The Corinthian Cycling Club** held their first annual sports at the Town Ground on Thursday 26th May 1892. There were 405 entries and the attendance was over 3,000. The bicycle events were a half mile safety handicap, a one mile novices handicap, a two miles race for any type of machine and a half mile safety scratch for the Corinthian Cup, weighing 31oz sterling silver. In the half mile JW Schofield made the pace from the front and beat Harvey Du Cros by a length.
Nottingham Forest FC held their fete at the ground on 13th August 1892 and the sports attracted 1,000 spectators, there were only three competitors for the three lap bicycle handicap race.
The Corinthian CC held their athletic sports at the ground on 20 May 1893. They were unfortunate that the weather was wet and probably lost money on the day and by 1895, the club were using Long Eaton and Ilkeston tracks for their sports. Nottingham Forest FC moved their annual sports in late April 1894 to the Trent Bridge ground.
Nottingham Forest FC left the Town Ground on 3 September 1898 when their lease with Nottingham Corporation ran out. The moved to their new City Ground at West Bridgford. Shortly after, the Town Ground was developed for housing.
** Corinthian Cycling Club was formed in 1891 and were involved in racing straight away. Their most prominent members were GP Mills++, George Hunt and HH Sansom.
++ George Pilkington Mills was brought up in London and was a member of the North Road Club, he worked in Liverpool and was a member of the Anfield, then in 1890 he moved to Beeston. He joined the Nottingham Corinthian Cycling Club and was club captain. Mills was the best long distance cyclist the world had ever seen, when he was eighteen years old he broke the End to End record twice in 1886, once on a penny farthing and again on a tricycle. He broke national records at 50 and 100 miles and 24 hours. He once rode three 24 races in a week. He won the Bordeaux- Paris bicycle race at in 1891.
Mills worked as Chief Designer at Raleigh and Humber and worked at Clement-Talbot. In 1904 he beat the End to End record on a motorcycle and won the TT race in a motor car in 1907. He served in the army from 1889 to 1906, leaving as a major, he also served in the First World War, he won the DSO and was mentioned in despatches three times.
His obituary in The Bicycle said: "He was a pioneer long-distance record breaker, and had the distinction of competing in three 24-hour events in one week, and between the years 1885 and 1895 broke no fewer than 19 national records.
