Nerves, sweat, chokes – what fun is sport without pressure?

Nothing causes more self-loathing than the choke in sport. The feeble fold under pressure. The inability to deliver skill as stress multiplies. The polite smile of a friend which says he loves your collapse on a November morning.

It’s 1-1 and the third and last game of pool at a resort in Bintan. We’re barely playing sport, more like ancient buddies dusting off memories. But winning in anything breeds edginess.