Ӕhe more I practice the luckier I get,ӠGary Player
The difference between success and failure in sport can sometimes be put down to luck. Professional sportsmen and women would like to think that the reason they won was completely down to their skill and dedication. However, now and again a lucky break has given them the edge.
In tennis a ball can hit the net and if the player is lucky it will bounce over and get the point. If mistress fortune is not with them then the ball will strike the net and bounce back. That moment could be the difference between winning and losing.
A snooker star can go for the winning black and it can hit the lip of the pocket go round three cushions and fall down a different hole. On another day it could bounce around and leave their opponent with an easy pot.
Being fortuneֳ friend
In these sports the player will acknowledge a fluke. They almost apologise for the fact that they have benefitted from lady luck. Of course, they are not sorry at all for the fact that the bounce of the balls has given them a chance to win.
In a sense it is the luck factor that makes sport interesting. If every game was based on ability then the same people or teams would win all the time. While they do win most of the time there is always that chance that luck will shine down and help the underdog.
Last week League two side Bradford beat Premier League Aston Villa three one. While Bradford played well and worked hard they benefited from the bounce of the ball at times. They made the most of the luck they had and achieved a memorable victory.
Yet it could be said that they made their own luck by taking the game to the superior side. By being bold and seeing what might happen they deserved any good fortune they received. Sometimes it pays to take a chance.
Not getting the break
Some players never get injured and others have their careers ruined by them. Kieron Dyer was one of the most promising players when he emerged at Ipswich Town in the late 90s. His career though has been ravaged by injury and he has spent more time with first aid kits then on the pitch playing football.
At the weekend two players went off the pitch suffering from knee pain. Tottenhamֳ Sandro dropped to the floor in agony after kicking the ball and Wigan defender Ivan Ramis clutched his knee in anguish after a challenge with Dimitar Berbatov.
It looked at first that both had suffered knee ligament injuries and would be out of the game for a number of months. A serious cruciate ligament injury means surgery and then the long hard road of rehabilitation, ligament knee supports and, if they are lucky, full fitness.
The Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas reckons that his Brazilian star will be fine to play next week. Yet Wiganֳ Spanish centre-back will not be so lucky with his manager Roberto Martinez saying, Ӕhe manner he has done it, the way he has felt the knee opening, and the pain he has got in the patella tendon. I do fear the worst.Ԝn
Sometimes that is the way the cookie crumbles.