They say you always remember your first time. For me it was Harlem Globetrotters. She wasn’t the most beautiful table on campus, nor was she a great play, but we had good times. We spent many evenings together in the Students’ Union building - and, of course, I always paid.

HG wasn’t strictly my first: I’d played around with other tables before university. However HG was the first table with which I was serious and went all the way. At first I was fumbling around a lot, not really knowing what to do. But over time I learned how to hit her sweet spots and score consistently. She reacted especially well to my Slam Dunk shot.

Then one day she was gone, her place taken by a younger table with more prominent features.

That was many years ago and there have been many other tables in my life since then. Most come and go, played with briefly then swiftly forgotten, but I’ll always remember HG.

I like to think she still remembers me and the feel of my fingers on her buttons.