Sports
It is thought that sport didn't feature very much in the recreational activities of Kirby Muxloe people until around 1890.
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As new, wealthy people arrived in the village, mainly taking up residence in the Kirby Fields area, sport became a popular past time.
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Kirby Muxloe Golf Club was established in 1895, and was initially a 9 hole course. Tennis also became a regular activity especially with the residents of Kirby Fields and a few people on Gullet Lane.
A Football Club was formed in 1910 and a Cricket Club in 1918.
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By the 1950's Cycle speed racing had become very popular to be followed by the Bowls Club in 1975 and the Angling Club in 1987.
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Kirby Muxloe Cricket Team 1920's Charlie Moore Snr.
Photograph The Joe Moore collection
Kirby Muxloe Football Club early 1950's
Photograph The Tony Ball Collection
Fishing in Kirby Muxloe Castle moat
Photograph Judith Upton
Angling
Kirby Muxloe '87'Angling Club was founded in 1987. This seemed to be an ideal opportunity for the fishermen of the village to use the Castle moat for their recreational purposes. Although conceived in 1987, the actual membership started on 1st June 1988 (the start of the fishing season in those days).
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In 1987, the Kirby Muxloe Sports Club was offered the opportunity to hold the lease for fishing in the moat at the Kirby Muxloe Castle but, at the time, they felt unable to proceed. In 1987, Mr M.V. Hammond and a couple of colleagues decided to lease the fishing rights for the moat at the Castle from the Winstanley Trust ( the Winstanley family had owned the castle and surrounding area until 1912, when it was handed over to the Ministry of Works). In 2017, Mr Hammond was still the Chair of the Club.
Prior to Kirby Muxloe attaining the rights they had been held by Birstall British Legion for a number of years.
The Kirby Muxloe '87' Angling Club is a private club and has approximately 100 members, many of whom are local people. It is affiliated to Kirby Muxloe Sports Club, where it holds its annual Fur and Feathers fishing match celebrations each November.
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The Angling Club has always worked closely with English Heritage, who look after the Castle, in order to comply with their strict requirements. It is illegal to fish in the moat unless you are a member of this Angling Club,
Information kindly supplied by Kirby Muxloe '87' Angling Club.
Football
There is a very long history of football in Kirby Muxloe. The Club which was formed in 1910, has been active throughout the years, excluding the war years when many of the men in the village were away fighting for their country. Some men were still in the village but their spare time was taken up by wartime activities,with little time for recreation.
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The first football matches were held in 1910. In 1920, Henry Swain Bennett of Holmwood, Kirby Fields, purchased a parcel of land from Henrietta Sutton-Harding of The Towers, Station Road, the cost was £1,039. Mr Bennett then gifted the land to the village, to be used as "public pleasure grounds".
After this date football matched were held on the recreation ground ("reccy").
In 1972, the Football Club amalgamated with the Cricket Club to form Kirby Muxloe Sports and Village Club on Ratby Lane. Fund raising gained pace until the new Club House was built entirely through the effort of the local community.
The Club then joined the Leicester City League and remained there for 8 seasons, joining the Senior League by 1982. Within 5 seasons the club found themselves in the Premier Division.
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In 1988, the Seniors merged with the KM '88 Junior Football Club. The 88 Club was a separate club offering the opportunity to play football to local children.
More history of Kirby Muxloe Football Club can be read on www.kirbymuxloefootballclub.co.uk.
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Kirby Muxloe Football Team 1966-67
Photograph The Tony Ball Collection
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Kirby Muxloe Football Team 1930's
Photograph The Joe Moore Collection
Kirby Muxloe Sports Club
A Brief History of Kirby Muxloe Sports Club
On 11th October1972, a meeting was held between the Kirby Muxloe Football Club and the Kirby Muxloe Cricket Club. The object of the meeting was to discuss the amalgamation of the two clubs with regard to either buying or leasing land for a new ground. The ground in question was on Ratby Lane. This land was owned by Blaby District Council.
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Committee-Cricket Club
Mr J. Heighton, Mr M. Freeman, Mr J. Wain
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Committee - Football Club
Mr A, Ball, Mr R. Bland, Mr M. Hammond.
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The action was that the 6 members of the Committee would act as Trustees for the initial transactions.
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On 16th January 1973, The Kirby Muxloe Sports Club was granted a 40 year lease on the ground- in later years they would go on to purchase the land.
An official organisation would be formed so that any further negotiations could be continued. The organisation would be known as the Kirby Muxloe Sports Club.
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The officers of the new club would be:
Chair - Mr I. Whyte
Treasurer - Mr A. Ball
Secretary - Mr M. Hammond
Mr Bloor, a local solicitor, would advise the club on compiling a set of rules. The Sports Club originally leased the land until such time as they could afford to purchase it. Investigations began where additional funding could be obtained.
Building the new Sport's Club in 1973
Photograph The Julia Sleight Collection
Cricket
A known newspaper report of a "friendly cricket match played in Kirby on Monday last, it being a feast" is dated 17th September 1842. After that newspaper article nothing more is reported about cricket in the village, for almost the next 100 years. The K.M. cricket team website tells us that they have a photograph dated 1931, and may have earlier ones in their possession. The oldest photograph of a Kirby cricket team held by the History Group is one taken in the 1920's, which is part of the Joe Moore Collection. Joe and his brother Charlie were born and brought up in the village and the picture shows Charlie senior and his son Charlie junior. There is some thought that before the recreation ground was gifted to the village in 1923, games were palyed in a field on the opposite side of Station Road. Cricket games were curtailed during WWII, only resuming in early 1946. The website tells us that "players young and old set about renovating the square and outfield, cutting and raking up the long grass by hand. The Club President hired a steam engine for the day and players took it in turn to drive it round and round in an attempt flatten the outfield". It is known that during WWII, the field was used for cattle grazing. Over the following years the club thrived and played on the recreation ground. By the 1970's the Cricket Club and Football Club joined forces and began fundraising in order to eventually purchase a plot of land to accomodate a new Club House, together with Cricket and Football pitches (see article above). Over the years the Club took part in many matches, particularly playing against Ratby in the "Geary Cup" and also in the "Louis Freeman Cup". By 2003, the original cricket pavillion was unstable and so there was a need for a replacement. After some time using a temporary portacabin, it was decided a new club house was a priority. After much publicity and very hard work a new pavillion was opened in 2008 and a new scoreboard in 2009. Cricket continues to thrive in the village to ths day in 2024. For a full history of Kirby Muxloe Cricket Club please visit Kirby Muxloe Cricket Club on the web.
Cricket Team 1931
Photograph The Joe Moore Collection
Kirby Muxloe Cricket Team early 1930's
Photograph part of the Joe Moore Collection
Bowls Club
Kirby Muxloe Bowls Club is situated on Station road, next to the village library. The game has long been thought of a pastime for 'older people', however, it is now beginning to appeal to younger generations. Bowls is a very competitive sport but also a very sociable one.
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Kirby Muxloe Bowls Club became a reality when a group of local people got together in the mid '70's and with the help of the Parish Council established a Bowling Club on land donated to the village for the building of the Village Hall and is leased from them. The Club has changing rooms, a large function room and an excellent social side.
There are two types of bowls for outdoors. Flat Green and Crown Green. In Kirby Muxloe and for most of the Midlands, Flat Green bowls is the only one practiced.
The aim of the game is simple. "Get your bowls as close as possible to a smaller white ball called the 'jack' without going off rink". It might sound easy, but the fact that the bowls do not travel in a straight line adds to the tactical challenge. Bowls are manufactured with bias making them follow a curved route as they travel towards the jack.
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For more interesting information on the Bowls Club please visit their website: www.kirbymuxloebowls.club
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Thank you to the Bowls Club - part of the article taken from Kirby Bowls Club-History.
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Kirby Muxloe Bowls Club late 1970's
Photograph THe Nancy Ward Collection
Players on the green at Kirby Muxloe Bowls Club
Photograph The Stan Garner Collection
Golf Club
Kirby Muxloe Golf Club was founded in October1893 as a nine hole course. In those days it was described as "a very fair inland green and in summer little inconvenience is experienced from long grass, the turf being for most part of good golfing character" On the 27 February 1894, it was reported that the first monthly medal was played on Thursday and Saturday. The first Clubhouse was built in June 1909, and in 1926, the course was restyled as an18 hole course. Over the years many changes have occured to both the Golf Course and the Clubhouse. During WWII, much of the Golf Course was turned over for land to grow vegatables, only reverting to a golf course after the war. When Kirby Muxloe was bombed in November 1940, Kirby Muxloe Golf Club became a "rest centre and feeding station" for the many people who were temporarily homeless. In 1986, a fire nearly destroyed the building but for the prompt action of various members and the fire service. Today the Golf Club is as popular as ever. Read more about K.M. Golf Club on their website at www.kirbymuxloe-golf.co.uk With thanks to K.M. Golf Club for the information received.
Kirby Muxloe Golf Club 1923 Photograph K.M. Golf Club
Kirby Muxloe Golf Club first Clubhouse
Photograph part of the Will Walker Collection