Cricket On The Green

A Memory of Sprotbrough.

I was brought up in Tennyson Avenue off Sprotborough Road and at weekends in the Summer would cycle 20 or so miles all around south Yorkshire. If on the way to Conisbrough, Barnbrough or the River Don we would pass the Ivanhoe Hotel which, to a 14 year old in 1950 looked to be a very grand place indeed. If a cricket match was taking place on the large field at the back of the hotel we would often abandon our planned bike ride and watch the game. I believe that some very famous YCC players appeared in Yorkshire League matches at this ground.

The Hotel was the original venue for the meetings of the Doncaster Motor Club. Founder members of the club included my father Charles Edward (Charlie) Flinders, Dr Burns and the Raynes brothers Cyril and Eddie who ran the motor cycle dealership in Doncaster. The hotel was often the assembly point for "outings" of the Club and on a typical Sunday in the heyday of convoy style day trips to Bridlington, Scarborough or Flamborough, up to thirty solo motor bikes, motor bikes and sidecars and (for the rather better paid) cars, would fill the arena at the front of the hotel.

My father would recount tales of people he met in the Ivanhoe including, during WW11, Douglas Bader and after the war the heavyweight boxing Champion Bruce Woodcock who I believe was very fond of a pint or two, or more.