Close of play - P. J. Whiteley

A thoughtful, honest story of love and manners, missed opportunities, and the fear of opening our hearts to another

“I stood, entranced, holding the card as I re-read it and gently traced my forefinger over the signature; enchanted at receiving such a rare gift. For a brief, beautiful moment I imagined being there with her, walking on the bleak sandy beaches of north-east England, shaking the sand out of our walking boots and tidying our tousled hair. The sensation disappeared rapidly, and all I had was a card, which I placed on the mantelpiece.”

Brian Clarke has an ordered life, a life of cricket, gentle Christianity, chess, and controlled contact with those around him. He is rapidly embracing middle-age and a structured conformity when he meets Elizabeth—a gentle, caring, genuinely selfless soul who is a glowing bloom among the ordered, blank hedgerows of his life. As Elizabeth demands Brian’s interest and breathes life into his heart, he must reassess the rigid pathway of his life and fight to find the courage to fall in love—or risk losing her forever.