Antigua Recreation Ground
Encyclopedia
Antigua Recreation Ground is the national stadium
of Antigua and Barbuda
. It is located in St. John's
, on the island of Antigua
. The ground has been used by the West Indies cricket team and Antigua and Barbuda national football team
. It has Test cricket
status.
A number of great cricketers, including Andy Roberts and Richie Richardson
, began their first-class careers there.
One of Antigua's most famous sons, Viv Richards
, scored the fastest Test match century off 56 balls
v England in the "Blackwash" series of 1986 at the Recreation Ground. It was also where Brian Lara
twice set the record for highest individual Test innings, scoring 375 in 1994 and the current record of 400 not out in 2004, both times against England.
Antigua is considered to be a good wicket on which to bat — hard and dry whilst not offering much bounce or movement to bowlers. This is colloquially known as a "featherbed".
After the building of the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium
for the 2007 World Cup, no further Test cricket was expected at the Recreation Ground. However, due to the abandonment of the Second Test between West Indies v England on February 13, 2009 after just ten balls (due to an unfit outfield), an extra Test, called the Third Test, began at the Antigua Recreation Ground on February 15, 2009, despite concerns about the dilapidated condition of the stadium.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/7886840.stm
Like many other cricket grounds in the Caribbean, the Antigua Recreation Ground traditionally hosts a variety of off the field entertainment, particularly music, both live and recorded, during breaks in play. For many years, an entertainer called Gravy
would operate in the stands, usually in fancy dress.
National stadium
Many countries have a national football stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadium. Usually, a national stadium will be in or very...
of Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda is a twin-island nation lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of two major inhabited islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and a number of smaller islands...
. It is located in St. John's
St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda
St John's is the capital and largest city of Antigua and Barbuda, a country located in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. St John's is located at...
, on the island of Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
. The ground has been used by the West Indies cricket team and Antigua and Barbuda national football team
Antigua and Barbuda national football team
The Antigua and Barbuda national football team is the national team of Antigua and Barbuda and is controlled by the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association. A member of CONCACAF. The team's best performance was in the 1998 Caribbean Cup where it placed 4th...
. It has Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
status.
A number of great cricketers, including Andy Roberts and Richie Richardson
Richie Richardson
Richard Benjamin Richardson is a retired West Indies cricketer and a former captain of the West Indian cricket team.Richardson was born in Five Islands Village, Antigua. He began his career with the Leewards Islands in 1982 as an opener and after his second season he was called up by the West...
, began their first-class careers there.
One of Antigua's most famous sons, Viv Richards
Viv Richards
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNH, OBE is a former West Indian cricketer. Better known by his second name, Vivian or, more popularly, simply as Viv or King Viv Richards was voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, by a 100-member panel of experts, along with Sir Donald...
, scored the fastest Test match century off 56 balls
v England in the "Blackwash" series of 1986 at the Recreation Ground. It was also where Brian Lara
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, TC, OCC, AM is a former West Indian international cricket player. Lara is generally regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time...
twice set the record for highest individual Test innings, scoring 375 in 1994 and the current record of 400 not out in 2004, both times against England.
Antigua is considered to be a good wicket on which to bat — hard and dry whilst not offering much bounce or movement to bowlers. This is colloquially known as a "featherbed".
After the building of the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is a stadium in North Sound, Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda. It was built for use in the 2007 Cricket World Cup where it hosted Super 8 matches. The stadium usually caters for 10,000 people, but temporary seating doubled its capacity for the 2007 Cricket World Cup...
for the 2007 World Cup, no further Test cricket was expected at the Recreation Ground. However, due to the abandonment of the Second Test between West Indies v England on February 13, 2009 after just ten balls (due to an unfit outfield), an extra Test, called the Third Test, began at the Antigua Recreation Ground on February 15, 2009, despite concerns about the dilapidated condition of the stadium.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/7886840.stm
Like many other cricket grounds in the Caribbean, the Antigua Recreation Ground traditionally hosts a variety of off the field entertainment, particularly music, both live and recorded, during breaks in play. For many years, an entertainer called Gravy
Gravy (entertainer)
Gravy, is a former entertainer, famous throughout the cricket world, for his antics at the Antigua Recreation Ground in St John's, Antigua. In February 2004, Gravy was shot in the arm. He was driving home at 2am when, in his own words "a car overtook me and rang out four shots at me, and then I...
would operate in the stands, usually in fancy dress.
See also
- CricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
- 2007 Cricket World Cup2007 Cricket World CupThe 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
- List of Test cricket grounds
- Stanford Cricket GroundStanford Cricket GroundThe Stanford Cricket Ground, colloquially known as "Sticky Wicket Stadium", is a cricket ground in Osbourn, Saint George Parish, Antigua. It was previously known as the Airport Cricket Ground, before it was taken over by Allen Stanford and rebuilt in 2004...
- Sir Vivian Richards StadiumSir Vivian Richards StadiumSir Vivian Richards Stadium is a stadium in North Sound, Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda. It was built for use in the 2007 Cricket World Cup where it hosted Super 8 matches. The stadium usually caters for 10,000 people, but temporary seating doubled its capacity for the 2007 Cricket World Cup...
- List of international cricket centuries at the Antigua Recreation Ground