Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?

By Paul Jackson

This account intends to capture the pleasure obtained at the Mottram Bowling Green on a fine summer’s day. In the ‘Mottram Story’ Vera referred to the club as ‘this little gem of ours’. This phrase captures the essence of what the club holds for its members. Is any other bowling green its equal for the pleasure given, which is enhanced by the beauty of its rural setting?

Scores and results are not alluded to, for if pleasure is merely judged from numbers, you can see the body but miss the spirit. This spirit is seen in the weekly camaraderie, nattering and easy banter, and the way a game can provide outrageous reversals in fortune that seem implausible. Often, these just happen by simply having the jack. The result of a game or match can seem immaterial when compared to the pleasure of being together and just enjoying playing. When scores are forgotten, the memories of the events and the people remain.

Even driving to the club, there is a sense of peace in the Mottram area, as glimpses of lives mysterious are seen, a white house in the middle of fields, paths winding into the woods of The Edge, an old lady walking along a lane, a man knocking at a village door.

There is pleasure in entering the pavilion. There is a wonderful, homely feel, all furnishings and fittings provided by members. It is the ritual epicentre for the tea drinking ceremonies which abound at Mottram. Even the second-hand bookshelf holds its own allure. You never know what might fall out of these second-hand books, ticket stubs, library cards, photographs, scribbled messages or even letters. You are in touch with someone, who, until that moment, was unknown.

A favourite was a cricket book that was found. In it is learnt that someone named Richard gave the book to someone called Angela, “To thank you for a happy summer”, and completed with kisses. Presumably Angela was so touched she gave Richard a Chanel Coco in return.

The landscape at ‘our little gem’ always captures our senses. During this summer we have seen buzzards circling over the fields. Wagtails are frequent visitors to the green during matches, so much so, that visitors think that they are the home team’s groupies. During one match we were visited by four swallows, an uncommon sight these days. They wheeled and swooped overhead, catching insects on the wing. They only stayed for a couple of minutes but provided a brief but magical interlude.

Bowls is a summer sport, and the delight of a fine summer’s day at Mottram, takes some beating. As summer progresses, there are fresh delights to see and savour in the weather and in the Mottram landscape. We can delight in experiencing: daffodils swaying in early April; hues of blossom in May; the whiteness of summer’s longest days, sitting in the shade to shelter eyes from the glare; in August the brilliance of days departing and the first indications of another season’s end; the first turn and drop of leaves in September; fields becoming brown again after reaping and the yellow glow of an afternoon beginning to fade.

Summer is our backcloth, and life becomes a little sweeter when we meet at Mottram on match days during the season, with a blue awning of sky, peaceful sunshine and a gentle breeze blowing, giving it a lovely English flavour.

The green at Mottram makes you want to bowl and is wonderful to see when entering the gate. It is a ‘lotus land’ for Mottram bowlers, a place where it is always a summer’s afternoon. In this Mottram-Land the grass is always greener than you could ever visualise.

As well as the inviting green, there is a broad canvas in front: the calm and peacefulness; the waving colours as players crisscross the green, focused on their games; the freshness of trees cascading up The Edge; the largeness of the sky emphasising the nimbus and cirrus clouds. All this provides a peaceful order to the match taking place which is mesmeric.

We are coming to the end of the season, and we will reluctantly wait for another summer with nothing but bad weather and darker days ahead. Yet, we have had another enjoyable season in each other’s company and the thoughts of this can sustain us until next year. We can look forward to yet another Golden Age. Our bowler’s art and skills have been thrown out on the summer’s air and enchanted us while they lasted. But the summer we have just lived together is still with us and always will be. We have seen and experienced much together, and the memories are with us like a gift.