ADELE RYCROFT/Stuff
Manawatū Cricket Association general manager Tim Richards is excited to be hosting the Central Stags and Central Hinds at Fitzherbert Park on Wednesday.
Fitzherbert Park is ready to go for the highlight of the cricket season, a Central Districts doubleheader.
The Central Hinds woman and Central Stags men are both playing in Palmerston North on Wednesday. They are both playing Northern Districts in their second game of the Super Smash twenty20 competition.
The Palmerston North fixture has been a popular event the past two years since it was awarded to the city.
More than 2000 people attended each year and the ground had a carnival atmosphere as it was filled with people and corporate tents.
Manawatū Cricket Association general manager Tim Richards hoped to see a repeat.
“With the Black Caps playing Bangladesh that night in Napier it’s a bit of an unknown whether families head off early [from Palmerston North]. Hopefully they stick around and support it.”
But he said they had a good cricket community to get behind it.
Richards and the ground staff had been busy preparing the venue for the game.
ADELE RYCROFT/Stuff
The doubleheader at Fiztherbert Park has been a popular drawcard for the past two years.
They had to set up all the ground infrastructure, including the scaffolding for television towers, the hospitality area and commentary pod.
The groundstaff have also been paying careful attention to the pitch, which is usually known for being good to bat on.
There hasn’t been much cricket played at Fitzherbert Park this season and the ground was looking in good shape leading up to the game.
The last time the Northern Districts men and women both played in Palmerston North was 2011, the men played a one-dayer and the women a twenty20.
The new changing rooms in the downstairs part of the grandstand are now in use.
The changing rooms were refurbished in the off season and there are now individual unisex toilets. Previously the communal toilets were near urinals and not suitable for girls or women.
An old shower block that was never used and was essentially a storage room has been converted into individual shower stalls.
Tickets for Wednesday are available at cdcricket.flicket.co.nz.
Schedule:
Central Hinds v Northern Districts at 12.30pm.
Central Stags v Northern Districts at 4pm.
Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
The ground was filled with people for the twenty20 doubleheader last year.
