#Cricket through the ages full

#Cricket through the ages full

Although the rugby side of the stand was very full there was no major tragedy in terms of the loss of life. It had started during a rugby match (God’s revenge for playing sport on a Holy Day?) and spread.

Facilities at the ground continued to improve the large crowds in attendance, particularly in the years immediately following the First World War, necessitated this and an upper tier was added to the grandstand for the visit of Australia in 1926.Ī shock was in store, however, because in March 1932 – on Good Friday – a fire completely destroyed the structure of the grandstand. As there was not a suitable area at the ground it used some office space on Park Row in the centre of Leeds. The use of the ground became so successful that Yorkshire CCC’s committee decided in 1903 to move their headquarters from Sheffield to Leeds. This was confirmed most emphatically two years later with the arrival of Test cricket. Problems were caused by the pitches in the early seasons but a crowd of 30,000 watched the second day of Yorkshire v Surrey in 1897 this was believed to be the largest (estimated) crowd to have watched any game of cricket in Yorkshire and totally vindicated the enterprise of the original committee.

The cricket ground was officially opened on when Leeds CC played Scarborough CC and the first rugby match took place in September of the same year. The pavilion and main stand were both built in 1889 designed by the firm of Smith and Tweddle they cost £30,300.