Final Piece Of The Hagley Oval Cricket Precinct Officially Opens

24 May

The Sir Richard Hadlee Sports Centre will officially open on 24 May, completing the final piece of the Hagley Oval cricket precinct – a journey that started in the mid ’90s.

Sir Richard Hadlee will unveil the facility alongside Canterbury Cricket Trust (CCT) Chair, Lee Robinson, Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel and Stephen and Heather Boock whose purchase of the former Horticultural Centre originally launched the project off the ground.

The Sir Richard Hadlee Sports Centre is a product of 4.65 million dollars of fundraising including donations from the New Zealand cricket community, major donors include The Sir Richard Hadlee Sports Trust, Sir Stephen Tindall, Glenn and Lynne Ritchie and Mark Stewart and completes the Hagley Oval Cricket Precinct which has fundraised approximately 20 million dollars in total since 2014.

Sir Richard says he is honoured that the world-class facility bears his name.

“It’s a true honour and a wonderful legacy that will benefit thousands. This centre will accommodate the next generation of cricketers.

“Future Black Caps and White Ferns will walk through these doors as they start out on their cricketing journey. This is where lifelong connections will be formed and dreams will begin.”

The facility will feature 3.6-metre cricket lanes with 20-metre run-ups, a 300 square metre mezzanine floor with gender-neutral changing rooms and a balcony facing the Hagley Oval.

Lee Robinson, CCT Chair, says the Sir Richard Hadlee Sports Centre is about securing Canterbury’s cricketing future.

“It will give cricketers of all ages and skill levels world-class facilities to train in. But it’s more than that. The Centre is versatile, and we can’t wait to see other sporting codes and community groups utilise this space.”

Lee says it has been truly amazing to watch the community rally around this huge project.

“The support for the precinct over the last 25 years since planning began has been incredible. We have received over 20 million dollars in donations, and we could not be more grateful. We can’t wait to welcome in the community so they can enjoy the facility they helped build.”

This will be Christchurch’s first indoor cricket training facility since the Canterbury earthquakes.

Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel says the Centre will be a wonderful asset for the Christchurch community.

“Until now, our lack of an indoor facility has made it difficult for families having to travel to Lincoln for their young players to train and our teams to train to the best of their ability which puts pressure on the facilities in Lincoln and Rangiora.”

“The Sir Richard Hadlee Sports Centre is the first facility of its kind in Christchurch built since the earthquakes and we are delighted to now have more facilities under construction in the city that will complement the Centre.”

“To those who have championed this project, thank you. Thank you for your tireless work to develop a precinct that will benefit this community for today, tomorrow and future generations.”

The official opening will take place from 4pm-6pm on Tuesday, 24 May.

Background about the Hagley Oval Cricket Precinct:

In the 1990’s when cricket began to look for grounds to hold its international and representative matches, Hagley Oval was the obvious choice to become the home of cricket for New Zealand. This plan gained momentum in the early 2000s and became urgent when Lancaster Park was decommissioned as a result of the Canterbury earthquakes.

Resource consent was granted to provide the Pavilion, embankment, and lights in the Hagley Oval in 2013. The Canterbury Cricket Trust needed to raise over $10 million to build the Pavilion and confirm that Christchurch would be ready for the ICC cricket world cup in 2015. The money was successfully raised, and the completion of the Pavilion and embankment marked the completed first stage of the Hagley Cricket Precinct.

In 2017, the horticultural society building was offered for sale and to return this building to cricket was an opportunity too great for Stephen and Heather Boock to ignore. The building was demolished, and a series of community fundraising was underway. In total, close to $5 million has been raised in community donations to fund the completion of the Sir Richard Hadlee Sports Centre alongside major donations by Sir Richard and Sir Stephen Tindell.

The build has been completed by Naylor Love and the Canterbury Cricket Trust has worked closely with Trevor Watt of Athfield Architects to ensure the design is simple but purposeful and state of the art. The opening of the Sir Richard Hadlee Sports Centre marks the completion of the Hagley Park Cricket Precinct.

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