Cricket: Northern make artificial history

By TERRY MADDAFORD

There were more than few raised eyebrows when the Auckland players walked out to play Northern Districts in Hamilton last week.

Two strips along from the pitch to be used for the match at WestpacTrust Park was an artificial pitch which is down for the season and beyond as part of a plan by the Northern Districts Association to have the park firmly established as the home of ND cricket.

"We did not want our players, at all levels, to see the ground being available only to the elite players," said ND chief executive John Turkington yesterday. "We want all northern teams to be able to use the ground. By having an artificial wicket here we can bring in rep sides from under-14 up from August or September each year."

Asked whether the pitch will be acceptable on a test ground, Turkington said he had seen artificial pitches on test grounds in England.

Some players spoken to during the Shell Trophy and cup matches had some reservations, saying they would not feel comfortable diving for a catch on the surface and that they were concerned at the height of the brackets securing the mat to the lime base.

"We accept that the brackets are a bit high but the wrong ones were sent to us," said Turkington. "We now have the correct ones and by the time the next match is played it will be fine."

It is understood some of the ground staff also had reservations about the addition to the ground, which will host the third of three tests against Pakistan in March.

New Zealand Cricket operations manager John Reid said his association was aware of ND's plans to lay an artificial but did not realise it was already in place.

"As I understand it, it is a common practice in England but it is the first time, as far as I know, that it has been done at any test ground outside England," said Reid. "New Zealand Cricket does not have a policy on the matter and I can't say whether we would ask for it to be taken up at the time of the test.

"I'm sure we will seek opinions from players who played the first-class game and from our New Zealand players who played the World Cup and then went on tour in England last year where they may have encountered the same thing.

"It is important we get the feel from as many people as possible."

Turkington said he did not see the pitch - laid to one side of the main grass block - as an issue. He preferred to talk instead of the $5 million development programme starting at the ground next week.

He said: "The first of two parts of that programme costing $2.5 million starts next Monday."