Fergie McCormick and Sir Richard Hadlee both have special memories of playing at AMI Stadium. Photo / John McCombe
Hallowed turf on which many of New Zealand's greatest sporting moments occurred is being put out to pasture, but it will live on at the home of a sports legend.
Sir Richard Hadlee performed some of his greatest feats on Christchurch's AMI Stadium, formerly Lancaster Park, and he
was there yesterday to witness the end of an era as the playing surface was dug up for the first time in almost a century.
He took home with him a small chunk of the pitch on which he became the first cricketer in test history to reach 400 wickets.
"There's a lot of very special memories [here] for me and the family," Sir Richard said.
"Of course we realise as time goes on that things change dramatically ... the way grounds redevelop. If it's time for a new surface of grass to be laid, then so be it."
The piece of the old turf would perhaps fill one of the "bald patches I have got in my grass".
The last time the pitch was dug up was in 1917, as World War I raged, and it was converted into a potato field.
During World War II, the Army took over the ground for its training, but leased it back for the occasional rugby or cricket match.
Sir Richard remembers being at the ground as a youngster selling programmes and operating the scoreboard.
While the historic 400th wicket he took at the stadium against India in 1990 was the pinnacle - with the match stopped for 10 minutes as he was presented with 400 roses - he also remembers the venue for one of the most bizarre moments in his cricketing career.
In what was "probably a world record", Sir Richard bowled a ball which clipped the wicket bail and flew about 60m, leaving players scurrying around the playing surface to find it.
Former All Black Fergie McCormick recalled a rugby match where 15 to 20 truckloads of "slush" had to be removed so they could play.
"The guys today all have it easy."
The playing pitch has also seen a more recent bizarre moment when All Black Jerry Collins relieved himself out on the paddock in a test match.
The new turf will form part of a $60 million redevelopment at the stadium.
