Organised Cricket in Southport: 1849-1855

In October 2023, I posted a comparison picture collage via my social media channels of the former private residence known as ‘Sandown’ and the current site today, Sandown Court, a 1960s tower block on the corner of Leicester Street and Albert Road. This in turn led me down a rabbit hole into early organised cricket in Southport, which, as far as I am aware, was believed to date from 1859. Sandown wasn’t always called Sandown, it was originally (and one could say coincidently) called, ‘The Pavilion’. By 1849, Cotton Broker, James Hardy Wrigley had moved in, with the building named as Sandown in the 1851 census.  Upon researching the property (Sandown) and Wrigley, I stumbled across the following in the Bell’s Life, London & Sporting Chronicle dated 23rd July 1854.

I then found another reference to a game in the August of that same year within the pages of The Northern Daily Times.

So, here we have a cricket team, clearly representing Southport in 1854. Wrigley’s name was there, with the team likely being named after his property. Other names from our town’s past featuring in the Sandown line up included: Coal Proprietor, James Lees who lived on nearby Peters Street (Albert Road). James Hargreaves Esq. who in 1854 was resident at Sea View House, later known as the Woodlands, a huge site occupied today by the Police station, Fire station and former Courthouse, which back then would have been across the road from Wrigley. John Carlisle was another, Curate of Holy Trinity who went on to be a prominent figure in local cricket, along with three other names that instantly jumped off the page at me: McInroy, Robertson & Hesketh.

McInroy was William McInroy, and Robertson was George Robertson, both of whom cannot be found in the local 1854 directory, however, they were clearly in Southport at that time to have been representing the town at cricket. Hesketh was Edward Fleetwood Hesketh, son of the Rev. Charles Hesketh, who was also joint landowner of North Meols at the time. Both McInroy and Robertson, each married one of Charles’ daughters, Debonnaire (in 1856) and Adelaide (in 1855) respectively. The McInroy and Robertson families both came from Scotland however, they were undoubtably drawn to south-west Lancashire via their business links to Liverpool. Both William & George’s ancestors formed a company namely, Sandbach, Tinne & Co, which at one time was involved in the slave trade, more of which can be read here:

Slaves and Highlanders | Sandbach, Tinne & Co

Summary of Individual | Legacies of British Slavery

The McInroy’s lived at ‘Fair Lawn’, which stood on the opposite corner to Wrigley, a large plot and back then the last property on the westerly side of Lord Street. William is listed as an ‘East & West India Merchant’ in the 1861 census.

The Robertson’s, lived at ‘The Grange’, and it is the site of this particular property, which I will suggest provides us with a clue as to where the Sandown club may have played their cricket. The Grange was built by Charles Hesketh for his daughter, and the fields adjoining the house were used for numerous sports including cricket, rugby & tennis. The site of this today would be approximately Irton, Melling, Hartwood and Grange Roads. A later Southport Cricket Club formed in 1859, (of whom S&B trace their roots to) played at this site from 1865 as well as the Alexandra Cricket Club. I believe it is possible that cricket was played there in the mid/late 1850’s, especially given that Roberston lived next to the fields, which his father-in-law owned! (It is also worth noting that George Robertson died in February 1859 at The Grange, the same year that a new cricket club was formed under the name of Southport, playing at York Road in Birkdale Park).

In 1855, there is evidence of Sandown versus ‘the Southport club’. Playing for Southport was a man named Halfey, highly likely John Halfey, the proprietor of the Bold Arms Hotel on Lord Street. So, by the mid 1850’s there were clearly at least two local clubs representing Southport against teams such as Bootle and Ormskirk. But we can go back further, as in April 1851 the following announcement appeared in the Preston Chronicle under the local news section for Southport: 

‘Cricket Club- The Southport club commenced play for the season on Wednesday, in a field near the railway station’.

Now back in April 1851, Chapel Street station was four months off from completion, therefore, we can determine that the original terminus, between Portland Street and East Bank Street bridge was still in use as Southport station. Thanks to an article by E. Bland in the Southport Guardian on 2nd September 1903, (shared from the archives of Mr. Michael Braham) we can learn of two pitches that could have been the Southport Cricket Clubs ground of 1851:

The announcement of a county cricket match at Southport aroused in me some reminiscences of grand cricket matches of my youth. We had in the late sixties (1860s) an annual All England match on the ground where Hartwood Road now stands. There was enthusiasm amongst us youngsters in those days and playing until time for business. We had cricket teams who played early morning matches getting up at daylight. One team was the “Peep o’Day Boys” whose ground was near Part Street; Another- the “Shop Assistants” – had their pitch on the present site of Riding Street’.

It is possible that Bland’s reminiscences may have prompted another writer, by the name of ‘Old Timer’, to send their thoughts on old cricket grounds to the Southport Visiter 8 months later on 14th May 1904 (reproduced in Ken Porter’s manuscript):

‘The old Southport Ground stood on the site of Hartwood Road. It was a large ground as cricket grounds went and entrance was through Bell’s Farm, there being no house in the vicinity. Mills’ orchard stood in one corner and was a great attraction to small boys bent on retrieving balls. Carlisle’s School Team (Royal Balmoral) played at the top end. Later Sandringham played at the top end and Rigg’s School (Somerville House) at the lower’.

Note ‘Carlisle’s School Team’, undoubtably John Carlisle of the Sandown team of 1854, who had a boarding school on Hoghton Street. He was also the first President of the Southport Cricket Club that formed in 1859 that played in Birkdale Park, strengthening the links between the Sandown club and perhaps further suggesting their usage of the Roe Lane ground in the mid 1850s?

Let’s get back to 1851 and the potential Riding Street site…

Riding Street is shown as developing on the 1868 plan of Southport & Birkdale, as the street is not listed within that directory, despite being shown and named on the map. There is a clear space between the railway line and the marked street, could this have formed part of a former cricket pitch?

The team of 1851 played matches against a team called West Hill, as is shown below in the Preston Chronicle, 27th September 1851.

It is possible that this incarnation of Southport Cricket Club was actually formed in 1849. Recently, I attempted to find out more about the club of 1851 by looking at microfilms of the Southport Visiter at the Atkinson library, however, unfortunately the year 1851 was not available. Instead, I chose to have a quick look through 1849, and upon looking through an edition published on 12th May, I was extremely fortunate enough to arrive at the below:

It appears that the problems existed then, with regard to people being unable to play due to business & work commitments. It also suggests that prior attempts to form a club did not come to fruition (1848 perhaps?). The advert makes special reference to the ‘Committee’ and even names the secretary, Fred Morton Jones. But who was this early prime mover of cricket within our town, which back in 1849, was nothing more than a narrow strip of a place. Well, it would appear that Fred Morton Jones, was from Wexford in Ireland. In the 1851 census, he can be found lodging at a temperance hotel in Huddersfield, two months before he married Elizabeth Sharrock of Scarisbrick at St. John’s RC Chapel, Lathom in May of that year.

Newspaper snippets reveal that by at least 1855, he was a bookseller in Richmond Row, Liverpool, where he is still recorded in 1859, however by 1861, he was at No.6 Nevill Street described as a ‘stationer’. Elizabeth died in 1863 with Fred re-marrying in 1865, still operating his business from Nevill Street. By 1871, he was residing in Aughton Road, Birkdale Park, described as a ‘Master letter-press printer’.

So, there you have it, definitely something to go at for the local cricket & sporting experts! Can the dots be further joined up between these early clubs by the name of Southport, and the club formed in 1859 of whom S&B trace their roots to? One thing is for sure, competitive & organised cricket, was certainly taking place in our town between 1849 – 1855.

©David Walshe (Secret Sand Land) 2025

Originally published on 17th January 2025 (https://secretsandland.wixsite.com/)

Sources mentioned within the text.

Newspaper cuttings via https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/

Census information via Ancestry.co.uk

With thanks to Michael Braham & Dan Hayes.