Forget the London Lions, I'm with Lithuania

In a bid to find a sport to love, Marie Le Conte attempts to overcome her basketball demons

- Marie Le Conte

What you must know about me is that I have freakishly tiny hands.

Many high street stores do not sell rings small enough for my fingers. What you must know about France is that, for some godforsaken reason, basketball dominated PE lessons in the early 2000s. I was exactly as good at it as you'd imagine.

The sport is, as a result, not one I'd ever been attracted to, but I thought I should give it another go. I booked myself a ticket to watch the London Lions take on the Žalgiris Kaunas, and hoped for the best.

It didn’t start well. I woke up that morning having slept poorly, and spent the day forlornly watching the thick grey clouds hanging overhead, choking on existential ennui. The last thing I wanted to do was spend the evening watching a sport that had traumatised me as a teenager.