The CC4 Museum of Welsh Cricket is thrilled to announce that it has secured further grant-funding to explore and celebrate further aspects of the heritage of Cardiff’s sporting landscape.
Following-on from the success of the “Cricket is a game for me, me and me” exhibition in the Museum at Glamorgan Cricket’s headquarters at Sophia Gardens and funded via the Welsh Government through it’s Winter of Well-being grant scheme in conjunction with the Welsh Museums Federation, the same organisations have awarded the Cricket Museum a grant under their “Summer of Fun” scheme which will be running throughout August and September.
Entitled “The Heritage of the Harlequins Ground, lost but not forgotten!”, the project will look at one of the lost cricket grounds in the Welsh capital, situated off Newport Road and currently the home of St. Peter’s RFC. The Harlequins Ground had been created in the early 1890s and, either side of the First World War, it hosted the activities of cricket clubs in the Roath area, as well as being the venue where the young scholars from local schools took part in their recreational activities.
“The Museum has, in its extensive collection of photographs, a number of superb images of the Harlequins Ground, “said Dr. Andrew Hignell, the Curator of the CC4 Museum of Welsh Cricket, who is master-minding the project. “These include images of various cricket and other sporting teams from Cardiff Intermediate School (later Cardiff High School) who used the Harlequins for their recreational endeavours.”
“We are naturally delighted that these images will now get an airing in this exciting project celebrating a lost but very important aspect of Cardiff’s sporting landscape, especially as The Harlequins Ground also hosted a number of other sporting activities including football, rugby, lacrosse, cycling and the first hockey international in Cardiff, whilst in 1910 it had also been considered as a possible home for Cardiff City FC as the city’s football club turned professional.”
The project will see a number of activities, including a series of cricket-themed coaching sessions for local youngsters aged 7 to 14 taking place at St. Peters RFC on 11, 15, 23 and 30 August between 1500 and 1700, plus a family multi-sports fun day on Friday 2 September, again at St. Peter’s, from 1030 until 1430.
Pupils from local primary schools will also get an opportunity to visit the Museum during September and learn about the benefits of healthy recreation, as well as the rich sporting history of The Harlequins ground. In addition, the local children will create display material for the Museum and the rugby club, whilst a sporting reminiscence group will also be created at St. Peter’s RFC allowing further celebrations of the history of The Harlequins Ground.
“It’s great that these forgotten stories will finally get recorded,” said Sadie Lewis, the Club’s Community Outreach Co-ordinator who will be overseeing this Project. “I grew up in this area and know from first-hand experience how important The Harlequins was as a multi-sport venue. It will be fantastic that lots of the local girls and boys will get a chance over the coming months to sample a variety of ball games and really have a Summer of Fun, besides learning about what happened in the past at the Harlequins Ground and its place in Cardiff’s sporting history.”
Click here to find out more about the project and click here to download the registration form for participation in the activities of this project.