St George’s Cricket Ground in Nelson Mandela Bay has notched up another first – it has set a new record for the highest number of Professional T20 cricket matches to be hosted in a single stadium over a month.
“Our success in maintaining the field of play for 31 bruising matches and 66 practice sessions in one month affirms St George’s Park Cricket Stadium as one of the continent’s top cricketing venues,” says Warriors chief executive Dr Mark Williams.
Other notable firsts for the stadium include the first test match to be played outside England and Australia (1889: South Africa vs England), the first rugby international (1881: SA vs England), the first women’s test match (1960: SA vs England), the first day/night test match (2017: South Africa vs Zimbabwe – also the first pink ball match), first stadium in Africa to install LED show lights.
“The St George’s Park cricket ground and ground crew have come out as undisputed champions of the CSA T20 Challenge following a month of near non-stop cricket,” adds Williams.
The crew worked late into the evening preparing and maintaining seven pitches on the main field and four practice pitches, according to head groundsman Adrian Carter.
“We are very happy with the way the facilities have played. There were no surprises. The practice facilities have taken a pounding, but that was expected,” he says.
“A big ‘thank you’ to Cricket South Africa for putting its trust in St George’s to host the CSA T20 Challenge,” says Williams.
“All of us at St George’s also thank the 168 players and management, as well as the 10 officials who contributed to a month of entertaining non-stop cricket.
“Congratulations to the worthy winners, the Gbets Rocks, as well as all the players who worked so hard to make 2022 such a memorable tournament.
“The practice fields bear testimony to the energy and dedication you put into your preparation for the matches.
“The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality and other sponsors, local businesses and the people of the metro also played their part in ensuring that the CSA T20 Challenge went off smoothly, with no major hiccups or incidents.
“A dedicated team of journalists also kept fans updated, informed and entertained,” says Williams.
Fans returned to the stadium for the first time since the Covid-19 lockdown, and the games were also televised live.
The South African Police Services, Metro Police, suppliers and service providers also stepped up to the crease, according to Terance Primo, Stadium Operations Manager.
Around 3 172 player and match official meals were served during the competition.
Team members consumed 18 240 units of water, soft drinks and energy drinks, according to stadium management.
“The hosting of the CSA T20 Challenge affirms the Eastern Cape’s position as a major contributor to South African cricket.
“We look to forward to hosting the next event,” says Williams.
Video: Another first for historic St George’s Park cricket ground
More Info on Another first for historic St George’s Park cricket ground here: http://warriorscricket.co.za/
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