Thrum Hall

In 1878, Halifax, who had just won the inaugural Yorkshire Cup, bought a patch of land for £3,000 from a local farmer, Major Dyson, to develop as a new multi-purpose sports ground. It was to be a replacement for their Hanson Lane ground which stood opposite. The site measured 55,000 square yards and included a cricket pitch and bowling greens. The ground was continuously developed over the next 40 to 50 years and it came to be regularly used as a neutral ground for Challenge Cup and Championship matches, including the 1914 Challenge Cup final (won by Hull) and the 1912, 1929 and 1930 Championship deciders. Thrum Hall was run by trustees from 1921. The attendance record of 29,153 was set in a third round Challenge Cup tie against Wigan on 21 March 1959. By the time of the Taylor Report, Thrum Hall's capacity was reduced to 9,832. Halifax was hit hard by the financial situation of the late 1960s, and 1970s. In 1970, a concert was held at Thrum Hall in an attempt to alleviate these financial troubles. Adverse weather conditions meant that only around 3,000 arrived to watch the 'Halifax Pop and Blues Concert' which made a loss of £6,000. ==Other uses==

The adjacent Thrum Hall Cricket Ground hosted four first class cricket matches between 1888 and 1897. ==Closure==

Halifax sold Thrum Hall for £1.5 million to Asda for a superstore development in 1998, and moved across town to their present home, the Shay Stadium. The supermarket chain closed their existing store in Battinson Road, when the new store finally opened after a protracted legal battle in 2004. The final match to be played at the ground was on 22 March 1998 where Halifax defeated Leeds 35–28. ==Rugby League Test Matches==

The list of international rugby league matches played at Thrum Hall is: ==Rugby League Tour Matches==

Thrum Hall also saw the Halifax R.L.F.C. play host to international touring teams from Australia (sometimes playing as Australasia) and New Zealand from 1907–1994. ==References==