It’s 4PM on Saturday 28th September and I’m enjoying time alone in front of the TV watching the latest football scores. Colchester United are losing 1-0 away to Macclesfield so things could be better. My phone pings and it is a message from Jeff Dewing, CEO at Cloudfm Group. “I need 4o branded premium quality golf polo shirts by Wednesday, can I leave it with you?”. Thinking how am I going to get that sorted I reply with “No problem”. I knew he was taking the Essex County Cricket team on a golfing trip to Portugal and that the long time planned  excursion had taken on maximum importance, as they had just made history by becoming the first team ever to win the Championship and T20 double. I had better get planning. Feelers were put out and the ‘out of office’s’ poured in. I couldn’t do much before Monday and that would only leave 48 hours. On the bright side Colchester had equalised and a useful away point was in the bag.

Monday morning 8.30AM, 40 premium golf polo shirts, in the various requested sizes have been safely secured. By 11.00AM a double sided design has been approved and production is under way. Naturally we get the job done and delivered to Cloudfm House in good time and all that remains is to ensure we get photos of our cricketing heroes wearing the shirts. Judging by the raucous WhatsApp videos I’m being sent of Jeff Dewing inspired frivolity and shall we say, happy cricketers, the trip seems to be progressing very well indeed.

The following Saturday in Colchester, and another week has passed. I’m watching Colchester come back from a goal down to beat Stevenage 3-1. During the game I get a text with a photo of 40 grown men posing in some really nice branded polo shirts. I feel delighted on both counts. Colchester are up to eighth and the Essex boys are looking über cool in Portugal.