A brief history of New Field and the cricket pavilion
Any good sporting story should perhaps start with the construction of the wonderful pitches, fields, courts and grounds that enable it.
With the help of our archives team and particularly PA to the Executive Principal Mrs. Christine Bramhall we have some fun facts and some moving information on the construction of New Field and the cricket pitch and the building of the pavilion.
Until New Field was constructed Top Field (Now the astro/sports hall), the quad field and Brackley formed the centre of sport in the school. However, with the sporting prowess of the school going from strength to strength it was decided to invest further in extended playing fields and so came the birth of New Field.
Referring back to The Rydalian (1923-1926) we are informed that in March 1924 “The Field which Rydal has recently acquired is now being levelled. Every afternoon sturdy Rydalians, who can find no occupation for their leisure hours, go, armed with spades, to assist Mr. Clutton in his work. The task has been made much easier by the purchase of several wagons and a small track. It is hoped the field will be ready for use next year”. And this is how what we now refer to as “New Field was created”.
On Friday 19 June 1925 the governors' meeting records “The governors received with interest the report of the House Committee as to the Capital Expenditure they considered necessary and inspected the new Cricket Field with which they were more than pleased.”
Records state this cost £3,800 in 1925! This equates to £236,979.22 today. A Mr. Ferens (a father of a pupil at the time) had advanced the school £1600 of this sum as a loan which he later gifted to the school.
The pavilion was then opened on 11 July 1928 in memoriam to former pupil Reginald Aske Haley. Hence the name The Haley Memorial pavilion.
We have included the obituary almost in its entirety below, partly because it is such a sad story of a clearly wonderful Rydal boy, but also because of how beautifully and evocatively the obituary has been written.
So many boys and girls have passed through the school and sat on the steps of the pavilion through time, so many victories have been won and defeats tolerated in its shadow and we feel it is appropriate to remind ourselves of its history and who we have to thank for it.
Reginald Aske Haley.
Drowned whilst Bathing at York.
It would be strangely unfitting if we as a School did not take some part today in the tribute that many will pay to the memory of Reginald Hayley.
He came here as a boy of nine in 1916, in the days when we took day boys; from the summer of 1919 to the summer of the 1925 he was a boarder here, and the tale of his activities, if fully told, would be long indeed. He was no ordinary athlete. I have never known a boy with such perfect body balance.
A run of his on the football field was a poem in motion readily appreciated by those who have an eye for such things. There still lingers in my memory one particular run of his along the touchline in which, with no room to spare, and yet room enough for him, he eluded half a dozen opponents. And was there ever anyone that ran between the wickets just as he did?
His last year at school there came to him the supreme honour that school can afford – he was Senior Prefect – an honour that he had fairly won, and a task that he discharged with admirable conscientiousness.
He won to prominence in so many ways that the idea that he was a worker is not the first that occurs to us in thinking of him, but it is surely pertinent to point out that two years ago the only prize for General Industry in school work that was given in the Upper School was awarded to him.
His passing the Little-Go was no small credit to him. Latin was a subject that simply would not stick in his head; but he kept at it, and slogged away till enough stuck. And weeks ago I heard how steadily he had worked at Cambridge, passing his examinations last term with credit.
There is no manner of doubt that he had the real stuff of manhood in him (as his manifold activities in the General Strike would prove if proof were needed), and a strength of character that the charm of his manner and the gaiety of his nature perhaps served to obscure.
Of his religion, I will only say this: it is not without significance that his favourite hymn in the School book was one we are to sing this morning: ‘O Love that will not let me go.’ There are many hymns in our book that deal with the circumference of life: this goes to the centre of things.
I have known few who got so much out of life. He had a wealth of interests. He was vividly and picturesquely alive. For many a year, we shall cherish the memory of his gallant and debonair figure.
His dress, his hair, the light in his eye, the courtesy of his demeanour, his freedom from petty jealousy, his magnificent public spirit, his unfailing loyalty to the School – things we used to smile at and things for which we love him – these things we shall not forget.
If he had an enemy in the world, we have not heard of him. He was not of the rough and rugged type that provokes to wrath; he was an almost perfect urbanity. He was a gentleman, and he was a man.
The circumstances of his death…
Reg. Haley had spent Saturday 10 July at the Test match. He went back to Poppleton Hall with the Kays, with whom he was staying. After supper and tennis he went for a bathe.
The others went down to keep him company, but not to bathe. Fred Kay was in mid-stream in a boat when with a second’s warning Reg sank. Eric Kay plunged in from the side and Fred dived from the boat, and made every possible endeavour to rescue him, but without avail.
In the growing darkness and in the muddy waters of the Ouse, only good fortune could have served them. In any case, the medical evidence would suggest that death was due to heart failure; and it is a sad satisfaction to learn that the jury “commended the brothers Kay for their heroic attempt to rescue their friend.” (The Times, July 13th).
The first fixture we can discover being played on New Field was mentioned in the July 1930 Rydalian and was The school XI versus Wallasey Grammar School on Wednesday 14 May 1930 and was won by Rydal by 89 runs.
Current Art teacher and former pupil and keen cricketer Mark Sherrington tells us “The cricket square has been described in the past as the best cricket pitch in North Wales. When we were at school Lancashire cricket club used to use it to practice before playing Glamorgan at Colwyn Bay. We have been playing an annual match against the MCC for over 100yrs and this year’s fixture is set for Monday 5 July 2021.”
“Our grass cricket nets on Blackburn’s piece will be great for this season for practice, a good facility and a real bonus to have grass nets and the inside sports hall nets too, not all schools are that lucky.
The Rugby pitch is also fantastic as you know as good as any school I have played against…there is nowhere better to play sport. Old boys come back just to be on that field again. The pavilion gets the sun in the evening, it is a special place on a summer's evening after a day of sport to have a cup of tea or a beer.”
PRESENT SPORTING FACILITIES AND MOVING FORWARD
At present, the school retains Brackley, Blackburn’s piece, New Field, the astro, the sport’s hall, newly refurbished swimming pool, the fitness centre, the MUGA, squash courts, short golf course, tennis courts and netball courts (along with the plateaus). Such a range of incredible facilities astound visitors to the school on a daily basis and are in greater and greater demand by community groups and clubs as local facilities disappear or where demand outstrips supply, but never at the sacrifice of our own pupils.
We continue to re-invest in our facilities and we have lots of exciting plans for developments over this summer which we will update alumni on in the Autumn Term newsletter.
The last entry on our honours boards (as you can see) was made in 1973.
We would love to remedy this and fill in the gaps from 1973 up to the present day… this is a big ask BUT we know with your help we can do this.
And so we would like any alumni who have won National, International, County or University honours since this last entry 48 years ago to get in touch and fill us in on the details so that we might update our records and create new boards to join the above in the pavilion.
