If Melbourne was as hostile and daunting as the Colosseum, Hagley Oval in Christchurch was more reminiscent of the Parks at Oxford: tree-lined and decorous. Here was New Zealand quietly welcoming every foreign visitor to what was once the most serene city in the world, all rather more genteel than the MCG.
That serenity was destroyed by the earthquake that ravaged Christchurch four years ago. Until then cricket was played at what used to be known as Lancaster Park, the rugby stadium that was converted in the summer. That ground remains derelict after the quake and it remains a source of argument how it might be restored. But New Zealand will never play cricket there again. There is no need now because Hagley Oval is a wonderful adornment to the game and to the city.
It lies in the middle of a large and lovely park, acres of greenery, which encompasses a botanic garden and a public golf course. This venue now seems the obvious solution. But there was an ugly vocal minority against the proposal to put a cricket ground in the park, which was put forward by Lee Germon, the former Kiwi captain, who is the chief executive of Canterbury Cricket. The animosity stretched to barely credible extremes. During the debate Germon received this anonymous message: “Someone who tried to mess with Hagley Park in the past died of cancer. I hope you do too”. This is not what we expect down here.
Fortunately the proposal came to fruition and the good folk of Canterbury filled the stadium with justifiable pride on Saturday. Here was another tangible sign that their city was returning to normality after the devastation of 2011.
On Boxing Day the first international match was played here, a Test against Sri Lanka and the ground was also full, albeit with a modest capacity of 7,000, most of whom were reclining on the grassy banks. It might have been the Parks as the men in white played in the shade of ancient trees; in the distance there may well have been revellers punting down the nearby river Avon, a wonderful bucolic scene that fits well with Test cricket in New Zealand, far better than playing in those cavernous rugby grounds.
For the World Cup temporary stands have been erected so that the capacity has been elevated to 18,000. All the tickets were sold for the opening match. It did not matter that the wind whistled as if it were Chester-le-Street in early May; a few specs of drizzle were no dampener. There was so much to celebrate: the fact that there was a major sporting occasion back in Christchurch and that the home side were playing such a vibrant brand of cricket. Brendon McCullum in front of a large chunk of his family gamboled at the crease as if this was one of the club games that used to decorate Hagley Park.
No one enjoyed it more than one smiling spectator, Sunjay Ganda. In the stands he caught a Kane Williamson six one-handed; he was wearing the appropriate orange T-shirt of a sponsor, who is prepared to put up as much as one million dollars – if New Zealand were to win the Cup. If no one else repeats the feat when New Zealand are playing Sunjay will walk off with all the money in March.
Still, there was one significant blot on Hagley Oval’s copybook. Officials evicted several people after they were suspected of being involved in illicit gambling.
The people were all evicted for the practice known as “courtsiding” – relaying information via smartphones or mobile communications devices to gambling syndicates to take advantage of broadcasting time delays.
“We know what to look for,” the New Zealand Police’s officer in charge of the World Cup, superintendent Sandy Manderson, said.
“We’re aware that people are attempting to operate at venues and they will be detected, evicted and trespassed from all venues.”
