Chapter 5 - Abbeydale Park

The Abbeydale Park cricket ground was ready for some use in 1921. On looking at the ground now one regrets that modern earth-moving equipment was not available at the time of its construction. The slope doesn't really matter very much for general playing, but it does mean that the width of the 'square' is severely limited and, with the ever-increasing number of matches, this does pose great problems. The wicket was laid under the supervision of George Kimber, who was one of the great groundsmen, as well as being a great gentleman. His work on the wicket soon made it as good as any in the country and 'work' was the operative word. In his last years he was asked whether he had any special formula for producing such beautiful, fast wickers. He said: "If the weather was good I gave the Saturday wicket a good soaking on Tuesday. I never watered it again, but gave it a good rolling early every morning when the dew was on". Basil Doncaster, who lived at one time in a house above Abbeydale Park and used to sleep on the veranda, said that, no matter how early he woke in the summer, there was Kimber rolling the wicket. It is believed that Kimber was offered the groundsman's job at Old Trafford at one time, but preferred to stay in Sheffield. Kimber finally retired on 31st May, 1950, after 30 years wonderful service to Collegiate and the Amateur Sports Club.

Sadly, by 27th July, 1950, the Collegiate Secretary was writing to the secretary of the Sports Club: "The Collegiate Committee view with concern the state of the wicket, which is markedly deteriorating" and for too long a time the wickets were not as good as the intrinsic virtues of the square should have guaranteed. There were several changes of groundsmen, at least one of whom fully justified the old belief that "all groundsmen are mad'. Finally John Fulford came in 1969 and since his arrival the wickets have steadily improved. He received criticism for the wickets on which Yorkshire played against West Indies and Middlesex, but in each case he was asked by Yorkshire to prepare a fast wicket and that was precisely what he did. West Indies had two really fast bowlers and Middlesex had Wayne Daniel: they were very formidable propositions, bounce tests having shown that the centre Abbeydale wicket is among the six fastest in the world. There was ill founded criticism of the pitch for the match against Warwickshire in 1979, but this was a straight-forward case of a fast wicket being, according to the regulations, uncovered overnight, receiving fairly heavy rain and becoming a 'flyer' next morning. In 1978 Fulford won the Groundsman's Prize for county wickets used for less than three matches.

In the first years at Abbeydale changing rooms and meals were in the Hall. In 1922 a 'Shelter', which cost £28-6-0, was built by Collegiate on the edge of the cricket ground, a special appeal having raised the money. This 'shelter' still exists as a tin hut above the Bowling Green, where it was moved, when a new wooden pavilion, designed by a member, Wynyard Dixon, was built in 1930. This pavilion later became just the changing rooms and was demolished in 1980. It was some time before a bar was available, which was not favoured by several members, including, much to his friends' surprise, R. M. Wilson.

A new brick pavilion enlargement was made in 1938, which greatly increased the comfort of members and guests, but not all that went on there met with universal approval. H. Watson Smith, a somewhat combative character, wrote in 1938 to the Collegiate Secretary: "I cannot remain a party to the vastly changed organisation of the Sheffield Amateur Sports Club. I am particularly referring to the new Pavilion and its activities. Sunday Tea Dances followed by facilities for Sunday Evening drinking in the Pavilion go far beyond the bounds of the proper activities of an Amateur Sports Club" and on 28th October, 1948, the following notice was sent by the Sports Club to all member clubs: "It is now a ruling of the Pavilion Club Committee that there shall be no singing in the bar after 7.0 pm and that songs must be clean". Further alterations and additions have been made to the Pavilion and, at the time of writing, plans have been prepared for further considerable additions, including the replacement of the old wooden changing rooms.

The Sports Club now has a splendid pavilion, which will shortly be even better still, and on its thirty acres of land houses fourteen different sporting clubs, which cover the following games: Association and Rugby Football, Cricket, Hockey, Squash, Bowls, Archery, Table Tennis, Tennis and Badminton. As far as Collegiate is concerned they now at long last have much improved net facilities, the use of an indoor 'air-hall' for spring nets, a new score-box and new covers, these two latter being spin-offs from the county matches played on the ground. All in all Abbeydale is one of the best and most comprehensive Amateur Sports Clubs in the country, with the extra advantage of an extremely attractive setting. It is a fitting memorial to the unswerving devotion and constant hard work, through many difficult times, of R. Hargreaves ('Harger'), to whom a memorial stone, set into the wall outside the main pavilion entrance, is dedicated.