Huge excitement in West Cumbria today with the New Zealand v Scotland rugby league match.

But frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn!

In the first place, I win, whatever the score.

I was born in Scotland and lived nearly half my life in New Zealand so whoever wins would be my team – if I cared!

Now I am not saying I hold a grudge, but I fell out with rugby league over 20 years ago and have never spoken of it since!

My 16-year-old daughter’s boyfriend got me hooked. With one TV in the house, and his passion, we had little option but to watch games.

In those days New Zealand didn’t have a professional league and we watched Australian league. I even had my own team, the Penrith Panthers – and my own hero, their captain, Greg Alexander.

Then two things happened. I can’t remember the order in which they happened but I remember pleasure turning to bitter resentment as I vowed never to watch the sport again.

The first blow was when New Zealand set up its own professional team and called it the Auckland Warriors.

It’s now only the Warriors but that is too little, too late.

Remember the irritation you felt when you heard or read about the LONDON Olympics? Multiply that by 10 and you will get close to the feeling we, deep in the South of the South Island, felt about “big brother” taking our game.

But that was nothing compared with the other fatal blow.

If I liked Greg Alexander, the Australian, I loved New Zealand’s Gary Freeman.

He became one of New Zealand’s top players, representing his country more than anyone else and in more consecutive tests than anyone else.

But there is one record that eluded him. No, sorry, one record that was cruelly snatched from him at the same moment that I turned my TV off and vowed never to watch the game again.

He was captain of a New Zealand side touring Britain.The team was not playing well. In fact, it would be true to say they were failing dismally.

I don’t remember where or when the game was, but on this one encounter Gary Freeman would have the record for being captain of his team for the most consecutive games in history.

And the coach dropped him!

To add insult to injury, he was brought back for the next game.

So, there we go. I am pleased that Workington’s Zebra Claims Stadium has managed to secure this match and it must be good for the town but that’s it.

If New Zealand and Scotland were playing any other match – even tiddlywinks – I would be there cheering them on.

But this is rugby league so I’m going to stay home and find a rugby union match on TV. That will show them!

Actually, I won’t be staying home. This morning children in Maryport are holding a special Remembrance Day service and tonight there is a Remembrance Day concert at St Mary’s Church in Maryport.

When you remember what day it is and remember those who marched to war and never came back, it makes our own day-to-day petty worries seem just that – petty.

So today, in particular, I will remember those who died in war and those who came home and lived with the scars both physical and mental.

And I will thank them for the freedom they have given me – including freedom of expression and the freedom to hold onto a grudge even unto the next generation and the one after that.

Anyway, I hope the people who go to the game enjoy it and I hope the visitors feel this is an area they want to come back to in the future.