I found a Swingball set in our shed today that I had forgotten was there, and given that the weather was so great I figured I’d get it out and give it a go with the family.

I must admit, I got more than the five minutes of fun out of it that I had expected. It actually scratched an itch I did not realise I still had, and made me pine for my summers playing tennis, which is a sport I reluctantly let go of a few years back after having played it consistently – and at a fairly competent level – for over two decades.

At least tennis affords you a proper tool for the job. Those undersized plastic bats are extremely unforgiving, and I won’t be surprised if there’s a blister the size of a dinner plate on the side of my thumb when I wake up tomorrow… but it was worth it for laughs we had.

Of course, this year is a bust for tennis (this year is a bust for most things), but maybe I’ll get my racket out of the garage and smack a few balls against the wall anyway.