This week the BLACKCAPS are facing Pakistan at the picturesque University Oval in Dunedin and you wouldn’t think that 100 years ago it was all under water.
University Oval, which is located within the Logan Park complex in Dunedin, was once part of the harbour. The bay which encompassed the Logan Park area was called Pelichet Bay and early settlers would play cricket on the shore line, dating back to the 1860s.
Reclamation of the area started in 1913 and was continued after World War One. In 1925 the New Zealand and South Seas Expedition (a large world fair) was held at Logan Park and the development of a cricket ground followed shortly after.
University Oval has been developed with the help of the University of Otago, Dunedin City Council and Otago Cricket. In 1999 work commenced on the ground and facilities and the Association has called the Oval home since 2004. The first First Class game between Otago and Northern Districts was played during that season.
The boundaries are currently quite short and plans are underway to have the ground extended within the next two years. That will also help increase capacity from 3,500 to 6,000. The grandstand at the ground has also had a face lift and now holds up to 700 people, with the long room located at the top of the stand for Otago Cricket members.
The pitch at the oval was created with Kakanui clay, a special clay brought in from the Kakanui area which is about 80 kilometres north of Dunedin.
Otago Cricket CEO Ross Dykes is looking forward to what the future holds for University Oval. “We’ve got a beautiful oval and within another two to four years we will have everything a world class Test ground requires.”
