Birmingham - Erdington : Fort Dunlop
Fort Parkway : B24 9FD
Birmingham - Erdington : Fort Dunlop : Image credit Wiki Commons Fort Dunlop playing fields were constructed by Dunlop in 1922. The first Dunlop Amateur Athletic sports were held there on July 28th 1923 and included cycle handicap races over 500 yards and ¾ mile. The Dunlop sports were then held the annually until the Second World War and nearly always included two bicycle races.

In 1926, the Dunlop Sports and Social Club organised the annual sports and the event included a 3rd round match of the NCU National Pursuit Championship. Over 2,000 people watched the July 4th 1931 annual sports, in spite of torrential rain.

The 1938 sports were again affected by rain, when a huge thunderstorm delayed the meeting by three quarters of an hour. The event was very popular, the 500 and 880 yards cycle races had so many entries that 12 heats were required for each race. The meeting was enlivened by the appearance of Mr AG Tabb on the world's smallest cycle, which was 7½ inches high.

The last cycle racing at Dunlop playing fields was probably on July 1st 1944, when a sports meeting was held with the proceeds going to the Lord Mayor's War Relief Fund.


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Photos : Wiki Commons