McLean Park
Encyclopedia
McLean Park is a sports ground in Napier
, New Zealand
. The two main sports played at the ground are cricket
and rugby
. It is one of the 10 proper cricket grounds of New Zealand.
McLean Park is a sportsground of international standards which includes an indoor stadium and Centennial Hall. The home team for this ground is Central Districts Cricket Association. The two ends of the stadium are named the Centennial Stand End and Embankment End. Its close proximity to the International Date Line makes it the world's most easterly Test match ground.
and another at the 2011 Rugby World Cup
. It is the home of the Hawkes Bay rugby team in the Air New Zealand Cup
. It has also hosted several New Zealand Maori
games in the past.
opened their Air New Zealand Cup campaign with a win against Auckland. Redevelopments took just one year to complete. The stand was built for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and to a lesser extent the 2015 Cricket World Cup
of which both events will have games at the venue.
which, at 31.46 is the second most batting friendly wicket in New Zealand. No pitch throughout the world which has had more than five test matches has a higher runs per wicket The batting friendly conditions means that it is hard to produce results here and seven on the nine tests played here have been draws with the other two losses to New Zealand which featured characteristic batting collapses. Brendan McCullum is the top run scorer on the ground with 411 while Iain O'Brien
has the most wickets with 15
has the highest individual score on the ground of 141 not out which came in the highest team score on the ground of 347/5. Stephen Fleming
and Nathan Astle
share the record for most runs on the ground with 743 while Daniel Vettori
with 23 easily has the most wickets.
Napier, New Zealand
Napier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about About 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighboring cities are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities"...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The two main sports played at the ground are cricket
Cricket
Cricket 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...
and rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
. It is one of the 10 proper cricket grounds of New Zealand.
McLean Park is a sportsground of international standards which includes an indoor stadium and Centennial Hall. The home team for this ground is Central Districts Cricket Association. The two ends of the stadium are named the Centennial Stand End and Embankment End. Its close proximity to the International Date Line makes it the world's most easterly Test match ground.
Ground
It is primarily a one-day venue with square dimensions that allow attacking batsman to score freely especially in the opening overs. There are four covered stands and a large grass bank opposite the Centennial Stand. The wicket tends to slow up throughout the day therefore captains prefer to set targets on this pitch. It has held first class matches since 1952 and six tests since 1979. New Zealand's Test record at the ground is four draws and two losses. It has held at least a single one-day international every season since 1990. The ground has a capacity of 21,000 and the pitch is turf.Usage
The ground is used for hosting both ODIs and Test Matches. It has hosted a total of 5 Tests and 26 ODIs. The first ODI played here was between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Rothman's Cup of 1982/83. In this match New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by 7 wickets. Apart from this, the McLean Park Complex also hosts rugby matches, including one match at the 1987 Rugby World Cup1987 Rugby World Cup
The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. New Zealand and Australia agreed to co-host the first ever tournament with New Zealand hosting seventeen pool stage matches, two quarter-finals and the final with Australia being the junior partner hosting seven pool matches, two...
and another at the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
. It is the home of the Hawkes Bay rugby team in the Air New Zealand Cup
Air New Zealand Cup
The ITM Cup is New Zealand's annual professional domestic Rugby union competition, taking place from late July through October . It was founded in 2006 with 14 teams, after the National Provincial Championship was split into two separate competitions. The other 12 provincial teams from the NPC...
. It has also hosted several New Zealand Maori
New Zealand Maori rugby union team
New Zealand Māori is a rugby union team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. A prerequisite for playing in this team is that the player is to have Māori whakapapa or genealogy. In the past this rule was not strictly applied. In the past non-Māori players who looked Māori were often...
games in the past.
Redevelopments
Redevelopment of the park has recently finished and the new Graham Lowe Stand opened on Saturday 1 August 2009 when the Hawke's Bay MagpiesHawke's Bay Rugby Union
The Hawke's Bay Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand. The union is based in Napier.-Representative rugby:...
opened their Air New Zealand Cup campaign with a win against Auckland. Redevelopments took just one year to complete. The stand was built for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and to a lesser extent the 2015 Cricket World Cup
2015 Cricket World Cup
The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup will be the 11th ICC Cricket World Cup, and will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The location of the games will be evenly split, with the location of the final yet to be decided....
of which both events will have games at the venue.
Test matches
McLean Park is regarded as one of the most batting friendly wickets in the world. The average runs per wickets is 39.45 which is almost eight runs higher than Eden ParkEden Park
Eden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable...
which, at 31.46 is the second most batting friendly wicket in New Zealand. No pitch throughout the world which has had more than five test matches has a higher runs per wicket The batting friendly conditions means that it is hard to produce results here and seven on the nine tests played here have been draws with the other two losses to New Zealand which featured characteristic batting collapses. Brendan McCullum is the top run scorer on the ground with 411 while Iain O'Brien
Iain O'Brien
Iain Edward O'Brien is a New Zealand cricketer who specialises in pace bowling. He also plays for Wellington, Leicestershire County Cricket Club and recently, the Middlesex County Cricket Club....
has the most wickets with 15
One Day Internationals
McLean Park also has been known as a good batting strip for one day cricket. The average runs per wicket is 30.66 while the average runs per over is 4.90. It has been known as a good ground for New Zealand with 20 of the 33 matches played having been won by the home side while two matches, both against England, were tied. Ricky PontingRicky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
has the highest individual score on the ground of 141 not out which came in the highest team score on the ground of 347/5. Stephen Fleming
Stephen Fleming
Stephen Paul Fleming ONZM is a New Zealand cricketer, and the former captain of the New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, in Test and one-day cricket...
and Nathan Astle
Nathan Astle
Nathan John Astle is a former New Zealand cricketer. He was an attacking batsman who liked to play batting shots such as the cover drive and the pull shot. He also scored the world's fastest Test double century in terms of balls faced. This remarkable innings of 222 was scored in just 168 balls...
share the record for most runs on the ground with 743 while Daniel Vettori
Daniel Vettori
Daniel Luca Vettori ONZM is a cricketer for the New Zealand cricket team. He is the eighth player in Test history to take 300 wickets and score 3,000 runs. He is the youngest player to have represented New Zealand in Test cricket, having made his debut in 1996–97 at the age of 18...
with 23 easily has the most wickets.