da bet7： Cricket administrators may be worried that the major rugby season in NewZealandis now stretching from late February to early November — perhapssqueezing cricketout of its traditional share of grounds that cater for the two sports
Don Cameron06-Jul-2001Cricket administrators may be worried that the major rugby season in NewZealandis now stretching from late February to early November — perhapssqueezing cricketout of its traditional share of grounds that cater for the two sports.This year the national rugby championship will go into the first week ofNovember.One scenario for next winter has rugby starting with the usual Super 12from mid-or late-February, a longer mid-season period for internationalmatchesand theconsequent stretching of the NPC into mid-November.This would cause, at least at Eden Park, something of a log-jam withboth sportscompeting for playing and/or training facilities.Lindsay Crocker, the Auckland Cricket Association chief executive, isaware of theproblems — but he wants to regard them as challenges, and notnecessarily as yetanother case of big-brother rugby competing for the big prizes, andshovinglittle-brother cricket out of the way.”We feel it is our job to react to these problems, and we are,” saidCrockeryesterday.”It is probably a fact of life that rugby is making more demands on theplayingfields. That is happening at Eden Park, and at other grounds round thecountry.”We must accept that as a challenge.”In fact, when these problems have risen at Eden Park before crickethas been thebody that suggested the possible solutions. We have been the dynamic,the majorimpetus.”Crocker said that cricket had led the way to developing the portablepitch, and wastaking a leading part in the possible re-development of the Eden Parkouter oval tomake it suitable for international cricket.The main action would be to shift the southern boundary ( and with itthegrandstand and indoor school ) back into the car-park to give a longerstraightboundary. More spectator seating and amenities would also be required.The eventual follow-on to that would be to have test matches on theouter oval andone-day internationals on the main field.”We are working through the Eden Park board of control in thisdirection,” saidCrocker.”We regard the matter as being urgent, we would like to think we shouldbe close tothe target in a couple of years, but we still have to find out whetherthe up-gradingof the outer oval is physically and financially practicable.”In the meantime, the ACA is ear-marking grounds for possible use duringthe YouthWorld Cup tournament to be held in New Zealand in January-February.One new ground which could come into service for that World Cup event istheexpansive field at the North Harbour stadium, which will be used by theACA nextsummer.The pitch has been laid, sand-slit drains installed (regarded as betterthan those onEden Park No 1) and the North Harbour field may soon join Eden Park,CornwallPark and University Park, as the big-match centres in Auckland.These should serve Auckland well until rugby takes the ultimate step,cancelssummer and turns its sport into a 12-month enterprise.