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With test cricket about to restart for the season once again we are reminded that New Zealand’s largest association is short of a test venue. It has been this way now since early 2006; just a few months after the Rugby World Cup was awarded to NZ, and shows no sign of being resolved in a hurry. Official rumblings out of Auckland, when they are not squabbling over the shape of the Super Council, is that it is a choice between Eden Park 2 and Western Springs. But no work until after the Rugby World Cup of course. The strange thing about all of this is that there is such an obvious solution that people seem to be ignoring. It’s Colin Maiden Park, currently used as, er, the home of Auckland cricket. Strangely, it seems radical to suggest this as permanent option, but on inspection of the facts it seems odd it has not already been anointed. Location “Colin Maiden is just a suburban ground” is the mantra that has been put about a fair bit. But what is Eden Park then? And at least Colin Maiden is not a neighbourhood renowned for the most organised bunch of nimbys in the country when it comes to blocking anything mildly progressive.
When it comes to proximity to players, CM is even further in the lead. Cornwall (the largest club in Auckland) is closest, with 1200 juniors alone. And within 15minutess drive to the east, Howick-Pakuranga is second with about 800 juniors. Host club University has over 600 juniors, and Parnell, about 7 minutes away, is of a similar size. Note these figures are juniors only; they also have strong adult representation, and those juniors do have parents. Colin Maiden Park borders all these clubs. Without overstating the obvious, cricket in Auckland is an Eastern suburbs kind of sport. The Ground itself The main problem with Eden Park #2 has always been its lack of size. And that was even before the extensions to the main ground. The current building work not only sees the current ground converted into a car-park for the Rugby World Cup (how lovely), but the permanent infrastructure also encroaches further onto the playing area. Not only physically, but in terms of the shadows cast. There is just nowhere for it to reclaim the lost land, and this is even before Number 2 gets its own seating, press facilities, practice area etc. Colin Maiden, on the other hand, is big enough as it is, and has no buildings hard up against the perimeter. Extensions to facilities would be needed to reach test match status, but there are options of where to expand, and little things like consent will not be needed. Parking is not an issue, and if necessary an extension to the parking at the netball arena could easily be made. Western Springs is not, and never will be, a cricket ground. Governance Colin Maiden is an Auckland University facility. At first glance, that may not seem to be ideal. But look at how the University Oval in Dunedin has progressed without any hindrance from outside pressure groups. A university actually has the advantage of being run like a private company yet with community objectives in mind. Contrast that with the way Otago cricket had its battles at Carisbrook. It lost the ability to host tests there long before the NZC mandate to use specialised grounds because it could simply not get access to the place at a time when it wanted to hold tests. And in 2005 it could not even plead its way to getting an ODI vs. Australia midweek because of the Super XIV. Now spot the similarities between Carisbrook and Eden Park. The gentle sound of a head banging against a wall. And it is a situation that can only get worse over time. The one (only?) reason that Western Springs appears to be in the mix is the fact it is owned by the Auckland Regional Council. It is hard to see why that could be an advantage. From all the bickering around holding speedway events at ... Western Springs to the Beckham fiasco, the ARC has shown itself singularly incapable of hosting sporting events and that in itself should be reason enough to discount the Springs in itself. So in terms of where it is, how it can be improved, and how it will be run Colin Maiden stands out as the obvious place to become New Zealand 8th test venue, and probably the 2nd one to reach the 50 test mark. Now let the politics begin. Comments here
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