New Tullamore Cricket Club returns to historic sports venue
Cricket returns to iconic sporting venue in Tullamore
THERE is a lovely touch of history about the formation of a new Tullamore Cricket Club as they return to the ground that their predecessors played in over a century ago, one of Tullamore's iconic sporting venues at Spollanstown.
The new club have been granted access to the Spollanstown venue by Tullamore Rugby Club and will stage an official opening day to mark their formation on Sunday, June 7 at 12am.
It won't matter much to the people behind the new club but the deal between them and Tullamore Rugby Club to allow them play at Spollanstown is a very poignant one.
The grounds has been a venue for sports events going back to the 1880s, as organised sport really began to take hold in Ireland – the GAA was formed in 1884 and soccer, rugby, athletics and golf all got going in that general area.
The fraught political situation in Ireland in the 1880s led to the Spollanstown land first becoming a sports venue. Sports events had been organised by the Charleville Estate back to the 1830s and were revived again by 1880. However, there was a local reaction against the Charleville land lords patronising sports in the Charleville demesne and a committee was set up in 1882 to try and purchase a sports ground nearer the town.
Two local men, James Lyle Sterling and John Brown purchased the leasehold interest in five acres at Spollanstown for £102 and handed over the ground to the trustees of the Tullamore Amateur Athletic Club for the staging of athletic events. In July 1884, a sports was held at the new ground by the club and became an annual event.
The GAA was formed as part of a class related struggle for the control of Irish athletics, with the games of football and hurling taking precedence within years. The Spollanstown venue was caught up in this struggle with nationalists in the town opposed to the Irish Amateur Athletic Association, which the Tullamore club was affiliated to – their athletic events were staged under their rules.
Tullamore GAA Club was formed in 1888, attracting support from nationalists in the town who refused to participate in events at Spollanstown. Tullamore GAA did try and stage events at Spollanstown but were refused initially permission by the Amateur Athletic Association and their first tournament was held in a field at Cloncollig, though some gaelic games were played there.
With very little support from the indigenous population, the Tullamore Amateur Athletic Association could not survive and duly collapsed in the 1890s. The grounds passed to Tullamore Cricket Club in the early 1900s and they erected a pavilion in 1902. They held the grounds for 20 years but as the War of Independence approached in the late 1910s, the game was rarely played in Spollanstown and the British military used it for their sports events.
Tullamore GAA Club attempted an audacious takeover of the grounds in 1922 after the treaty was signed, marching from O'Connor Square to Spollanstown and trying to claim the venue for the club. They were met by the caretaker, who had obtained grazing rights from the Cricket Club, and Tullamore GAA's members duly gained admittance and some games were played there.
However, the trustees of the Cricket Club brought the case to a local court and Tullamore GAA withdrew. They were given the option of renting the field but by now had acquired a lease on Ballyduff Field off the Clara Road in Tullamore and this remained their venue until O'Connor Park was acquired on the Arden Road in the early 1930s – they did attempt to purchase the Spollanstown venue before settling on the land that was opened as O'Connor Park in 1934.
The Spollanstown venue had a very interesting history over the following decades. A new Maurice Davin Athletics Club in Tullamore attempted to organise athletics meetings there but without success and soccer, rugby and hockey were played there irregularly in the 1920s and '30s. From the mid 1920s, the venue was known locally as the Show Grounds as the local agricultural show was held there.
Tullamore Rugby Club was formed in 1937 and secured the grounds from the Show Committee on a caretaker basis. Tullamore Soccer Club was formed in 1943 and the two agreed to share the venue – in those days when the GAA ban on foreign sports was at peak enforcement, there was a crossover of members between the rugby and soccer clubs.
A hugely popular annual carnival was held at the venue in the 1950s and on and the Rugby and Soccer Clubs formally took over the lease of the ground in 1955. A pavilion was erected in 1956 but destroyed by fire in 1961 and rebuilt the following year. There was a pitch and putt course there in the mid 1960s and with both rugby and soccer growing in popularity in this decade, the strain on the facilities became too much.
Tullamore Rugby Club accepted a soccer offer of £5,000 to vacate the ground in 1968 and they secured land in Durrow. However, Tullamore Soccer Club were also struggling financially and in May 1970, Tullamore Rugby Club agreed to pay them £6,500 for their interest in the ground with the IRFU giving crucial financial assistance to them.
Tullamore Soccer Club went to Puttaghaun before moving to Leah Victoria Park, off the Axis Business Park, in a remarkable Celtic Tiger land swap deal with the Flanagan group – they wanted the Puttaghaun ground for a private hospital and the shell of that abandoned project still looms large on the bypass on the way into Tullamore.
Over the years, Tullamore Rugby Club secured additional land in Spollanstown, developing superb facilities and Tullamore Cricket Club's return there is a very symbolic one.
In the late 19th century, cricket was the biggest threat to the impending sporting dominance of the GAA, not soccer or rugby. In 1900, there were six senior hurling clubs, seven senior football clubs in Offaly but 12 cricket clubs – it was played in both predictable and unlikely areas, including Tullamore, Birr, Daingean, Cadamstown, Shinrone, Ballinagar, Daingean, Ballycommon, Edenderry, Eglish.
It was hampered by the lack of a national governing body, unlike the GAA, soccer and rugby and it soon disappeared off the map, apart from small pockets in Kinnitty and near Birr.
Now a Tullamore Cricket Club has been formed and will be seeking to attract interest from new residents who have come from countries with a cricket playing tradition and locals, interested in trying a new game.
The open day will feature exhibition cricket with a T2O match featuring president 11 v Vice president 11, refreshments, and an opportunity for the wider community to meet members and supporters of the club.
Club Chairperson Mick Schnackenberg said:
“This is a hugely important day for everyone involved with Tullamore Cricket Club. The opening represents a lot of hard work, community support, and belief in growing cricket in Offaly. We are especially proud that our club brings together people from many different cultures and backgrounds through sport.”
The club has seen strong support from local families, healthcare workers, volunteers, businesses, and cricket enthusiasts across the Midlands, with growing interest in both junior and adult cricket programmes.
Tullamore Cricket Club welcomes anyone interested in playing, volunteering, sponsoring, or simply learning more about cricket to attend the opening day match.
Event Details
Event: Tullamore Cricket Club Opening Day
Date: Sunday, 7th June 2026
Venue: Tullamore Rugby Club
Time: 12AM
.The club extends its thanks to all supporters, volunteers, and community partners who have helped make the occasion possible.
For further information, please contact Tullamore Cricket Club through its social media channels.
The event will be attended by Tony McCormack TD and local councillors who have been supportive to the club. Brian Kellegher, President Leinster Cricket will also be in attendance.