Cricket: Safety first as venue changed

Central Districts Cricket chief executive Pete de Wet. PHOTO/FILE

Player safety is paramount, according to Central Districts Cricket chief executive Pete de Wet after a change in venue in New Plymouth for a Twenty20 match.

The Stags v Canterbury Kings match has been moved across a couple of valleys from Yarrow Stadium to Pukekura Park on New Year's Eve.

"Now that it has moved the game won't be televised," said De Wet as the switch means the clash will start at 4pm rather than the initial 7.10pm slot to cater for Skysport coverage, although pre-bought tickets will still be redeemable at Pukekura Park.

He said CD had tried to sway TV to cover at Pukekura but the response was the infrastructure for coverage was already installed at Yarrow for the previous game although the NZC fixtures still states "Live on Sky".

"It's obviously disappointing but players' safety is the most important thing and that's the bottom line, really," he says after Black Caps allrounder Doug Bracewell injured his knee in the rain-abandoned match against ND on December 10.

The change "was made necessary by a problematic outfield at Yarrow Stadium, a section of which has been deemed unlikely to recover in time", according to an NZC statement.

De Wet didn't think floodlights were the only reason for staging a game live on TV but said he would discuss it with Sky.

"We do play a lot of our cricket in New Plymouth but at this time of the year it's too risky because of the weather," he said, alluding to a DL Method win and a no result there.

De Wet said CD had to be more strategic in the way it picked venues but the major association was blessed to have five home games to stage in its scattered district although only two were televised.

"It's just a matter of finding balance, really. We'd love to have more of our games televised ... "

The William Young-captained, undefeated Stags play the Otago Volts at Pukekura Park tomorrow from 4pm and then play ND in Hamilton on Friday from 7.10pm in a televised affair.