Mclean Park set for busy 2017-18
Expect a full summer of cricket at Mclean Park next season, even though the ground is about to undergo a $900,000 overhaul, according to Central Districts boss Pete de Wet.
The Napier ground last week lost the one-day international match between New Zealand and South Africa scheduled for March 1 because the outfield is not up to standard and will have to be dug up as part of $900,000 remedial work. CD chief executive de Wet didn’t have a date for when work would start on the outfield.
‘‘We haven’t had the discussion with the [Napier City] Council yet or when they’re planning on starting it,’’ he said. ‘‘We’re just going through the initial programme, getting a mind of the scope of the project.’’
But de Wet said work wouldn’t start before the rugby season and it was likely to be done once the national provincial rugby competition finishes.
Provincial rugby finished in October last year, so it could be a quick turnaround trying to get the ground ready for next summer.
But de Wet didn’t think that would mean they would have to shift any cricket games from Mclean Park.
‘‘The plan is it’s not going to affect our season in any way. I don’t see one issue with that.
‘‘We should have everything ready and rocking and rolling for the start of the season.’’
That means the two one-day internationals scheduled for next summer, against England and Pakistan, will still go ahead at Mclean Park. The dates for the games are yet to be determined.
The work on the ground was brought about because Mclean Park’s owner, Napier City Council, was forced into action when New Zealand Cricket announced it was moving the ODI to Hamilton’s Seddon Park due to the ‘‘unacceptable risk’’ of playing another match there.
That was because of the washout debacle on February 2 when the ODI against Australia was abandoned because the playing surface was deemed unsafe, five hours after persistent but relatively light rain stopped.
It was the third drainagerelated washout of a Napier ODI in just over three years.
Mclean Park will still host two of CD’S final three home games in the Plunket Shield this season too, with the other at Saxton Oval in Nelson.
De Wet said they will prepare the wickets at Napier’s Nelson Park, which is across the road from Mclean Park, in case Mclean gets too wet again, but no CD games will be moved.
Mclean Park was meant to trial drop-in pitches by the end of this season, but now, in an unrelated matter to the drainage, they will be used next summer.
‘‘The trays are in at Nelson Park and the first two pitches are being grown at the moment,’’ de Wet said. ‘‘We’ll definitely be utilising them. We had hoped to get them in this season and play the last two four-day games on them drop ins.
‘‘There was a delay in getting the trays installed at Nelson Park, so rather than rush and try and have them ready with a substandard wicket, we made the call to give the ground staff a chance to get it up to speed.’’
They will keep the block in Mclean Park for another couple of seasons because they don’t want to get rid of a good block in case the drop in pitches aren’t up to it.
As part of the overhaul, Mclean Park will be getting new practice facilities and new lights, but the lights won’t be going in until the following year, de Wet said. Practice facilities at the ground will mean players don’t have to go across to Nelson Park as they do now. With new lights they will be able to hold pink-ball, daynight matches.