Cricket: Time to act on Eden Park, says NZC boss

Daniel Vettori fields the ball during the last test to be played at Eden Park in March 2006. Photo / Getty Images

The boss of New Zealand Cricket has urged Eden Park management to "find any solution" to get test cricket back to Auckland.

Justin Vaughan has described the situation where Auckland has not hosted a test since March, 2006, as "wrong" and said it was "really quite urgent" for a decision to be made about the future use of the Eden Park Outer Oval.

"It's absolutely critical for cricket to be able to host the pinnacle of the sport in the country's largest city," Vaughan said. "At the moment we can't play tests in Auckland and that is just wrong."

Auckland Cricket wants $5 million to develop the Outer Oval into a test ground but that potentially puts it into conflict with the Eden Park Redevelopment Board (EPRB).

Papers obtained under the Official Information Act from the office of Minister for the Rugby World Cup Murray McCully show the EPRB has argued that test cricket on the Outer Oval would "prevent completion of redevelopment of the main ground".

Auckland Cricket chief executive Andrew Eade is becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of "engagement" by park authorities.

"We're trying to get them [Eden Park Trust Board] and other people to engage on that and hopefully agree to develop the Outer Oval," Eade said. "For various reasons certain people do not think having test cricket is the best use of the oval and they have always been keen to see us go."

John Waller, chairman of both the EPRB and the EPTB, said: "Our concentration has focused on the redevelopment [of the main oval]. The new trust board has not had time to even consider the Outer Oval yet.

"I'm aware of cricket's frustration. We are going to have to sit down with all the stakeholders to see where we can go with this moving forward."

The papers reveal that stadium design firm HOK Sport completed a feasibility study to see if test cricket could be shifted to nearby Western Springs.

It is the second such study and is, according to Eade, gathering dust next to the first one "because nobody knew what to do with it".

"A test cricket venue at Western Springs would be highly feasible, but subject to funding and changes to current uses," the EPRB told the minister.

Eade believed getting the park ready for test cricket, assuming Western Springs Speedway agreed to move, would cost more than $20 million.

"For us to move we also need to have an indoor training facility there, we need outdoor nets, spectator facilities, office facilities," Eade said.

"The Outer Oval, if you knocked down the old high-performance centre and put a new building in, you'd be looking at $15 to 20 million.

"But if you left all that and just concentrate on putting a grass embankment in at the northern end of the ground, which is all we think we need, you could do it all for well under $5 million."

Eade believed there was a push to have Auckland Cricket move. The team plays at Colin Maiden Park for the next two seasons while work is completed on Eden Park's main oval.

In the past it was Auckland Rugby which agitated for cricket's removal so it could use the Outer Oval for training.

Now Eade is less clear who is leading the drive. "Since the redevelopment, it has been quite hard for us to get a handle on where this push for us to go comes from.

"The redevelopment board has continually said, 'It's not our issue, we're just concerned with Rugby World Cup'.

"The old trust board said, 'Well, it's not a decision we can make in the final throes of our existence', and the new trust board, which has been in place for two or three months only, basically has not engaged on the issue.

"We've been trying to get them to engage and get a handle on where they are coming from."

The Eden Park Trust Board Act guarantees Auckland Cricket rights to the Outer Oval in perpetuity. It is believed the redevelopment board has its long-term eye on replacing the existing West Stand, which backs on to the Outer Oval. Any increase to that stand's dimensions would remove cricket from the Outer Oval as its boundaries are already the International Cricket Council minimum.

Vaughan said moving tests back to Eden Park No 1 was not on the agenda and its increased capacity made it "even less attractive" as a test ground.

"Whether it's at Outer Oval or Western Springs ... to be honest where we once wanted the best solution, we now just want any solution."