The Mansfield Bicycle Club held their first annual sports on Rawson's cricket ground on 21st September 1874 on a track of 4 laps to the mile but because of the very wet weather, the club lost money on the event. All the racing was for bicycles with one and two miles open events and there were two club handicap races over one and two miles. The Sheffield ace Bill Cann rode at the meeting.
There was a general holiday in Mansfield on 3rd August 1874 and ‘some hundreds' visited the Rawson's enclosure in the town for Mansfield FC's 4th annual sports. In the only bicycle race, a one mile handicap, CR Horne fell on the tape and pulled his machine with him over the line to win the event.