Howzat for a summer set up? Cricket pitch on Bay of Islands sandbar showcases Kiwiana summer

Rumour has it that cricket has been played on the sandbar for decades, but Grant said no one was really sure. Photo / Supplied

How to create the most Kiwi game of "backyard" cricket ever?

Swap out the backyard for a sandbar in the Bay of Islands - this one requires a half-hour boat trip to access - and you too can boast about having a summer stunner.

Paihia man Ted Grant's amazing cricket set-up has been showcased through an exchange on Twitter kickstarted by former Australian cricketer Dean Jones.

The cricket pitch is accessible by boat, and is a 30 minute ride from Paihia. Photo / Glenn McLelland at Aerial Vision

Jones asked for photos of people's best backyard pitches, and offered a signed copy of his book for what he judged to be the best.

Submarine Cricket Club El 'Presidente' Ted Grant responded to the tweet with a photo of his cricket "club".

"Twice a year in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand," he wrote.

"Locals constantly refer to the area as our 'backyard'."

Grant, whose day job is duty manager for Fullers GreatSights, introduced the group as the "Submarine Cricket Club".

The aerial shot captured a bunch of people playing cricket on a sandbar attached to a small island in the middle of crystal-clear water.

Ted Grant said the idea to form the team was dreamt up over a "frosty beverage". Photo / Supplied

Speaking to the Herald about the spot of Kiwi ingenuity, Grant said taking bat to the somewhat untraditional pitch had been an annual tradition since 2011 - and had recently become a twice-yearly occurrence.

Two of his friends decided to create a cricket pitch on the spot while scheming over a cold beverage.

"Rumour has it that cricket has been played on the sandbar for decades," Grant said.

"No one is really sure."

The team now played for the "Submarine trophy", Grant said.

They round up a bunch of friends and family and head out to the island to play.

Keen to rope everyone possible into the Kiwi favourite, Grant said they invited new participants each time the twice-yearly games rolled around.

Loyal members of the team include painters, forestry workers and firefighters.

They also tried to rope in backpackers each year, to "give them a taste" of how Kiwis enjoyed summer.

The island takes about 30 minutes to get to by boat and the group dubbed it "Submarine Rock", he said, because of its shape and how it looked.

'The Submarine Cricket Club' was founded back in 2009, but only started playing regular games in 2011. Photo / Glenn McLelland at Aerial Vision

The sandbar is officially part of the Ngatokoparangi Islands.

It's partial submersion in the water made setting up the wickets quite tide-dependent.

"We have to time our games when we have a low tide around the middle of the day," Grant said.

"The games are timed so each team gets two one-hour innings with small drinks breaks in between."

The Submarine Cricket Club came together twice a year, Grant said, just before summer in October or November, and then again in February or March.

Jones' post attracted more than a dozen other responses - though Grant's was arguably the most impressive.

Rumour has it that cricket has been played on the sandbar for decades, but Grant said no one was really sure. Photo / Supplied

Photos showed set-ups ranging from standard backyard pitches to images of street cricket in Mumbai.