The first bicycle race at Cromer Hall was held on Whit Monday 1896 and was organised by Cromer BC, admission was one shilling and the event took £60 entry money. There were five bicycle races and several running and field events. The two miles open bicycle handicap race, which needed two heats, created the most excitement, in a close race it was won by A Reeder in 6m 17s. Reeder also won the one mile open handicap race. There were over two thousand people at the sports, which must have encouraged Cromer BC to make the sports an annual event.
The sports were successfully repeated in 1897 and the attendance increased to 2,500. The number of competitors was not high, but racing provided several close finishes, which pleased the crowd. The sports raised £120 and £13 was given to local charities.
The Cromer and North Walsham Post of 26th March 1898 commented on the lack of cyclists interested in racing and noted that a bad corner on the bicycle track had been improved and a steam roller was to be used at the ground. The 3rd annual Cromer athletic sports were held on Whit Monday 1898, the meeting was organised by Cromer BC, there were nine bicycle events and seven flat events with prizes totaling £60. There was a good variety of bicycle races with club and open events from one to three miles, Llewelyn Hughes won all the Cromer BC races. Mrs C Bond-Cabbell presented the prizes.
Mr C Watson, a former Captain of the club who was leaving the area, had presented a trophy to the club which was called the Marlborough Challenge Cup. This was to be competed for in the annual sports three miles club race.
For the 1899 Whit Monday sports, the track was extended to a full one fifth of a mile and the curves were banked to a height of three foot six inches, this work cost £65. The meeting content was similar to the previous year and there were 150 competitors. L Hughes was the top Cromer BC rider, he won the club one mile handicap and the new Marlborough Challenge Cup (for the second time) over three miles. In the open events, W Johnson of Pegasus CC and GH Martin Norwich ABC were most successful. The band of the 1st NVA played at the meeting and 3,000 people attended the sports.
The sports continued into the new century and the attendance in 1900 was four thousand. Two more cups were donated for competition, the Sheldon Challenge Cup awarded to the winner of the three miles open scratch race and the Baxter Cup for the one mile local handicap race. The club fulfilled an ambition to stage a local bicycle championship race and in 1900 the Eastern Counties one mile championship race was held, but unfortunately there were only three entries, it was won by TS Fitch of Norwich ABC. The Marlborough Challenge Cup was won for the third time by L Hughes, so it became his own property.
The popularity of the annual sports continued in 1901, but when the club joined the NCU their existing track was condemned and they had to build a new grass track at Cromer Hall. A smoking concert was held in June 1901 to honour Alfred Nockels, the Captain of the club, who was home on leave from active service in South Africa.
The 1902 meeting was entertained by George French's troupe of acrobatic bicyclists with trick riding, entries were up and attendance was 3,500. The following year saw an exceptional attendance of 7,000 spectators, which was equaled in 1904. Attendance at the 1905 sports fell to 4,000 but the sports were just as successful. It is unfortunate that this was the last time that the sports were held at Cromer Hall.
With the loss of the Whitsun sports at Cromer Hall, local newspapers reported a reduction in visitors to the seaside town. A fete and sports was held at Cromer Hall on August Bank Holiday 1906 organised by the Conservative and Unionist Club, but the events, like the slow bicycle race, were for family and amusement.
Cromer and District Cycling Club was formed in 1911 and advertised locally to find a location for a track. The new club tried to revive sports in the town by holding a gala and sports meeting on August Bank Holiday 1912 at the Cromer Auction Mart on Norwich Road. Unfortunately, the attendance was quite poor, the new club tried did not try again and seemed to fold shortly after.
There does not seem to have been any further track racing in Cromer. Cromer Hall is still a private house and is owned by the Cabbell Manners family. In 2025, a Legends music concert was held in the grounds.