McLean Park work set for autumn-winter window

Napier City Council's Lance Titter at Nelson Park, Napier, with a wicket transporter. Photo / Paul Taylor.

The redevelopment of the playing arena at major Hawke's Bay sports stadium McLean Park won't be done before early winter, about five months after the $2 million project was originally scheduled to start.

Napier City Council chief executive Wayne Jack confirmed yesterday the work, which was initially scheduled to start immediately after the end of the Mitre 10 interprovincial rugby competition last month, will now not start until after the Super Rugby match between the Hurricanes and South African side the Sharks on April 6.

He said there was a 12-week window for the job in which possibly the least complicated part is the placement of the hybrid ready-turf after excavation, and arrival of about 7900 tonnes of sand - at least 280 truck-and-trailer loads.

It could impact on early games in Hawke's Bay's 2018 rugby campaign, but it could be met by avoiding having home games for the Magpies in the opening rounds.

Hawke's Bay Rugby Union spokesman Jay Campbell said the New Zealand Rugby Union drawmakers had asked for the Magpies' first two matches to be away games.

The work includes other drainage, and the drop-in blocks waiting at nearby Nelson Park along with the machinery which will be used to transport them across Latham St each time the ground alternates between its primary uses for cricket and rugby.

The drop-in blocks have been a year in the making at Nelson Park, while another early stage of the work was the modifying of the Morris St entrance nearest Latham St to enable the pitches to be moved in and out.

Mr Jack said the delay in the project had been caused by the sourcing of the sand, the difficult season in Auckland where the turf is being grown, and the availability of the contractors.

The upgrading of the playing arena has been proposed for several years, but became urgent after a star-billing one-day cricket international between New Zealand and Australia on February 3 was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

The scrapping of the game came early evening after players and fans had waited several hours for the field to be ready to play after a period of rain, all hopes stifled by a patch which remained sodden in front of the concrete-and-steel Harris Stand.

As a consequence, a one-day match between New Zealand and South Africa scheduled for March 1 was transferred to Hamilton, Napier withdrew from seeking to host games in the Under 19 Cricket World Cup in January and February, and a match between the Black Caps and England which had been scheduled for McLean Park next February 28, is instead being played in Mount Maunganui.

McLean Park, with a history dating back over a century, had, been the venue of several notable international sporting advances, including the first live television coverage of first class rugby in New Zealand (part of the 1972 match between Australia and Hawke's Bay), New Zealand's first home day-night cricket international, against Zimbabwe in February 1996, and, four months later, the All Blacks' first night-time home rugby test match, against Manu Samoa.