Sports and Past-times

In early sporting history, the local newspaper Croydon’s Weekly Standard, established in 1859, which later became The Wolverton Express from July 1887, includes reports of sporting fixtures about cricket, football under rugby rules, cycling, fishing and athletics. These sporting activities were only undertaken by men and boys.

The earliest Deanshanger cricket match reports appear in the 1860s and rugby football  in the first half of the 1880s; during this period remarkably rugby match reports are featured more than those about association football. Several Deanshanger men (A Wootton, W Foddy, E Canvin, Ridgway and Roberts amongst them) played for the village rugby team and also turned out regularly for Stony Stratford teams. Rugby was still being played in Stony Stratford up to the outbreak of the Second World War, but by this time association football and cricket dominated the village sporting scene. Much of the sport, especially Cricket, appears to have been played on the Cricket Field upto the late 1950s, which remains to this day a public open space. Reports about the Deanshanger Angling Club show competitions were held in local rivers and the canal.

To date, no official records have been found regarding the existence of an official Ironworks Sports Club, but there are certainly several photos and a few news reports of named Ironworks teams and clubs for football, athletics, cricket and fishing.

Early athletic 'sports days' regularly occurred on Whitsun Bank Holiday Monday, but many spring and summer celebratory community events held in the village included a sports day, e.g. the annual anniversary of the dedication of Holy Trinity Church, held a sporting programme that followed a church service. Sports days generally included community teas for all ages and the athletic programme involved running on a marked track on The Green and around the village streets as well as Sack Races, Tug of War and Cycling Races. Prizes for sports winners would often be domestic items or services donated by local shops rather than medals and rosettes. The event was then usually rounded off by a dance which went on late into the evening with many including a firework display finale.

The Deanshanger Sports & Playing Field Association was set up to establish a sport and leisure facility for and on behalf of the people of Deanshanger. In 1952 the Minister of Education awarded a 60% grant towards the layout costs and purchase of land for the field off Folly Road, formerly an orchard belonging to Mr & Mrs Rupert Ridgway, the rest was to be met by public funds. To fund raise weekly contributions were collected from villagers and many activities organised. The Deanshanger sporting organisations came together under a working agreement whereby each retained a separate identity, but adopted a “Common Entertainment Policy” for all their social functions in order to raise funds for the project. This resulted in Deanshanger becoming a famed weekly ’dance hotspot’ for the district. People came from far and wide to dance to music provided by live bands at events hosted by the various sporting groups in the Memorial Hall or Conservative Club.

Deanshanger has had a Badminton Club, Bowls Club, Boxing Club, Deanshanger Athletic Football Club, Deanshanger Cricket Club, a Cycling Club, the Moonraker’s Cycle [grass] Speedway Club, and a Tennis Club. The village had its own Darts League with the pub teams vieing for supremacy. Sadly only the bowls and  football still thrive. The latter has a very strong youth section for both boys and girls, every Saturday morning hoards of children varying in heights, ages and abilities can be seen  scurrying enthusiastically around the Playing Field.

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