 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Not surprisingly in Hartlepool, it was on simple matter of Rugby Pitches that caused the Clubs in town to revive the Hartlepool & District R.F.U. back in late 1965.
At that time, the situation with pitches was that Rovers were on the New Friarage and KGV, West on the Dog Track, Old Boys shared Grayfields with Tech. and West Brigade were on the Hartlepool 'Rec (now Mayfield Park), driving up from Morrison Hall to play. Athletic were on the Trading Estate, G.S.O.B. at Brinkbum.
After that it was School sites at Brierton or Dyke House or Henry Smith or Briarfield, or Elwick Road, or anywhere that a friendly Head or sports master could fit you up with a playing site. If all else failed well, then kick off early or a morning match.
The District reformed with the express idea of sorting out the muddle and eliminating the in-fighting that went on at that time to allocate the pitches available in town. Not that a shortage of pitches is anything new, a look back at the long history of Rugby shows teams have played all over the place. What records remain show a strange list of venues such as "the ground near the Tram Sheds", Rosebank, "field where the Essoldo Bingo in York Road now stands". Foggy Furze, Stranton Racecourse, Can-House Cottages, "field at the bottom of Stanmore Grove" "land at the top of Alma Street, hired from Councillor Suggitt" and not forgetting the Victoria Ground! And not forgetting that man of the teams in the 20s Pyman League played their games on West Hartlepool Rec or at "Dobbies" ? Field somewhere in West View Road.
Since 1965 and with the arrival of the modem Local Authority in 1967, the situation has greatly improved thanks to working together among the Clubs and awareness by the L.A. of the need to provide more sporting facilities. Even then since 1965, the list of former venues has a strange ring, do you remember the pitch slotted in between Hamilton Road and Joppa Grove, lost to vandalism or the New Field sites, now Victoria Gardens. The Rossmere pitches and Brierton Lane pitch before West took it over, not forgetting Cemetery 1 and 2!
With the changes to the Game in recent years we do not have the pressure on pitches we once had and today's District meeting when we sort out pitch allocations are a sight easier than in earlier days.
Today's Rugby is covered by local Authority pitches at:
Grayfields 2 in use, I used for soccer at present, Used by T.D.S.O.B.
King George V Field. Shared between Rovers and Athletic
With Rovers still on the New Friarage, Old Boys well settled at Mayfield Park, and West settled on Brinkbum hopefully for a long time the situation for pitches looks rosy. Not forgetting, Seaton Carew at the Homby Park development which started over 30 years ago when the Seaton cricket moved off the Snook Field.
So compared with almost 40 years ago, today's situation is as good as it ever has been except for the Friarage Field, home of B.B.O.B. which has been in contention for over 30 years since the advent of the short lived Cleveland County. Hopefully with the many developments going on in the area of the Heugh the problems of the leasing of this most famous piece of rugby real estate, teams have been playing here since 1875.
Pitches | Grayfields Recreation Ground