Adelaide Oval and Adelaide Skyline
The majestic
Adelaide Oval is situated in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide, dates back to 1871. An icon in Adelaide and the cricket world, its gentle red corrugated iron roofs and greens sit just down from where Lights statue points across the city he designed.
So much legendary haunts the grounds, especially when it comes to the Ashes series.
The first international test was played in December 1884 - England beat Australia by eight wickets.
During the 1932–33 Ashes series (which came to be known as the 'Bodyline affair') Australian batsmen Bill Woodfull and Bert Oldfield were both struck and injured by England bowlers. The crowed went mad and the mounted police were called in to keep the 50,962 enraged fans under control.
In 1931–32 Donald Bradman scored the highest score ever at the ground in Test Cricket (299 against South Africa).
In 1975–76 the first One-Day International match was played at the ground between Australia and West Indies - Australia won.
In 1982, David Hookes (in a match against Victoria) hit a 43 minute then a 34 ball centuries - the fastest centuries in first class history.
Many of us have childhood memories of sitting with our dads- zinc cream on our noses, decked out in green and gold as the Windies, the Indians or even the Kiwi fielders came out to the field. We remember the crazy drunks, dressed up in totally politically incorrect outfits staggering by singing "Come on Aussie." And the roar of the crowd as the ball flew over the fence.
Adelaide Oval's historic Scoreboard
But as well as cricket it's been the holy ground of a number of other South Australian sports - SAFL Grand finals and soccer matches that have lead Australia to the world cup and Rugby.
And as you wander the parklands or North Adelaide in the evenings you may have heard the sounds of Fleetwood Mac (1977 & 2004), David Bowie (1978 & 1983), KISS (1980), Madonna (1993), Paul McCartney (1993), Michael Jackson (1996), Billy Joel & Elton John (1998), Pink (2002), Pearl Jam (2009) and ACDC drifting from the Adelaide Oval.
The Foo Fighters are the next big names to shake the members stand. Click
here for details.
The Adelaide Oval Contains the
Bradman Connection and also hosts functions such as the benefit for kids with cancer.
There is something grand and charming about the Adelaide Oval, even though it is no longer the biggest in Adelaide and hasn't been for sometime. For people interested, there are tours of Adelaide Oval - please
click here for more information.
Redevelopment
Adelaide Oval Redevelopment
So what of redevelopment plans? It's been years of proposals and arguments by the state government and speculation on talk back radio.
The oval is managed by the South Australian Cricket Association who voted 80% in favour of the redevelopment. The $20 million redevelopment will include a pedestrian bridge across the River Torrens to link the Adelaide railway station precinct with the Adelaide Oval precinct.
What concerned fans of the Adelaide Oval were the loss of the greens (where you can picnic and watch cricket) and the loss of the old score board. These two elements have been incorporated into the new design, however, the look of the old stands will change dramatically. For more, click
here.
