By D.J. CAMERON
Cricketing ducks, perhaps even of international quality, may soon flutter around the North Harbour sports stadium, where mallards used to gather.
When a few years ago the visionaries of the North Shore City Council backed the development of the spectacular, multi-use stadium at Albany, a secondary sports field designed for cricket was laid behind the flying-wing main grandstand.
Plans for this ground to become the home of the fledgling North Harbour Cricket Association were carefully slipped out of sight when development money became scarce, and the new cricket association was not promoted to first-class level by New Zealand Cricket.
So the cricket oval became the worksite for the new stand, developing all the unappealing scars of a tank-testing ground and, in recent years, providing a happy home for the mallards among the wetlands undergrowth.
The stadium staff, hoping for extra rental revenue, perked up when Australian Rules and then the equestrian people looked upon the undeveloped ground as a possible home.
The field has similar dimensions to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the spiritual home of Australian Rules. But development money was needed elsewhere, until the North Shore City Council, and the stadium trust chairman, Chris Aiken, put some extra weight on the accelerator.
The ground had never been properly graded and sewn, so the council laid a sand carpet, had the ground sand-slit, the grass sown. The ground already looks a picture, and it could be ready for sporting use by next month.
Aiken, concerned that a major part of what was designed as a widely used community asset was not being used, spread the question of whether the cricket ground should be developed.
"There was a quite incredible reaction; people talked to me about their ambitions of seeing their sons playing cricket there," he said.
"There was also the feeling that the North Shore might be starved of international sport on a community-based facility."
Five years ago Christopher Doig, with the missionary zeal of a new chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, suggested to the Auckland Cricket Association that the North Harbour stadium field be developed as a major ACA venue.
He was told, very sharply, to mind his own business.
But with the added support from the North Shore council and the stadium trust, and with problems of the dual-use fields at Eden Park, the ACA has mellowed.
Last week, Doig was again in Auckland, and raised an interested ACA eyebrow or two by commenting that, properly developed, the Albany ground could be used for major matches, even tests.
Don Hathaway, the ACA chairman, said the ACA must stand by its commitment to playing major cricket at Eden Park. However, a new full-size and single-use field at Albany could give the ACA some interesting alternatives.
With the chance of preparing superior-quality pitches without winter-sport damage, the ACA could look at playing major cricket matches, including tests, pre-Christmas, with Eden Park taking the traditional late-summer test and one-day international traffic.
"A new field at North Harbour stadium could give us plenty of options," said Hathaway.
"Women's cricket is having a bigger impact, and they could play big matches there.
"Having another first-class field would give Auckland more chance of staging domestic and perhaps international tournaments, such as the World Youth Cup."
Graeme Running, the stadium general manager, said the project would give North Harbour the chance of developing a stylish cricket ground from scratch.
"Would it not be great if we could develop a village green-type of ground, with the charm of some of the England county grounds?
"There would be the player and spectator facilities in the main grandstand, but room for marquees and tents around the boundary."
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Latest from Sport
Warriors team up with Defence Force for tribute before Anzac match
CEO: 'To be able to commemorate those who have served, fought and fallen is an honour.'