Scarborough CC 1874

I came into possession recently of another photograph: an evocative relic capturing Scarborough cricket ground at the unveiling of its pavilion. If you were to gaze in its well-appointed direction today, your prospect would be sadly altered, the unspoiled view towards North Bay having long since yielded to housing. 
But April 9, 1874, dawned bright and clear, and Scarborough’s newest structure showed to great advantage. A wooden structure of simple yet dignified design, erected at a cost of £400, it had been divided into several compartments—a waiting room, dressing rooms, lavatories, and a spacious dining room. Along its façade ran a platform of comfortable breadth, a happy conducement to post-match fellowship, while at its western extremity stood the scorers’ box, a considerable upgrade on the draughty conditions to which those entrusted with cricket’s delicate arithmetic had previously been accustomed.
An inaugural contest had been arranged, between Scarborough’s first eleven and the next twenty-two. Shortly before the appointed hour, 11:00, the twenty-two won the toss and took up the bat. Their innings reached its quiet conclusion just before 14:00—all out for 94.
Luncheon was observed at the Queen’s Hotel adjoining the ground. Alas, that noble house of sustenance has since given way to residential blocks. Upon the players’ return, the first eleven set about their response, but rain, that capricious interloper, intruded upon proceedings sufficiently to thwart their triumph. They were ten runs short at close of play.Thus was the pavilion inaugurated into its cricketing destiny. Yorkshire would take this ground into its first-class roster from 1878, a tradition maintained to the present, and a testimony to the enduring spirit of the game in this most agreeable corner of God’s Own County.

The article was first published on the  ACS website on 5 June 2025, author Brian Sanderson.