Melbourne Park, Kingston

Melbourne Park is a cricket ground in Kingston, Jamaica. It is the home of Melbourne Cricket Club, the third oldest cricket club in Jamaica. The ground hosted first-class cricket on 23 occasions between 1908-09 and 1961-62. Although the ground has not been used for a first-class match since then, it played host to eight List A games in the Red Stripe Bowl between 1997-98 and 2003-04. Melbourne Park's opening first-class match, in February 1909, saw Ranji Hordern, playing for the Philadelphians on their final overseas tour, take 8-44 in the Jamaican first innings and 13-113 in the match; both remain (as of 2007) records for the ground. ^{[1] [2]}

George Headley performed some notable batting feats on this ground. Playing for Jamaica against Lord Tennyson's XI in February 1932, he struck 344 not out, at the time the highest innings made in the West Indies and still (as of 2007) a ground record. ^[3] Headley and Clarence Passailaigue (261*) put on an unbroken stand of 487 for the sixth wicket: this remains (as of 2007) a world record for that wicket. ^[4] The other two first-class double hundreds scored at Melbourne Park were both Headley's: 211 against Lord Tennyson's XI in 1927-28 and 203* against Barbados in 1946-47. ^[5]

In one-day cricket, Dawnley Joseph's 153* for Windward Islands against Jamaica in 1997-98 was the highest List A score made in the West Indies, a record that stood until Imran Nazir hit 160* for Pakistan against Zimbabwe in the 2007 World Cup. ^[6] In 2001-02, Northern Windward Islands made 409/6 from 50 overs against Trinidad and Tobago; this was the first time 400 had been scored in a List A match in the West Indies, and stood as the WI record until India hit 413/5 against Bermuda in the 2007 World Cup. ^[7]

In the Barbados v Rest of Leeward Islands Red Stripe Bowl match in 2002-03, Barbadian batsman Kurt Wilkinson was given out hit the ball twice, although his dismissal was controversial, as after hitting the ball, it had bounced from the pitch back onto his bat. The relevant law states that to be given out in this manner, a player must have "wilfully" struck the ball a second time. ^[8]

Records

First-class

• Highest team total: 702/5 declared by Lord Tennyson's XI v Jamaica, 1931-32^[9]
• Lowest team total: 90 by Barbados v Jamaica, 1958
• Highest individual innings: 344* by George Headley, Lord Tennyson's XI v Jamaica, 1931-32^[9]
• Best bowling in an innings: 8-44 by Ranji Hordern for Philadelphians v Jamaica, 1908-09

List A

• Highest team total: 409 (50 overs) by Northern Windward Islands v Trinidad and Tobago, 2001-02
• Lowest team total: 81 (21.3 overs) by USA v Canada, 2000-01
• Highest individual innings: 153* by Dawnley Joseph for Windward Islands v Bermuda, 1997-98
• Best bowling in an innings: 5-18 by Sulieman Benn for Barbados v Rest of Leeward Islands, 2002-03

References

1. ^ "Melbourne Park, Kingston - Seven Wickets in an Innings in first-class cricket". CricketArchive. http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Grounds/30/1779/f_Most_Wickets_in_Innings.html. Retrieved 2007-05-02. 
2. ^ "Melbourne Park, Kingston - Most Wickets in a Match in first-class cricket". CricketArchive. http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Grounds/30/1779/f_Most_Wickets_in_Match.html. Retrieved 2007-05-02. 
3. ^ "Individual Scores of 300 and More in an Innings in First-Class Cricket in Chronological Order". CricketArchive. http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Records/Firstclass/Overall/Highest_Player_Scores_Chronological.html. Retrieved 2007-05-02. 
4. ^ "Highest Partnership for Each Wicket in First-Class Matches". CricketArchive. http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Records/Firstclass/Overall/Highest_Partnerships.html. Retrieved 2007-05-02. 
5. ^ "Melbourne Park, Kingston - Centuries in first-class cricket". CricketArchive. http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Grounds/30/1779/f_Centuries.html. Retrieved 2007-05-02. 
6. ^ "Individual Scores of 150 and More in an Innings in West Indies". CricketArchive. http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Records/WestIndies/ListA/Overall/Highest_Player_Scores.html. Retrieved 2007-05-02. 
7. ^ "http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Records/ListA/Overall/Highest_Team_Totals.html". CricketArchive. http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Records/ListA/Overall/Highest_Team_Totals.html. Retrieved 2007-05-02. 
8. ^ "Wilkinson's `double-edged' sword causes debate". Cricinfo. 2002-08-21. http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/westindies/content/story/112228.html. Retrieved 2007-05-02. 
9. ^ ^{a b} Same match.

Coordinates: 17°58′24.29″N 76°47′01.45″W / 17.9734139°N 76.7837361°W / 17.9734139; -76.7837361