Ahhh… The 1st June. Traditionally the first day of the season on Stoke-on-Trent AS waters for those who have completed work party’s and historically the time when you’ll find me stuck up on the Top Pool for two weeks solid before the crowds arrive on the 16th – but not this year.

Commitments elsewhere meant I was unable to complete the work parties and even if I had, I doubt I’d have been able to get an away pass from home. As such, last night was a bit of a weird one; I still found myself looking at the clock every few minutes leading up to the stroke of midnight - even though I was at home tucked up in bed watching TV with Lisa and little one!

Old habits die hard I guess - this is probably my first time off the water at the start for maybe seven or eight years – ho hum.

I made sure I switched off my phone before I went to bed - Not being there was bad enough, but to get a text off a mate to say he’d just bagged a biggie…well that would just be cruel!