Magazine: Wickets Drop into Darwin
By Editor in Cricket on 4th Jul 2008 6:00
It will be all hands on deck as two 30 tonne “drop-in” cricket wickets are lowered into the heart of TIO Stadium tomorrow. More than 50 cubic metres o
f soil and turf will be removed to make way for the two 23m x 3m “drop-in” wickets.
Local curators John Furner and Trent Kelly have been preparing the wickets under the watchful eye of the Gabba’s Kevin Mitchell Jnr in readiness for the three match Commonwealth Bank Series between Australia and Bangladesh starting on 30 August.
NT Cricket’s Head Curator, John Furner says that the international series has given him a unique opportunity to learn more about preparing first class cricket wickets: “We’re excited about the opportunity to work with somebody of Kevin’s expertise and reputation. The wickets are progressing well. There is good even grass coverage which will hopefully make for a great spectacle.” Mr Furner said.
In a first for Darwin cricket, two local finals of the Darwin and Districts Cricket Competition will be played on the wickets on 26 and 27 July as part of their preparation for the international matches.
TIO Stadium was originally known as Marrara Oval.
The ground was built in 1991 and Australian rules football is primarily played at the venue. The record crowd of 17,500 was set in 2002 for an AFL pre-season practice match between the Aboriginal All-Stars and Carlton Football Club which the All-Stars won.
It also hosted two cricket Tests in 2003 with Australia against Bangladesh and 2004 against Sri Lanka, not to mention a one day international against Bangladesh also in 2003. The ground is schedule to hold a further 3 one day internationals again against Bangladesh in late August, early September.
The current total capacity is around 15,000 including 5,000 seats.
From NT Cricket
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f soil and turf will be removed to make way for the two 23m x 3m “drop-in” wickets.
