Ronnie, obviously

3-5 down at tea-time, first to 10 and they're betting 10/11 each of two which tells you all you need to know about how bookmakers work.

But you look and think a moment. Ronnie only has to put his 'game face' on and, at two behind, the match hasn't really started yet. He didn't play his brilliant best but he didn't need to. You get into the mind of someone who knows he's not as good as you and they've gone.

It was a nice bit of completely ordinary business in the absence of any horse racing of pressing interest today and a good day's work.

At 48, he is the oldest of his kind but still mesmerisingly tremendous at what he does, a class apart in his own game and quite possibly as much so as anybody else is in any other.

That was a good day's work for the both of us and now I can sleep the sleep of the just and the righteous with the betting balance consistently on the rise which is to no particular purpose whatsoever except for it being preferable to it going in the other direction.