Cricket: Cricket's back, but Pukekura Park isn't out of the woods

The return of Twenty20 cricket to Pukekura Park this summer has been made possible by a change in television broadcasting arrangements, but it does not remove the need to upgrade the ageing Bellringer Pavilion.

Central Districts Cricket chief executive Lance Hamilton said on The Most FM Sports Show on Saturday morning the decision not to broadcast every Super Smash match this season had created an opportunity to bring games back to New Plymouth after a two-year absence.

Sky Television reclaimed the rights to broadcast New Zealand's home internationals, after six years with the refunct Spark Sport and TVNZ, while state broadcaster retained domestic coverage but will televise only one doubleheader per round instead of every match like previous seasons. 

The picturesque ground will host two non-televised doubleheaders, with the Central Stags and Hinds playing Canterbury on January 2 and Otago on January 17.

Hamilton said reduced broadcasting requirements and longer breaks between matches meant the ground could accommodate four teams without the temporary facilities previously required.

“The facilities just aren't up to standard for hosting four teams,” he said.

In previous seasons, Central Districts had been forced to bring in portable cabins to accommodate visiting teams, adding considerable expense and putting pressure on the limited space available.

Broadcasting infrastructure further restricted the ground, while the usual 20-minute turnaround between matches made sharing changing facilities difficult.

However, Hamilton said the absence of television coverage meant there could now be an hour between matches, allowing teams to rotate through the existing facilities.

“The fact that it's not broadcast takes the pressure off. We can schedule an hour between the games, you know, we can rotate the one team out and the other team's in, with plenty of time for warm-ups and things like that.”

NZC first raised concerns about Pukekura Park's facilities in August 2022, identifying deficiencies with changing rooms, training facilities, broadcasting infrastructure and workspaces for match officials and media.

Temporary changing facilities were subsequently brought in to accommodate Super Smash doubleheaders, but the improvements were not enough to meet NZC's requirements, with the ground dropped from the competition's schedule from the summer of 2024.

A report from Boon found the Bellringer Pavilion also has seismic, accessibility and structural issues.

A proposed $16.5 million upgrade was previously reduced to an $8 million option, although that project has not been approved by New Plymouth District Council.

Despite the return of domestic cricket, Hamilton was adamant the arrangement did not eliminate the need for improvements.

“No, not at all,” he said.

“This is very much a big favour and a big favour to the fans and the supporters that we have over in Taranaki.”

He warned the arrangement could be a one-off, particularly with uncertainty surrounding the future of domestic Twenty20 cricket.

“If there was to be sort of broadcast content there in the future, there definitely need to be some upgrades to the ground.”

Hamilton said Central Districts had pushed strongly for New Plymouth's return once the broadcasting arrangements became clear.

The January 2 fixture was particularly appealing because of the large crowds traditionally attracted to the ground during the summer holiday period.

“We've got a pretty loyal supporter base over there and, you know, the boys and the girls enjoyed heading over there,” he said.

“It was a no-brainer for us to try and push to get some games over there.”

Central Districts will also play home matches in Palmerston North, Nelson and Napier this summer, although none of its home Super Smash fixtures will be televised.

Hamilton said uncertainty surrounding the proposed NZ20 competition meant there was little clarity about the future structure of domestic Twenty20 cricket.

“It's hard to get commitment or be able to provide any certainty to sponsors and things like that at the moment because no one really knows what the future might look like just now.”

He described this summer's schedule as a potential “farewell tour” of Super Smash across Central Districts' four home venues.