The first Spalding Athletic Sports meeting was held on August Bank Holiday 1874, it was organised by the Spalding Gymnastic Society. Bicycle racing on a grass track was included in the sports meeting in 1876 with a three miles open race, which was won by T Sabin. Sabin rode an Excelsior machine, manufactured by Bayliss, Thomas & Co of Coventry. Music was provided by the Royal South Lincolnshire Militia band
The sports became an annual event and in 1877, there was an additional bicycle handicap race for members of the Spalding Gymnastic Society and Bicycle Club. T Sabin again won the two miles open race. The Athletic Sports were very useful for the Society funds, the 1878 event made a profit of £20 for them.
Spalding Bicycle Club was in existence by 1877 and they held their club championship race on May 25th 1877 with a ten miles race on the road. The club held their two miles club championship race on the track at the Black Swan field on May 19th 1881, using a course of five laps to the mile. The winner of the race became the club captain and holder of the five guinea Challenge Cup. There was also a slow bicycle race.
Spalding Athletic Sports, organised by the Cricket and Athletic Club, flourished through the 1880s. The 1882 sports had an attendance of 5,000 and the total sum raised from admission was £250. Since the demise of the Spalding Show, the sports had become the main festival of the year in Spalding. By 1890, the sports had incorporated a horse show and the main attraction that year was a "Grand balloon ascent with a drop from the clouds of 10,000 feet by ‘Prof Russutt' the youngest parachutist and aeronaut in the world."
Spalding BC held their sports on August 30th 1894, AP Bullock won four of the five bicycle races, the other event was a half mile bicycle handicap for married men over 35 years old.
The Spalding Athletic Sports on August 7th 1899 attracted 11,000 people. There were five bicycle races and the press reported "There were half a dozen spills in the bicycle races, some of them rather bad ones, and in one of these Howell of Warmington, broke his collarbone, but despite this, he rode in subsequent events and succeeded in getting a place."
The athletic sports on August Bank Holiday 1907, were the last that the cricket club promoted, they decided that, after 34 years they didn't wish to carry on with the event. The organisation of the sports changed to the Spalding and District Cricket and Athletic Club.
At the 1908 sports, bicycle events were well to the fore with 230 entries, the races were a one mile novices handicap, quarter and one mile open handicap races, a half mile open race and both the NCU (Lincoln Centre) quarter mile and five miles championship races. The sports were held on August 3rd 1909 and again there were an impressive number of bicycle races and a record number of entries. The bicycle events were similar to the previous year, with two NCU area championships. After heavy rain on the morning of the meeting, the afternoon was fine and 3,000 people attended. The sports seemed to lapse after 1909.
The ground had been used for minor counties cricket matches for sixteen years, but in 1911 the Cricket Club was in financial difficulties and lacked support and in 1914, it folded. The ground continued to be used for tennis and croquet tournaments.
The sports on the field were revived in 1921, and were held another four times until August 1st 1925 when 2,500 people watched the running and cycling events. There were two bicycle races, both handicaps over half and one mile, this is the last bicycle track racing that Spalding would see for thirty years.
The Spalding Athletic Sports were revived again on Whit Monday 1950, again on the Black Swan Field, in front of 3,000 spectators. There were five cycle races, which included a devil take the hindmost, a pursuit race and handicap races over quarter half and one mile. The event was held again for the last time in 1952.
In 1954, the ground was re-named the Sir Halley Stewart Field after Halley Stewart, a local MP. Spalding United FC have played at the ground for around a hundred years and are still there.
