Construction zone to a cricket oval
The CS Dempster Gate is bolted shut. ‘Hazard area’, the sign says in red print as saws and hammers echo in unison beside the RA Vance Stand.
Through the fence, the Wellington Firebirds are in their coloured clothing playing an inter-squad match on the Basin Reserve on a sunny, chilly September day.
The early season pitch is good, the outfield pristine, as new recruit Jimmy Neesham sends the white ball flying onto Cambridge Terrace and Plunket Shield captain Michael Bracewell clatters a monster strike onto the Museum Stand roof.
Cricket Wellington’s operations manager Ryan Holland can’t recall a bigger six over the venerable stand, soon to begin its $7.7 million facelift and strengthening.
On that side a high wire fence rings the pickets, keeping curious punters out, while they can stroll past the hill on the eastern side which remains a public thoroughfare.
It’s an incongruous scene, just two weeks out from the Firebirds’ Plunket Shield opener against Auckland at the Basin on October 10 – the earliest start to a New Zealand first-class season.
But Cricket Wellington insists the Basin will be shiny and new by the time Sri Lanka hit town for the Black Caps’ home season opener: the first test starting on December 15. It also hosts a Bangladesh test in March.
‘‘When we roll around for that first test the venue should be looking pretty sharp. The players’ pavilion will be the best in the country so we’re pretty delighted to be completing that project on time,’’ said chief executive Cam Mitchell.
The under-construction players’ pavilion will house both teams on the upper level. The old one caused angst for visiting international sides whose ground level view was obscured by strolling spectators.
Formerly unchallenged as the home of test cricket in New Zealand, the Basin seemingly slipped behind Christchurch’s Hagley Oval as its premier venue in recent seasons.
Mitchell hopes the recent work can help reclaim that unofficial title and confirmed the city will bid to host two big ticket items in the 2019-20 summer: tests against England before Christmas and India in February/ March. The Museum Stand restoration project hasn’t started but the goal for completion is early 2020, when its 1000 seats can be used again for the first time 2012.
‘‘An element of that will depend where we’re at with the Basin redevelopment, but the ultimate goal would be to have that up and running for the India test,’’ Mitchell said.
‘‘That said we’ll still be bidding to secure both and England and India tests. We want to be the home of test cricket and we’ll be looking at how we can secure both.’’
As well as construction of the new players’ pavilion, the pathway in front of the Vance Stand was torn up to replace an old sewage pipe, while work continues tidying up and landscaping the northern entrance.
The Plunket Shield opener will see both teams watching from dugouts on the western side of the Vance Stand, as the new pavilion takes shape.