'Pavilions' provides pleasure!

Released to great acclaim in 2018, Pavilions In Splendour has provided one Cheshire couple with much joy during this summer.

Pavilions In Splendour by Geoff Wellsteed details 133 of the cricket clubs spread throughout the length and breadth of the lovely county of Cheshire.

From Paul & Anne Madden

During total lockdown Anne and I took our daily walk round the corner to Brooklands CC, followed by a couple of laps of the pitches — the grass and setting were a much nicer venue than the streets of Sale.

But now to the point. Once lockdown eased, Anne had the brainwave suggestion that instead of the Brooklands CC walk, we should find other CC's and try to walk there, around the ground or the locality. Since then, your book (and map, and postcodes) has been a more or less daily bible. I just counted and we have in fact visited 71 clubs, and it's been a real pleasure. Many many thanks again — the Maddens' mental health has stayed in fine shape as a result!

A few anecdotal highlights. We were sat at a gate which offered only "Private property", searching for Rode Park and Lawton (pictured) when a chap on a bike came out through the gate; he turned out to be the club secretary and invited us to go through, where we met another two very friendly guys working on the ground, who filled us in on the estate (the son of the landowner used to be a junior, before zooming off to Harrow, for instance).

At Audlem (after the orienteering you mention) we met John (or Geoff?) Wainwright who was also very friendly — a 20 minute cricket chat in the pavilion, where we discovered our mutual ownership of your book, and sang its praises.

Narrow escape at Hyde — barrier up, one car parked but no-one in sight, so nice walk round, by which time parked car was leaving. The driver fortunately stopped to check we knew the barrier exit code. No! But he followed us out, otherwise we might have been still there.

And endless beautiful villages and grounds — Bunbury, Burton, Langley, Over Peover, Pott Shrigley, for example, all previously unknown, but Rode Park and Lawton took some beating.

We will be doing some more probably, but it might be that we have to watch some actual cricket soon!

Paul and Anne Madden

Pavilions In Splendour by Geoff Wellsteed — click here for further details