'Over-zealous' security at cricket criticised

Police remove a fan from Jade Stadium in Christchurch yesterday. Picture / Simon Baker

Strict security at yesterday's cricket international in Christchurch left some annoyed spectators queuing well into the first innings to get inside the ground and has prompted calls for administrators to lighten their approach.

Former test coach Warren Lees says cricket authorities risk alienating a large section of the game's support base through their over-zealous policing of match venues.

"We're basically breeding aggressive crowd behaviour through our approach to crowd control," said Lees, a former test wicket-keeper and now a radio commentator.

"People are turning up at the cricket ready to be treated as criminals. It's not a good scene."

Lees said the security at Queenstown last Saturday and the approach used in Christchurch yesterday involved a confrontational style that would either force people to stay at home and watch the game on television or arrive in a hostile or belligerent frame of mind.

The step-up in security followed crowd disruptions in the first Chappell-Hadlee one-dayer at Eden Park last month, when police arrested 10 people and evicted up to 40 others and Australian paceman Brett Lee was pelted with fruit.

However, the extra enforcement proved overkill at last week's one-dayer at Queenstown, resulting in huge queues at the point of entry and inside the ground, warm low-alcohol beer being served to thirsty spectators on the bank, and a paucity of toilets.

The situation did not improve at Jade Stadium yesterday, when detailed screening caused long queues at the Stevens St entry gates.

Lees said there had been an overreaction to a couple of isolated incidents at Eden Park and Jade Stadium.

He was not condoning bad behaviour, but believed it was time people started speaking out to protect the friendly environment one-day cricket matches in New Zealand normally produced.

"Security are continually misjudging the type of crowd they are dealing with. They are actually riling law-abiding folk with their heavy-handed and antagonistic attitude. There's no need."

New Zealand Cricket marketing manager Peter Dwan defended yesterday's modest 12,390 crowd as good for this time of the year.

"For every person who says that security was a bit intense in terms of the bag searches ... there are another 15 or 20 people saying, 'It's great we can go to the game of cricket and have a safe and enjoyable day'."