After a turbulent few weeks I managed to get away with the family this past weekend to a Game Reserve just outside Brits.

It was just the 4 of us and the intention was some rest and relaxation especially for my daughter who has just started her matric exams.

As we arrived at the pool on Saturday morning I made sure we got a seat with a view of the big screen that was showing the Australia v New Zealand Tri-Nations match. I decided to perk up both my kids interest in the game by giving them a share in my bet which was that there would be under 53 points in the match. Being a generous dad it was a no risk investment for them and both started watching the game a lot closer.

The game got tight after a fast start and at half-time it certainly looked as though we were going to bank the profits. When you go unders in a New Zealand match you are always at risk though and when they scored with 3 minutes to go there was a mathematical chance we could lose our bet with a converted try. Fortunately the bet arrived and the family, including my wife who by this time had insisted on a share as well, were up for the weekend.

The next match was the Griquas against the Stormers where I fancied the Stormers to score 35 points or more. I put a bigger bet down and I was about to find out which of my 2 children took after their dad. Robert, my son, was reluctant to reinvest preferring to sit on his money although he eventually went with half his winnings on the bet. My daughter, Angela, had no hesitation she simply nodded her head and said “reinvest”.

The bet arrived and Angela was now making more money than Robert.

Naturally I got involved in the Lions v Bulls game backing the Lions to score 26 points or more and Robert decided to sit this one out while Angela came in for 50% of her balance just like her old man would have. The bet narrowly lost and while we all came away with profits Roberts conservative strategy paid bigger dividends, but and it was clear to me which child was more likely to follow in my footsteps.

Twitter: @BrentGraham.

This article was written for the CitiGaming supplement of the Citizen Newspaper and was published on the 12 November 2020.

Brent Graham is a blogger on www.goodforthegame.co.za and sends a free weekly e-mail list just CLICK HERE to register