I got his phone number from the club and rang him up from the office in London Road North.
He was only too happy to do a piece for the newspaper but wasn't available during the day due to work commitments.
"That's ok I can do an evening," I said.
So we set a date.
"All I need is your address," I said.
"I'm in St Margaret's Road," he replied.
"Oh so am I," I said. St Margaret's Road is a very long one so this wasn't much of a coincidence until I asked him what number.
"209", he said.
Sharp intake of breath. He was my neighbour. We weren't allowed to charge mileage from our home base but always had to charge it from the office, so I was able to charge four miles of travel for walking next door!
All of that has nothing to do with Celia and Steve apart from the figure 1,000. Celia kindly contacted me about a week ago to say that last Saturday Steve would be playing his 1,000th game of cricket for Great Melton. That's some going. Would I like to go round to do an interview and a feature. Well of course I jumped at the chance.
Steve and myself go back many years. When I was sports editor of the Norwich Mercury Series of newspapers I spoke with Steve almost on a weekly basis and he also wrote match reports for Wymondham Old Boys football and later Great Melton Cricket Club. In his amateur career Steve has not only played 1,000 competitive games of cricket but also 750 games of football.
It was lovely to reminisce and hear about his life as a sportsman and how he has overcome Guillane Barre Syndrome which was a very frightening experience for him. It all started when Steve had a chest infection. One day he felt dizzy and had a problem focussing. The next day he had trouble walking and his speech was breaking up. So off he went to hospital where a diagnosis was made. By this time he was having problems swallowing and he ended up in Intensive Care on oxygen.
After treatment he has made a remarkable recovery, having to learn to walk again. Now he's back playing cricket. You only come across wholehearted people like Steve a few times in a lifetime. It was so good to catch up with him. I cam home and wrote a piece for local newspapers and also a fuller piece for my next Hethersett Herald. My photograph of Steve was taken in the garden of his Swardeston home. Other photos of his special day will be with my articles and were taken by Kerry Lake.
We live in a very rich cricket area as we pondered. Great Melton runs 21 teams of all ages from under-9 upwards. The club I am a vice-president of Hetherset and Tas Valley runs almost as many and then there is Swardeston - arguably the best known club in Norfolk. Together with a triangle of just a few miles those three clubs run over 50 teams between them.
I need to finish today with a mention for Sir Edward Evans-Lombe, a great benefactor of Great Melton Cricket Club who recently died. Great Melton play on land owned by the Lombe estate and Sir Edward was club patron. He was also patron of Hethersett Dementia Support group.