The next bicycle racing at the ground was at the Boat Club** sports on July 29th 1877, there were a few running races and a bicycle race (distance not stated), the bicycle race winner was JB Page. The sports were held each year on the cricket ground, alongside the regatta.
For the sports on August 4th 1879, Stratford Bicycle Club joined forces with the Boat Club to organise the event. After heavy rain, the bicycle track was a quagmire and there were several accidents. In the one mile bicycle handicap race, over two heats and a final, AC Auster of the Speedwell BC won and was awarded a cup, presented by Mr Gibbins of Ettington (vice-president of Stratford BC), of value five guineas. The other bicycle handicap race was over two miles and in the final, the scratch man Tattersfield won by twenty yards. Along with the sports, there was a ‘walking the greasy pole' competition over the river Avon. Music was provided by the 2nd Warwickshire Militia band and there was a grand fireworks display.
In the late 1880s there were some bicycle races at the ground as part of the joint Stratford and Banbury athletic clubs sports, their joint sports meetings were held alternately at Banbury and Stratford.
The regatta and sports meeting were a very popular annual event, but in 1889, the only bicycle race held was a one mile event (safeties barred) for local riders. There was also a display of trick bicycle riding from Lane and Verona. The regatta sports gradually lost popularity.
The Stratford Athletic and Cricket Club held evening races on the cricket field from 1896, which included a two miles bicycle handicap race. The sports continued and by 1899 the club was holding an open meeting on Whit Monday with half, one and five miles bicycle races.
There followed a period of about twenty five years when there was no bicycle racing on the cricket ground. This changed when the Stratford Athletic Club formed in 1926 and started organising evening athletic events at the ground which included bicycle races. The last bicycle racing in this series was on Thursday September 5th 1929 which included three bicycle handicap races over a quarter, half and one mile.
After another pause of twenty years, cycle racing at Stratford's Flower Show was advertised in the period 1950 to 1953, but there are no press reports confirming that the races actually took place. The cricket ground is still in use and Stratford-upon-Avon Cricket Club play at the ground.
** Stratford-upon-Avon Boat Club was formed in 1874, when they had a regatta on the river Avon near the Tram Bridge, there was also a cricket match on the adjacent field. From 1877, athletic sports were included in association with the regatta, events were alternated to keep spectators happy. The field used by the Boat Club became the Cricket Ground and the first recorded cricket match there was in 1880.
