- Kensington Oval
The Kensington Oval is located to the west of the capital-city
Bridgetown on the island ofBarbados . "The Oval" is one of the major sporting facilities on the island and is primarily used forcricket . Locally referred to as "The Mecca" of cricket, it has hosted many important and exciting cricket games between local, regional, and international teams during its 120+ year history.History
Cricket at the Oval began in 1882 when the Pickwick Cricket Club assumed ownership of the ground. The first international match held was in 1895 when Slade Lucas' side visited the island. The first Test match was held in January 1930, when the
West Indies andEngland played to a draw. Since the genesis there have been a total of 43 Test matches played on the Kensington Oval grounds, 21 of those matches won by theWest Indian cricket team .Redevelopment 2005-7
The stands of the Kensington Oval were extensively rebuilt for the
2007 Cricket World Cup in a BDS$90M (US$45 Million) redevelopment. Demolition of the old stadium began on schedule in June, 2005 after completion of the first Test againstPakistan . The names of the former stands which made up the Kensington stadium were theCarib Beer -sponsored, the Eric Inniss, theGarfield Sobers Players Pavilion, the George Challenor stand, the Hall and Griffith, the Kensington, the Mitchie Hewitt, the Pickwick, and the Three Ws stand plus the Peter Short Media Centre. Most of these names have been retained. [ [http://www.cbc.bb/content/view/8254/83/ Kensington stands renamed - CBC.bb ] ]Recent events
The expanded Kensington stadium was the venue for the
2007 Cricket World Cup final between Australia and Sri Lanka, held on April 28. The ground and facilities were in excellent condition on the day despite some inclement weather. Official attendance was 20,108. [ [http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wc2007/engine/current/match/247507.html Cricinfo - Final: Australia v Sri Lanka at Bridgetown, Apr 28, 2007 ] ]The Kensington Oval has also hosted many non-cricket events like football, hockey, inter-school athletics,
Miss Barbados pageants, and concert events. The ground also has a jumbo TV screen and also ajacuzzi type area, for fans to watch while relaxing in the pool (similar toChase Field inPhoenix, Arizona ). Behind this is a large grassy hill for fans to have picnics on, which has a bunker underneath for the media.References
External links
* [http://www.cbc.bb/content/view/8254/83/ Kensington stands renamed] : 9th, November 2006 - CBC Barbados
* [http://www.nationnews.com/story/297214824521912.php Oval to be fully hi-tech] : 8th, March 2006 - Barbados Nation News
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/cricket/391176347/ Photo of the new Kensington Oval]
* [http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/westindies/content/ground/59429.html Kensington Oval profile]
* [http://www.trivester.com/content/misc/kensingtonoval.html Kensington Oval Capacity and Overview]
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