Playing with my son

Gerald Dodson

I always thought he had four mothers. Our three daughters came along in quick succession, then we more or less called it a day. But nearly seven years later, our son arrived. Of course we all loved the new baby, and his sisters showed him off to their friends with tremendous pride.

For me the odds suddenly changed from four to one against to two to one! By this time I was 38, and I knew that I was always going to be a somewhat older dad for Andrew. This made me think of my own father, who was almost 39 when I was born. Things were different then I suppose, but sadly I cant recall him ever playing games with me, so I wanted it to be different this time round.

Baby toys, winking, snap, catch, football in the garden. It wasnt just me. We all taught him how to share and play. It was fun, and he was a keen learner. Soon I was watching him play in school teams, like any proud parent. Never excelling at any sport, but playing a few, I have lived through his successes and failures. Andrew enjoys various sports, and has shown useful talent at some.

The one game we both still play is cricket. Andrew now performs at a high level in club cricket, while my team are way down the leagues. Even a decade ago, when he left school, his upward progress had convincingly eclipsed my declining trend, so I can count on one hand the times we have played together in the same team.

The day in question is now eleven years back. My wee club had had a goodish season, but we needed to win our last game to gain promotion. Although Andrew was one of our junior members, he was seldom free for our games because of his other commitments. This time, though, he was around, so he was in the team. A special day already.

I cant recall every detail, but we fielded first, and I do remember he took a high running catch near the boundary off my bowling. Good lad! Soon we were batting, but the ground we were at, some miles out of town, was just under a ridge of hills, and by this time heavy clouds were building. A rained-off match would be no good for us. We had to win. A few wickets fell, then Andrew went in to bat. Talk about living his successes and failures - we all felt the tension. Well, Andrew came up trumps. He top scored with 40-odd not out and saw us over the line. Celebrations all round, just as the heavens opened!

Thinking back, the world virtually stood still that day. However, in its wisdom, our league had decided that cricket matches should go ahead, even though Princess Dianas funeral was taking place right then. I have never travelled on a Saturday lunchtime on such deserted roads, while the whole country mourned the shocking death of such a famous young person.

Those simultaneous memories of national grief, our little local excitement, and the incredibly empty roads remain exceptionally clear.