Aylesbury Cricket Club began holding their annual athletic sports on 9th September 1875, there were running races, a donkey race, but no bicycle races. Cyclists from Aylesbury and Thame held a bicycle race on the road in 1876 and it was reported that Aylesbury Bicycle Club held road races from 1877. The Bucks Advertiser reported that the Aylesbury Bicycle Club was formed on 28th April 1880, presumably the previous Aylesbury BC had been an unofficial group. The club became quickly established in the town and by 1885 they had sixty members.
The first bicycle racing at the ground** was on August 7th, Bank Holiday Monday 1882, the cricket club sports included two open and one local bicycle races on a grass track around the cricket ground. The events were open to "All Gentlemen Amateurs" and London Athletic Club Rules were applied. The Bucks Advertiser reported that the bicycle races were "a very welcome and exciting feature, though the grass course was far from a good one" and it called for a permanent bicycle racing track in the town. The two miles open handicap race was won by A Holland of South Berks BC off 160 yards and the five miles went to M Donne, St James's BC off 300 yards. Attendance was over eight hundred and the sports were so popular that they were held annually.
The August sports at the cricket ground continued through the 1880s, interestingly the press casually reported that there were bookmakers at the 1884 sports. The mediocre attendance at that year's sports meant that the sports hardly broke even. In 1886, bicycle racing was dropped from the sports, the reason given was the lack of interest from local racing cyclists, this was the case for the next five years and the athletic sports meetings lapsed in 1890. Aylesbury BC were having races on the road during the late 1880s.
The members of Aylesbury BC decided that they would re-start racing at the Vale ground, so they constructed a new track which was opened on 2nd July 1891. They were not allowed to make a cinder track, so a grass track 336 yards in length was rolled out but the Bucks Herald noted "the track is scarcely uniformly level, and the corners were much too sharply marked." A series of club handicap races was held to celebrate the track opening, W Longley and J Putnam were the fastest riders in the club, Longley won the two and three mile races and Putnam won the mile. There was the usual slow bicycle race, but also a half mile race only using one pedal.
Aylesbury Printing Works held their first employees sports on the ground in 1890 and a two miles bicycle handicap race was included. In 1891 there were one and three miles bicycle handicap races and the meeting became an annual affair. In 1892 a Printing Works Bicycle Club was formed with Baron Rothschild as their President.
In an effort to re-start the Aylesbury annual sports, Aylesbury BC held a sports meeting on 8th September 1892 at which there were five bicycle races, four running races and a donkey race. The five miles club race for the Challenge Cup, value ten guineas, was won by long marker FB James. Music was provided by the 3rd Battalion Oxford Light Infantry and Baron Rothschild presented the prizes.
The Aylesbury Bicycle Club had changed their name to the Vale of Aylesbury Cycling and Athletic Club (VAC&AC) at the club AGM on 28th March 1893. The name change was proposed by HP Bartlett, the secretary and treasurer of the club, he made the motion "with the idea of extending the scope and influence of the club" for multiple sports, and the motion was carried by eleven votes to five. The club grew very quickly, there were 499 members in 1899 and the annual subscription was three shillings and six pence. Lord Rothschild was the influential and active president of the club for 35 years until his death in 1915.
The Aylesbury Cricket Club was not well supported at this time and the VAC&AC were very active with their August Bank Holiday Monday Sports and evening meetings with cycling and running races. By 1895 the cricket club was defunct and the ground was taken over by the VAC&AC. Aylesbury Cricket Club had sold their pavilion to the County Cricket Club and they moved it to their new ground at Wendover Road. The Cycling and Athletic Club then raised enough money by subscription to build a new pavilion at the Vale Ground, which included two dressing rooms, a verandah and a refreshments bar.
At the 1897 August Bank Holiday sports meeting and band competition there was a record attendance of around 5,000 people. As well as the athletics events there were three bicycle races, a one mile club handicap, one and two miles open handicap and a Ugo Biondi quick change race^^. Entries were numerous and the open events required four heats, W Wilcocks of Uxbridge CC won the one mile and JE Harter of Watford Wheelers the two miles. Baron Rothschild presented the prizes and the ground was illuminated though the evening with dancing to various bands from the competition.
The track was improved in 1900 to bank one of the awkward corners at the railway end. At the 1902 August Bank Holiday sports there was a motorcycle race. The VAC&AC started to hold their annual cycling championships meeting around 1900.
The Aylesbury Floral and Horticultural Society held their annual show on 10th July 1902 at the ground and the VAC&AC held their annual championship races during the show. Unfortunately a sudden hurricane swept across the ground wrecking the band stand and demolishing most of the tents at the show. In true British tradition, the show carried on, all the events were completed and in the evening dancing and a fireworks display finished off the day.
At the 1905 Bank Holiday sports, the most exciting event was the two miles bicycle scratch race for the Rhodesia Cup. The cup had been donated by Wilfred Wright of South Africa and L Webster of Leyton Buzzard had won the cup for the last two years. In the race, the field stayed together until the last lap when Webster put in an almighty spurt to win the cup and make it his own property.
The 1906 August Bank Holiday sports meeting had the lowest attendance on record and at the 1907 club AGM it was considered that the small profit that the sports generated did not merit the financial risk of a heavy loss due bad weather, so the sports were abandoned. This seemed to be the end of bicycle racing at the ground for several years. At the start of the 1908 season, the ground was opened for tennis, croquet and bowls, but cycling and athletics were squeezed out by the tennis element who objected "to the ground to be spoiled to such an extent that tennis afterwards was not nearly so enjoyable." After this the VAC&AC became a tennis club and in 1918, the ground was sold to Cubitts++ who used it as their sports ground.
The Aylesbury Athletic Club renamed themselves as the Vale of Aylesbury Cycling and Athletic Club in 1922. The club promoted a Saturday evening sports meeting at the Vale ground on 26th August 1922 with running and bicycle races. Sports meetings at the ground continued with Whit Monday and August meetings, but these meetings lost money and by 1928, the club were in negotiations to give up their lease on the ground to Aylesbury Council. The VAC&AC lasted a few more years before it folded.
The area is now Vale Park which has a swimming and fitness centre, gym, five-a-side pitches, tennis courts and a skate park.
** The first bicycle race in Aylesbury was at the Temperance Society gala on 17th July 1871 at Copcutt's meadow in Bierton Road where there were bicycle races, cricket, croquet and other sports.
^^ Ugo Biondi was an Italian actor who appeared in one man shows, playing many different characters with quick costume changes.
++ Cubitts were a motor car manufacturer from 1920 to 1925, they built around 3,000 vehicles.
