A friendly cricket match between local rivals? It used to happen and eventually the idea fell foul of the fear of a hard ball causing injury to expensive footballers and of course, mustering up enough players from their multi national squads, who know how to play the game?Some football grounds were able to support both games and gave "entrance" income for the full year. Northampton Town FC played on the edge of the county cricket ground from 1897. Unexpectedly it was a terrible surface because they used the edge and car parking areas. The Cobblers' last fixture was a Division 3 0-1 defeat to Mansfield on October 11th 1994. 4 days later they played out a 1-1 draw to Barnet at their next venue Sixfields.
Sheffield Wednesday was formed as a winter fitness exercise for the members of the Wednesday Cricket Club who met at the Adelphi Hotel in the city on September 4th 1867 to form a football club. Over 60 members joined up.
Bramall Lane of course was a double venue:
https://baileyfootballblog.blogspot.com/2019/03/just-not-cricket.html
I've shown snowy football pitches recently but this is the cricket pitch at Feethams, next door to Darlington FC, on December 29th 1923. The Quakers were playing Chesterfield on the side of the football to avoid postponing the match due to a snowy surface. The cricket pitch apparently was playable. 5675 turned up to see their team win 2-1. Founded in 1883, the club now plays at Blackwell Meadows (see below).
Feethams in 2005.
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