Cougar Park

Cougar Park
Cougar Park in 2007: Keighley Cougars vs Featherstone Rovers
Full name	Cougar Park
Former names	Lawkholme Lane (1899–1995)
Location	Keighley, West Yorkshire
Coordinates	53°52′31″N 1°54′9″W / 53.87528°N 1.9025°W / 53.87528; -1.9025Coordinates: 53°52′31″N 1°54′9″W / 53.87528°N 1.9025°W / 53.87528; -1.9025
Built	1876
Opened	1876
Surface	Grass
Capacity	7,800
Tenants
Keighley Cougars (1899–) Silsden F.C.

Cougar Park is a multi-purpose stadium in Keighley, England. It is used mostly for rugby league matches, as the home stadium of Keighley Cougars and football as the new home of Silsden F.C.. Its capacity is 7,800 people. It also hosted a match during the 1995 Rugby League World Cup. From 1899 until 1995, it was known as "Lawkholme Lane".

History

Keighley RLFC were formed on 17 October 1876 and were allowed the use of a field in Lawkholme Lane. On 18 November 1876, the first game took place at Lawkholme Lane.^[1]

In 1932, with attendances on the rise the directors launched a big scheme of ground improvements. Up to this point Lawkholme Lane had had uncovered terraces and only one open stand on the Stockbridge side of the ground.

The playing area was widened; the turf and appointments were improved, and a spacious covered stand was erected. The new stand and improvements were opened on 9 September 1933 when Leeds were the visitors to Lawkholme Lane.

When Warrington visited Lawkholme Lane in the Challenge Cup there was a crowd of 14,000 who paid £761, then record receipts for the ground.

A fund was launched for the erection of a new stand, new dressing rooms, and other ground improvements. Local tradesmen were approached, collections were taken at matches and the supporters club arranged money-raising efforts. More than £3,000 was donated in the first season.

In 1957, the Keighley board bought Lawkholme Lane football ground, cricket ground, bowling green and cottages 13 acres (53,000 m²) of land in total, from the Duke of Devonshire for £10,000 paid for in sums of £2,500 a year. When the Hard Ings Road by-pass was built Keighley recouped some of their money by selling off a piece of land where cottages had been, for the erection of a petrol station.

In October 1985 Keighley were served a winding-up order by the Inland Revenue. This was only averted by the sale of the cricket field to Keighley Cricket Club for a reported £30,000 and the training pitch to Yorkshire Water for £65,000. Lawkholme Lane was sold in the late 1980s to the Co-op for approximately £10,000 and leased back to the club.

In August 1991, "the Cougars" were officially launched. The renovation of the old Lawkholme Lane ground followed and with this came a new name for the old ground "Cougar Park".

On 8 October 1995, Fiji beat South Africa 52–6 at Cougar Park in the 1995 Rugby League World Cup.

In the 2000 Emerging Nations Tournament, on 15 November Canada lost 6 – 66 to Italy in a match held at Cougar Park.

References

1. ^ Delaney, Trevor (1991). The Grounds of Rugby League. Keighley: T.R. Delaney. pp. 108–111. ISBN 0950998222. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grounds-Rugby-League-Trevor-Delaney/dp/0950998222. 

External links

• Keighley Cougars home page