By the 1950s there was a desperate need for a new recreation field for the mill’s sports teams. Whilst it was pointed out that the field at Filham was overgrown, it was commented that “with a little attention from the club members in cutting and rolling the field, it would be satisfactory”.
In 1951 a request was made to the Board of Wiggins Teape, explaining that the Football Club, made up of two teams, were still without a fixed ground and each year experiencing great difficulty in negotiating the use of a field from a local farmer. It was also stated that the cricket club had quite a ‘flourishing side and a number of enthusiasts” and that there was no field available in Ivybridge which could really be successfully turned into a cricket ground, forcing the club to play all matches away from home.
Finally, in 1951, Hamish MacNee, Mill Manager, received a communication from Wiggins Teape Head Office at Aldgate House, stating that the application for a sports field was approved and a specialist contractor was approached to commence work, which they confirmed would take until the spring of 1953 to complete.
Hamish MacNee approached Commander Pirie, the Production Director of Wiggins Teape to officially open the new Sports Ground on the occasion of the first home cricket match with Hele, on 23rd May 1953.