| Adelaide Oval | ||||
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 Australia |
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| Ground information | ||||
| Location | Adelaide, South Australia | |||
| Coordinates | 34°54′56″S 138°35′46″E / 34.91556°S 138.59611°ECoordinates: 34°54′56″S 138°35′46″E / 34.91556°S 138.59611°E | |||
| Establishment | 1871 | |||
| Seating capacity | 33,597 (50,000 - 2013+) |
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| Owner | South Australia Cricket Association | |||
| Tenants | Australia, Southern Redbacks | |||
| End names | River End Cathedral End |
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| International information | ||||
| First Test | 12 December 1884: Australia v England | |||
| Last Test | 28 November 2008: Australia v New Zealand | |||
| First ODI | 20 December 1975: Australia v West Indies | |||
| Last ODI | 10 February 2009: Australia v New Zealand | |||
| Domestic team information | ||||
| Years | Team | |||
| 1877 - present | South Australia | |||
| As of 5 March 2008 Source: CricketArchive |
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Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide and has a history which dates back to the 1870s. It is considered to be one of the most picturesque Test cricket grounds in Australia, if not the world.[1] The oval is managed by the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA), and the current curator is Les Burdett. The oval currently has a seating capacity of approximately 32,000–34,000 spectators;[2] the maximum crowd at a cricket game was 50,962 (during the Bodyline test 1932) and the maximum crowd was 62,543 (at the 1965 SANFL Grand Final between Port Adelaide and Sturt).
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History
- The ground was established in 1871 after the formation of SACA.
- The first Test match was played at the Oval from 12-16 December 1884. England beat Australia by eight wickets. (Scorecard)
- In 1894/1895 Albert Trott collected 8/43 on debut against England, the best ever single-innings Test match figures at the ground.
- The picket fence was put up surrounding the Oval (then with a cycling track) in 1900.
- From 5-12 August 1911 the Australian Football Council Carnival was played at the ground, won by South Australia. The competing sides were SA, VFL, VFA, Western Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales.
- The Adelaide Oval scoreboard, designed by architect Kenneth Milne, began service on 3 November 1911. The clock was added in 1912 and the windvane in the 1930s.
- In 1931/1932 Donald Bradman scored the highest score ever at the ground in Test Cricket, compiling 299* against South Africa. In the same game, Clarrie Grimmett collected fourteen wickets, the most ever taken in a test match at the ground by a bowler.
- In 1932/1933, the Bodyline affair reached its lowest point at the ground when Bill Woodfull and Bert Oldfield were struck, and on the third day mounted police patrolled to keep the 50,962 spectators in order (a record crowd for cricket at the ground). The total attendance for the match was 174,351.
- In 1947/1948 Australia scored 674 against India, the highest team total at the ground in Test matches.
- Considered by some to be the best Test Match ever competed at the ground, Australia played the West Indies in the fourth test of the Frank Worrell Trophy, 1960/1961. The match ended in a draw, with the West Indies unable to take the final wicket of the fourth innings, as the last batsmen Ken Mackay and Lindsay Kline held out for 109 minutes. West Indies bowler Lance Gibbs took the only ever Test cricket hat trick at the ground in Australia's first innings. (Scorecard)
- A record attendance of 62,543 people was recorded for the 1965 SANFL Grand Final between Port Adelaide and Sturt.
- In 1975/1976 the first One-Day International match was played at the ground between Australia and West Indies (40-over match), which Australia won by 5 wickets. (Scorecard)
- In 1978, the ground hosted the first concert by David Bowie in the Southern Hemisphere. It was also the first large scale outdoor concert he had ever played.
- In October 1982, vs Victoria, David Hookes hit a 43 minute, 34 ball century - in some respects the fastest hundred in history. (Statistics)
- In 1989/1990 Dean Jones scored twin Test hundreds against Pakistan.
- South Australia compiled the highest fourth innings winning total in Sheffield Shield history, reaching 6/506 (set 506 to win) against Queensland in 1991/1992.
- In 1992/1993 the West Indies defeated Australia by one run in the fourth test of the Frank Worrell Trophy, when a bouncer by Courtney Walsh brushed Craig McDermott's glove to end a 40-run last-wicket partnership. It was the narrowest victory ever in Test cricket. Curtly Ambrose picked up ten wickets in the game. (Scorecard)
- Lights were constructed at the ground in 1997, allowing sport to be held at night. This was the subject of a lengthy dispute with the Adelaide City Council, due to environmental issues relating to the parklands area. The first towers erected were designed to retract into the ground; however one collapsed and they were replaced with permanent towers. The first cricket match under lights was a One Day International between South Africa and New Zealand on 6 December 1997. (Scorecard)
- In 1999, Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was called for throwing by umpire Ross Emerson in a one day international against England. The Sri Lankan team almost abandoned the match, but after instructions from the president of the Sri Lankan cricket board (relayed to captain Arjuna Ranatunga by mobile phone) the game resumed.
- In 2003, two matches of the Rugby World Cup were played at Adelaide Oval, with Australia thrashing Namibia 142-0 and Argentina - Ireland both selling out.
- In December 2003 the highest day-score was compiled at the Adelaide Oval, by Australia against India, with the home side finishing at 5/400 at stumps.
- In November 2005 Brian Lara broke Allan Border's world record for the most Test runs before eventually being dismissed for 226.
- During the 2006/2007 Ashes series, many temporary stands were erected to cope with the demand for tickets. Stands were put between the Chappell stands and on the top of the hills. Australia beat England by 6 wickets on a remarkable last day. (Scorecard)
Major sporting events
Adelaide Oval hosts the following major sporting events:
- International cricket — Test and One Day International. There are normally two or three one-day games on the Australia Day weekend in January (replacing a traditional Australia Day test). The test is now normally in December and is Australia against the international touring team of the time. These matches include one test match during The Ashes series.
- Domestic cricket — Adelaide Oval is the home ground of the Southern Redbacks, the South Australian state cricket team. They play in three competitions: Sheffield Shield (first-class), Ford Ranger Cup (one-day) and KFC Twenty20 Big Bash. The 2005/06 ING Cup (now known as the Ford Ranger One Day Cup) final was played at Adelaide Oval between SA and NSW.
- Australian rules football — Adelaide Oval hosts SANFL matches, including many of the finals. Traditional fixtures include a "Grand Final rematch" between last year's Grand Finalists on the afternoon of ANZAC Day, which is well attended due to the venue's close proximity to the Torrens Parade Ground, the end of the ANZAC Day Parade in Adelaide, and the Finals in the first 3 weeks of the SANFL Finals Series, with only the Grand Final being played at AAMI Stadium. Australian Football League matches are played at AAMI Stadium, although the SACA continues to lobby the SANFL and AFL for AFL matches to be played at the ground.
- Rugby sevens — Starting in 2007, Adelaide Oval has hosted the Australia Sevens event in the IRB Sevens World Series.
- Association football (soccer) — Adelaide United FC played a one-off A-League home game against Sydney FC on 28 December 2007 which attracted 25,039 people. More games are planned for the Oval due to its larger capacity than the 16,500 of the official home ground, Hindmarsh Stadium.
- Rugby League - In 1991 NSWRL came to the Adelaide Oval when the St. George Dragons played the Balmain Tigers on a cold and wet Friday night under temporary lights in the first of five games that the Dragons would play at the oval over the next five years. That game set a rugby league record crowd for the ground when 28,884 people attended. In 1997 Adelaide got its own side in the much vaunted (but short lived) Super League competition with the Adelaide Rams. Their first home game attracted their record crowd when 27,435 saw the Rams beat the Hunter Mariners 10-8.
16 sports have been played at one time or another at the oval: archery, athletics, baseball, cycling, American football, highland games, hockey, lacrosse, lawn tennis, rugby league, rugby union, quoits and football (soccer).
Concerts
Adelaide Oval has hosted major concerts during its time, with some of the most famous acts including Fleetwood Mac (in 1977 and 2004), David Bowie (1978 and 1983), KISS (1980), Madonna (1993), Paul McCartney (1993), Michael Jackson (1996), Billy Joel, Elton John (1998)[3], Pearl Jam (scheduled on 17 November 2009) for the Backspacer Tour and AC/DC (scheduled on 02 March 2010) for the Black Ice World Tour.
Oval Layout
The oval dimensions are 190m x 125m[4], which is both unusually long and unusually narrow for an Australian cricket ground. The arrangement is highly favourable for batsmen who play square of the wicket. The pitch itself is generally very good for batting, and offers little assistance to bowlers until the last day of a match.
- The playing area is surrounded by a white picket fence and advertising billboards.
- The Hill was created in 1898 with earth from the banks of the River Torrens.
- The scoreboard:was first used in 1911 and still shows its original Edwardian architecture.
- There were three western stands from around the start of the 20th century, all of which were demolished in 2009:
- George Giffen stand (1882)
- Sir Edwin Smith stand (1922)
- Mostyn Evan stand (1920s)
- Two grandstands, named the Chappell Stands, after the South Australian cricketing brothers Ian Chappell, Greg Chappell and Trevor Chappell were completed in 2003.
- The Sir Donald Bradman stand was built in 1990 to replace the John Creswell stand and now provides up to date facilities for spectators.
- The scoreboard and the George Giffen Stand are listed on the City of Adelaide Heritage Register, helping to maintain the charm of the ground.
 Near the scoreboard is a Video Replay Screen and a bar (under the scoreboard) - making this part of the hill the noisiest in the ground. |
 A northward view towards the scoreboard |
 A westward view towards the George Giffen stand |
 A eastward view towards the Chappell stand |
 A southward view towards the Bradman stand |
Ground redevelopment
In August 2008 the South Australian Cricket Association announced that it had approved plans to redevelop the ground, involving expanding its capacity to 36,000. Development plans showed a reconfiguration of the playing surface and a remodelled western stand. The redevelopment would make the ground a viable option for hosting Australian Football League games as well as international football and rugby. The state and federal Governments have each pledged $25m to the project, leaving the SACA to raise at least $45m. The SACA is hoping the new stand will be ready in time for the 2010-11 Ashes series.[5]
It was announced on 27 February 2009 that the AUD$95m re-development will commence on 10 March.[citation needed] In March, the western stands were torn down.
The oval will be redeveloped as a 50,000-seat stadium to host AFL matches under a $450 million deal announced on 2 December by the State Government.
The redevelopment will include a $20 million pedestrian bridge across the River Torrens to link the railway station with the oval, while AAMI Stadium will become the Crows' home and the extra land around the West Lakes oval will be rezoned to allow the SANFL to profit.
See also
References
External links
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