Next week are our assessments as first-year graduate students. I hope to make the transition from what Oxford calls 'probationer research student' to fully fledged DPhil status.

During the past few weeks I have written and rewritten a literature review, trying to condense many papers into a few thousand words. I have also struggled with computer graphics and animation while trying to make a slide show of my work that would neither send the audience to sleep nor make them wonder whether somebody had slipped something into their morning coffee.

During this time, I've had a welcome distraction in the form of the Promega Plant Sciences cricket team. I've had a great time playing as the 11th man (or, as I like to call it, 1st woman). Although some may find it patronizing, I enjoy being cheered for doing even the slightest thing right, such as passing the ball to the correct player. I wish I could enjoy the same feeling in the lab when I manage to get a clean blot or contamination-free agar plates.

Sometimes, though, lab life does mirror life on the pitch. You may not get the results you want, but you give it your all, you have fun, and the people with whom you share your experience make it all worthwhile. The trouble is, science is not a game: you need results.