Adelaide Oval

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Adelaide Oval
Ground information
Location	Adelaide, South Australia
Established	1871
Seating capacity	~34,000
Owner	S.A. Cricket Ass'n
Operator	S.A. Cricket Ass'n
End names	River Torrens, Cathedral
First Test	Aus v Eng, December 16- December 19, 1884
Last Test	Aus v Eng, December 1- December 5, 2006
First ODI	Aus v WI, December 20, 1975
Last ODI	AUS v Eng, January 26, 2007
Stands
George Giffen, Sir Edwin Smith, Mostyn Evan, Sir Donald Bradman, Chappell
Tenants
Southern Redbacks

The Adelaide Oval is a sports stadium in Adelaide, South Australia. It is located between the central business district and North Adelaide and has a history which dates back to the 1870s. It is considered to be one of the most picturesque Test cricket grounds in Australia, if not the world.^[1] The oval is managed by the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA). The current curator is Les Burdett. It currently holds approximately 32,000 - 34,000 spectators.^[2]

[edit] History

• The ground was established in 1871 after the formation of SACA.
• The first Test match was played at the Oval from 12-16 December 1884. England beat Australia by eight wickets (Scorecard).
• In 1894/1895 Albert Trott collected 8/43 on debut against England, the best ever single-innings Test match figures at the ground.
• The picket fence was put up surrounding the Oval (then with a cycling track) in 1900.
• From 5-12 August 1911 the Australian Football Council Carnival was played at the ground, won by South Australia. The competing sides were SA, VFL, VFA, Western Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales.
• The Adelaide Oval scoreboard, designed by architect Kenneth Milne, began service on 3 November 1911. The clock was added in 1912 and the windvane in the 1930s.
• In 1931/1932 Donald Bradman scored the higest score ever at the ground in Test Cricket, compiling 299* against South Africa.
• In 1932/1933, the Bodyline affair reached its lowest point at the ground when Bill Woodfull and Bert Oldfield were struck, and on the third day mounted police patrolled to keep the 50,962 spectators in order (a record crowd for cricket at the ground). The total attendance for the match was 174,351.
• Considered by some to be the best Test Match ever competed at the ground, Australia played the West Indies in the fourth test of the Frank Worrell Trophy, 1960/1961. The match ended in a draw, with the West Indies unable to take the final wicket of Australia's fourth innings, as the last batsemen Ken Mackay and Lindsay Kline held out for 109 minutes. West Indies bowler Lance Gibbs took the only ever Test cricket hat trick at the ground in Australia's first innings (Scorecard).
• A record attendance of 62,543 people was recorded for the 1965 SANFL Grand Final between Port Adelaide and Sturt.
• In 1975/1976 the first one-day international match was played at the ground between Australia and West Indies (40-over match), which Australia won by 5 wickets (Scorecard).
• In October 1982, vs Victoria, David Hookes hit a 43 minute, 34 ball century - in some respects the fastest hundred in history.[1]

Chappell stands packed for Australia v England December 2006

• In 1989/1990 Dean Jones scored twin Test hundreds against Pakistan.
• South Australia compiled the highest fourth innings winning total in Sheffield Shield history, reaching 6/506 (set 506 to win) against Queenland in 1991/1992.
• In 1992/1993 the West Indies defeated Australia by one run in the fourth test of the Frank Worrell Trophy, when a bouncer by Courtney Walsh brushed Craig McDermott's glove to end a 40-run last-wicket partnership. It was the narrowest victory ever in Test cricket. Curtly Ambrose picked up ten wickets in the game (Scorecard).
• Lights were constructed at the ground in 1997, allowing sport to be held at night. This was the subject of a lengthy dispute with the Adelaide City Council, due to environmental issues relating to the parklands area. Initial plans to build retractable light towers were scrapped after one collapsed. The first cricket match under lights was Australia v New Zealand one day international, 7 December 1997.
• In 1999, Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was called for throwing by umpire Ross Emerson in a one day international against England. The Sri Lankan team almost abandoned the match, but after instructions from the president of the Sri Lankan cricket board (relayed to captain Arjuna Ranatunga by mobile phone) the game resumed.
• In December 2003 the highest day-score was compiled at the Adelaide Oval, by Australia against India, with the home side finishing at 5/400 at stumps.
• During the 2006/2007 Ashes series, many temporary stands were erected to cope with the demand for tickets. Stands were put between the Chappell stands and on the top of the hills. Australia beat England by 6 wickets on a remarkable last day (Scorecard).

[edit] Major sporting events

Statue of Donald Bradman outside the Oval

Adelaide Oval hosts the following major sporting events:

• International cricket — Test and One-day International. There are normally two or three one-day games on the Australia Day weekend in January (replacing a traditional Australia Day test). The test is now normally in December and is Australia against the international touring team of the time. These matches include one test match during The Ashes series.
• Domestic cricket — Adelaide Oval is the home ground of the Southern Redbacks, the South Australian state cricket team. They play in three competitions: Ford Ranger Cup, Pura Cup and occasional domestic twenty20. The 2005/06 ING Cup (now known as the Ford Ranger One Day Cup) was played at Adelaide Oval between SA and NSW.
• Australian rules football — Adelaide Oval hosts SANFL matches, including many of the finals. Australian Football League matches are played at AAMI Stadium.
• Rugby sevens — Starting in 2007, Adelaide Oval will host the new Australia Sevens event in the IRB Sevens World Series.

Adelaide Oval was also home base for most of the Adelaide Rams rugby league team's short history. 16 sports have been played at one time or another at the oval: archery, athletics, baseball, cycling, American football, highland games, hockey, lacrosse, lawn tennis, rugby league, rugby union, quoits and soccer

[edit] Concerts

Adelaide Oval has hosted major concerts during its time, with some of the most famous acts to include Fleetwood Mac, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel and Elton John [2].

[edit] Oval Layout

The oval is laid out as follows, around the center of the oval. In front of the stands there is plastic seating all the way around the oval.

	North ("Cathedral End")	North-East
	The Hill was created in 1898 with earth from the banks of the River Torrens. The scoreboard:was first used in 1911 and still shows its original Edwardian architecture. Near the scoreboard is a Video Replay Screen and a bar - making this part of the hill the noisiest in the ground.	A northward view towards the scoreboard
West A westward view towards the George Giffen stand There are three stands from around the start of the 20th century: George Giffen stand (1882) Sir Edwin Smith stand (1922) Mostyn Evan stand (1920s)	the playing area (surrounded by picket fence and advertising billboards)	East A eastward view towards the Chappell stand Two grandstands, named the Chappell Stands, after the famous South Australian cricketing brothers and national captains Ian Chappell, and Greg Chappell, were completed in 2003.
	A southward view towards the Bradman stand The Sir Donald Bradman stand: built in 1990 to replace the John Creswell stand, now provides up to date facilities for spectators.	Several open air corporate boxes
	South ("River End")

The scoreboard and the western stands are listed on the City of Adelaide Heritage Register, helping to maintain the charm of the ground.

[edit] References

Cricket Portal

1. ^ Adelaide Oval at Austadiums
2. ^ SACA - Adelaide Oval - Overview 28/12/06

Coordinates: 34°54′55.78″S, 138°35′46.19″E