Park Avenue (stadium)

Last updated

Park Avenue
Bradford Park Avenue cricket ground - geograph.org.uk - 26454.jpg
Ground information
Location Bradford, Yorkshire
Establishment1872 (first recorded match)
End names
City End
Southern End
International information
Only WODI7 July 1973:
Flag of England.svg  England v Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica
Team information
Players of the North (1880)
Yorkshire (1881–1996)
Players (1886)
As of 3 September 2020
Source: Ground profile

Park Avenue is a sports ground on Horton Park Avenue in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England that has been used for cricket, football and both codes of rugby. Yorkshire regularly played cricket matches at the ground between 1881 and 1996, [1] while the site was also home to former Football League club Bradford (Park Avenue), to which it lent its name.

Contents

The cricket pitch remains intact, but the adjoining football stadium has been demolished and replaced with a gym and cricket nets. When the ground was at its peak both the adjacent grounds shared a now-demolished double-sided grandstand designed by noted football architect Archibald Leitch, similar to the joint rugby-and-cricket grounds at Headingley Stadium in nearby Leeds.

History

Cricket

The cricket ground was a regular home for Yorkshire for more than a century, hosting 306 first class and 48 list A matches and attracting tens of thousands of fans to big fixtures.

The first match, starting on 20 September 1880 pitted the Players of the North against the touring Australians while the last first-class game in June 1996 saw Yorkshire CCC play Leicestershire CCC in the County Championship. This final game saw Leicestershire compile 681 for seven wickets declared, the record score on the ground,[ citation needed ] with Vince Wells and James Whitaker both scoring double hundreds. A women's one day international was held there on 7 July 1973 in the Women's World Cup when England Women played Jamaica Women. Park Avenue was also the scene of the famous Test Trial of 1950 when Jim Laker took an incredible eight wickets for two runs in 14 overs as "The Rest", including Peter May, were skittled for 27. Worcestershire CCC were bowled out for 28 by Yorkshire in 1907 when John Newstead took seven wickets for ten runs.

Percy Holmes recorded the highest score on the ground, 275 against Warwickshire CCC in 1928 while C.B. Fry scored 234 for Sussex in 1903. Six bowlers took nine wickets in an innings at Park Avenue, with Albert Thomas taking nine for 30 for Northamptonshire CCC in 1920 and Emmott Robinson taking his career best nine for 36 in a Roses Match in the same year.

Old Turnstiles at Park Avenue BPA (2).jpg
Old Turnstiles at Park Avenue

Rugby

When Bradford FC was formed in 1863 it was a club that played only rugby. They moved to Park Avenue in 1880 and played their first game against Bradford Rangers on 25 September 1880.

In 1895 the club left the Rugby Football Union to join the Northern Union in 1895, playing what would become Rugby league. At the same time Bradford FC also occasionally played soccer, meaning that until 1907 the Park Avenue was used for both sports, although it was primarily a rugby league ground. [2]

During this period Bradford FC were a successful rugby league team – they were runners-up the 1898 Challenge Cup, won the championship in 1903–04, and won the 1906 Challenge Cup, all while playing at the Park Avenue ground.

Football

Old Turnstiles at Park Avenue BPA (1).jpg
Old Turnstiles at Park Avenue

In 1907 Bradford FC members voted to abandon rugby league and instead primarily play association football, later joining the Football League. The club remained officially known as Bradford, but "(Park Avenue)" was often added to their name to avoid confusion with rivals Bradford City.

The ground hosted a Home Championships football match between England and Ireland in February 1909. [3]

The record attendance was set when 32,810 watched Stanley Matthews play in a War Cup tie in 1944. Bradford (Park Avenue) was voted out of the Football League in 1970, playing their final match in front of 2,563 spectators. After struggling in non-League for several seasons the club sold the ground in 1973 for financial reasons. [4] The council later demolished the overgrown stadium in 1980 on safety grounds.

After going bust and reforming as a Sunday league team in 1975, Bradford (Park Avenue) was reformed as a semi-professional club late in 1987 and eventually returned to what was left of their old Park Avenue stadium for one season, only to have to vacate it again when an indoor cricket centre was built on part of the pitch. Following a nomadic existence, during which time they played at a number of local grounds, the reformed club are now well established at the nearby Horsfall Stadium.

Modern day

Although the football ground has long been demolished, the cricket ground remains and is operated by the Park Avenue Bradford Charity. Further plans are in place for a new pavilion on the cricket ground. The perimeter wall of the football ground remains and some of the bricked up terrace entrances can still be seen on Canterbury Avenue with admission signs still in place.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Oval</span> International cricket ground in Kennington, London, England

The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since it was opened in 1845. It was the first ground in England to host international Test cricket in September 1880. The final Test match of the English season is traditionally played there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fartown Ground</span> Sports ground in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England

The Fartown Ground or just simply Fartown is a sports ground located in the Huddersfield suburb of Fartown in West Yorkshire, England and is predominantly famous for being the home ground of Huddersfield Rugby League Club from 1878 to 1992. The grounds consisted of a rugby ground, a cricket ground used by Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Bowling greens and a running track as well as a pavilion. It was the scene of many great games, including the Challenge Cup finals of 1908 and 1910, several Challenge Cup semi finals, John Player Cup finals and international matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bramall Lane</span> Football stadium in Sheffield, England

Bramall Lane is a football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradford Bulls</span> English rugby league football club

The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the Championship. They have won five Challenge Cups, nine league championships and three World Club Challenges. The team jersey is predominantly white with red, amber and black chevrons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancaster Park</span> Park in Christchurch, New Zealand

Lancaster Park, also known as Jade Stadium and AMI Stadium for sponsorship reasons, was a sports stadium in Waltham, a suburb of Christchurch in New Zealand. The stadium was closed permanently due to damage sustained in the February 2011 earthquake and subsequently demolished in 2019. It was reopened in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellis Park Stadium</span> Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa

Ellis Park Stadium is a rugby union and association football stadium in the city of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It hosted the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was won by the country's national team, the Springboks. The stadium was the country's most modern when it was upgraded in 1982 to accommodate almost 60,000 people. Today, the stadium hosts both football and rugby and is also used as a venue for other large events, such as open-air concerts. It has become synonymous with rugby as the only time when rugby was not played at Ellis Park was during 1980 and 1981, when the stadium was under construction during the upgrade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leicestershire County Cricket Club</span> English cricket club

Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland. The club's limited overs team is called the Leicestershire Foxes. Founded in 1879, the club had minor county status until 1894, when it was promoted to first-class status pending its entry into the County Championship in 1895. Since then, Leicestershire have played in every top-level domestic cricket competition in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Road</span> Cricket ground

Grace Road, known for sponsorship reasons as the Uptonsteel County Ground, Grace Road, is a cricket ground in Leicester, England. It is the home ground and administrative base of Leicestershire County Cricket Club.

The History of the Bradford Bulls stretches back from their former incarnation as Bradford F.C. in 1863 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Pleasant, Batley</span>

Mount Pleasant stadium, officially known for commercial sponsorship purposes as Fox's Biscuits Stadium, is a rugby league stadium in Batley, West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of the Batley Bulldogs.

Birch Lane was a rugby league ground in Bradford, England. It was the first long term home of Bradford Northern Rugby League Football Club, who played there for 26 years from 1908 to 1934 before moving to Odsal Stadium. For a short while it was also home to Bradford F.C. in their first incarnation as a football club. Birch Lane was described as "notorious" and a "poverty-stricken place" and was never popular either with Northern or, for the short period they were there, Bradford F.C.

The Circle was a cricket ground on Anlaby Road in Kingston upon Hull, which hosted 89 first-class matches from 1899 to 1974. Two other matches were rained off without a ball being bowled. Most of the matches were County Championship games featuring Yorkshire County Cricket Club, but matches against touring teams from India, Australia, South Africa and University games were also played there. 19 List A one day games were also played at the venue from 1969 to 1990.

Woodhouse Hill was a stadium in the Hunslet district of Leeds which was used for cricket and rugby football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C.</span> Association football club in Bradford, England

BradfordAssociation Football Club is an association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The name derived from their former home at Park Avenue, and was used to avoid confusion with Bradford derby rivals Bradford City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Services Recreation Ground</span>

The United Services Recreation Ground is a sports ground situated in Burnaby Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The ground is also bordered to the north by Park Road, along which the railway line to Portsmouth Harbour and Gunwharf Quays overlooks the ground, and to the east by Anglesea Road. The southern end of the ground is dominated by the Officer's Club building, which overlooks the ground. The ground is owned by The Crown. A multitude of sports have been played at the ground, including cricket, rugby and hockey. The ground was used by Hampshire County Cricket Club from 1882 to 2000, serving as one of three home grounds used during this period, alongside the County Ground, Southampton, and Dean Park, Bournemouth. United Services Portsmouth Cricket Club currently play at the ground. The ground is used in its dual capacity as a rugby venue by United Services Portsmouth Rugby Football Club, who have played there since 1882. The Royal Navy Rugby Union also use the ground for their home matches. The end names are the Railway End to the north and the Officer's Club End to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Lawrence Hickson</span> England international rugby union footballer

John Lawrence "Laurie" Hickson was an English rugby union footballer who played in the 1880s and 1890s. He played at representative level for England (captain), and Yorkshire, and at club level for Bradford FC, a forward, e.g. front row, lock, or back row. Prior to Tuesday 27 August 1895, Bradford FC was a rugby union club, it then became a rugby league club, and since 1907 it has been the association football (soccer) club Bradford Park Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Dobson (rugby)</span> England international rugby union, league footballer and sprinter

Thomas Hyde Dobson was an English rugby union footballer, professional sprinter, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1890s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for England and Yorkshire, and at club level for Undercliffe RFC, Laisterdyke RFC, Bowling RFC, and Bradford FC, as a centre, i.e. number 12, or 13, and club level rugby league (RL) for Bradford FC, as a wing. As a sprinter, primarily in Northern England, he won over £200 in prizes, Prior to Tuesday 27 August 1895, Bradford FC was a rugby union club, it then became a rugby league club, and since 1907 it has been the association football (soccer) club Bradford Park Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mote Park (cricket ground)</span>

Mote Park, also known as The Mote, is a cricket ground in Maidstone in the English county of Kent. It is inside the grounds of the Mote Park and is owned by The Mote Cricket Club. The ground is also used by the Mote Squash Club and Maidstone rugby club. It was used by Kent County Cricket Club as one of their out-grounds for county cricket matches. The club played over 200 first-class cricket matches on the ground between 1859 and 2005.

The 1905 Yorkshire Cup competition was a knock-out competition between rugby league clubs from the county of Yorkshire. 1905 was the inaugural year for the Rugby League Yorkshire Cup competition. The cup was won by Hunslet who beat Halifax by a score of 13-3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Headingley Cricket Ground</span> Cricket ground in Leeds, England

Headingley Cricket Ground is a cricket ground in the Headingley Stadium complex in Headingley, Leeds, England. It adjoins the Headingley Rugby Stadium through a shared main stand, although the main entrance to the cricket ground is at the opposite Kirkstall Lane end. It has hosted Test cricket since 1899 and has a capacity of 18,350.

References

  1. Park Avenue Cricket Ground, Bradford CricketArchive.com
  2. Delaney, Trevor (1991). The Grounds of Rugby League. Thornton and Pearson. p. 188. ISBN   978-0950-99822-0.
  3. "Match No. 99 – Saturday, 13th February 1909". England Stats Online. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  4. "What happened to one of Bradford's biggest stadiums, which held over 30,000 fans?". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 25 December 2021.

Coordinates: 53°46′57.37″N1°46′12.20″W / 53.7826028°N 1.7700556°W / 53.7826028; -1.7700556