‘PLAYING OUT'


Playtime was anytime when we were kids,
I was even renowned for painting bin lids.
Out in the street from mornin’ ‘til night
up and down entry’s with a torch for a light.

Newall and Clifford, the streets where we played,
Riding on bogies the big lads had made.
Didsbury and Radnor were the other streets that,
Offered places to play with a tennis ball and bat.

Meyer view and Ivy terrace were off Newall Street,
Near to ‘The Boards’ where us kids used to meet.
We’d climb over to play near the railway line,
In all sorts of weather, come rain or shine.

Pudge Casey had a bike, one of the few,
In fact between the lot of us we only owned two.
Round and round the block racing in pairs,
For hours on end without any cares.

Before school and after school we found time to play,
Saturdays and Sundays we’d play out all day.
Rallyheaveho or Kingy or even kick ball hide,
But mostly it was football, Thirty-Three A-side !!

A football would appear and someone would shout,
Go and knock on some doors and see if anyone’s coming out.
We would all turn up in our home made kits,
Mrs. Churchman had made from left over bits.

The kits would be purple, yellow or red,
We would wear them all day from getting out of bed.
If we were not in the street we’d be in be Peel park,
And we wouldn’t go home until it was dark

A bottle of water and jam butties too,
Was all that we needed to see the day through.
The day would fly by but we all had a laugh,
And then it was home to the dreaded tin bath.


Wilf Veevers
Feb. 2001