Basin Reserve
The Basin | |||
![]() A view of Basin Reserve in 2008 | |||
Ground information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Location | Mount Cook, Wellington, New Zealand | ||
Coordinates | 41°18′1″S 174°46′49″E / 41.30028°S 174.78028°E | ||
Establishment | 1868 | ||
Capacity | 11,600 | ||
End names | |||
Vance Stand End Scoreboard End | |||
International information | |||
First Test | 24–27 January 1930:![]() ![]() | ||
Last Test | 29 February–3 March 2024:![]() ![]() | ||
First ODI | 9 March 1975:![]() ![]() | ||
Last ODI | 26 March 2021:![]() ![]() | ||
First women's Test | 20–23 March 1948:![]() ![]() | ||
Last women's Test | 26–29 January 1990:![]() ![]() | ||
First WODI | 23 January 1982:![]() ![]() | ||
Last WODI | 1 April 2024:![]() ![]() | ||
First WT20I | 28 February 2016:![]() ![]() | ||
Last WT20I | 29 March 2024:![]() ![]() | ||
Team information | |||
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As of 1 April 2024 Source: CricketArchive |
The Basin Reserve, also known as the Cello Basin Reserve for sponsorship reasons,
The New Zealand Cricket Museum is located in the Old Grandstand. It houses cricket memorabilia and a reference library. It opened in 1987, and was relaunched in 2021.[3][4][5]
Location
The Basin Reserve is two kilometres south of the Wellington CBD at the foot of
The Basin Reserve is also surrounded by numerous other Wellington landmarks, including Mount Cook Barracks, the
Construction history
The area that is now Basin Reserve was originally a lake (known as the Basin Lake), and there were plans to connect it to the sea by a canal to make it an alternative inner city harbour, with major warehouses and factories alongside it. However, the massive 1855 Wairarapa earthquake uplifted the area nearly 1.8 m (5.9 ft) and turned the lake into a swamp.[7] Due to the colonists' English roots, sport, particularly cricket, was a vital part of the community's way to relax. However, no land had been allocated by the city planners for recreational reserves. Although natural grounds, such as the Te Aro flat, provided a small area for matches, the colonists wanted more recreational land than they had. The matter became dire as buildings began to be erected on these plains, as flat land was hard to find in the mountainous Wellington. So, after the 1855 earthquake, which historians estimate measured magnitude 8,[8] influential citizens seized the chance in 1857 to suggest that the new land be drained and made into a recreational reserve. The Wellington council accepted the proposal and on 3 February 1863 prisoners from the Mount Cook Gaol began to level and drain the new land. The swamp was drained by September and a fence and hedges were placed around the entire area. However, massive population influxes from 1863 to 1866 (caused mostly by the Parliament being situated in Wellington) hampered construction on the Basin Reserve as workers were pulled to other areas.
After a council meeting on 11 December 1866 the Basin Reserve became Wellington's official cricket ground. No cattle or horses were allowed in the ground and only small hedges and shrubs were allowed to be planted so as not to hamper cricket games. Soon after, on 11 January 1868, the first game of cricket was played, although the ground had numerous stones and thistles on it, which the umpire later apologised for as some players got injured from them. Although it was the opening day, no ceremony or music was played, nor was the opening advertised with banners.
Soon after that first event, the Highland Games began to be held at the Basin Reserve. The games were organised by the Wellingtonian Caledonian Society, of which their headquarters, The Caledonian Hotel, still stands towards the south of the Basin Reserve. The society offered up prize money which brought many competitors to the region. Due to their success, the society petitioned to have new grandstands built at the western end of the Basin Reserve. They would measure 44 by 20 ft (13.4 by 6.1 m) and would cost approximately £250–£300. The stands would also hold food stalls and ground keepers. However, for the following years, even up until reportedly 1872, the Basin Reserve grounds were still extremely swampy, with small pools of swamp water and various weeds and shrubs sprouting over the fields. In late 1872, horses were used to level the playing field and this greatly improved the conditions.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Cricket_Spectators%2C_Basin_Reserve.jpg/275px-Cricket_Spectators%2C_Basin_Reserve.jpg)
In 1882, the William Wakefield Memorial was erected at the Basin Reserve. The monument had been in storage for many years, and it was finally erected to commemorate one of the city's founders, William Wakefield, at the main sports ground.[9][10]
The pavilion has been a Category II registered
In 2012 the Museum Stand of the Basin was declared an earthquake risk and closed; a new player's pavilion was opened in December 2018 and renamed in 2020 in honour of the former Test cricketer Ewen Chatfield.[13]
Event history
The first event held at the Basin Reserve was a one-day cricket match on 11 January 1868 between the Wellington Volunteers and the crew of HMS Falcon, which was docked in Wellington.[14] However, the match was hampered by injuries due to the numerous stones and thistles in the grass, which led to the injury of some players. The umpire apologised to the players after the match for the poor condition of the playing surface.[15]
After that first event, local clubs and societies began organising athletic and social meetings at the Basin Reserve. These meetings eventually coalesced into a meeting known locally as the Highland Games, and it was their success which led to the construction of the ground's first grandstand. The events included athletics, racing, dancing and later wood-chopping and cycling. However, the ground was still swampy in some areas. This was finally remedied in late 1872, which allowed the ground's inaugural first-class cricket match, between Wellington and Auckland, to be played on 30 November 1873. Wellington won the match easily. The Basin Reserve reputedly held the first rugby football match in the North Island,[8] between a Wellington team and the crew of HMS Rosario, which the sailors won by a single goal.
The Australasian Athletic Championships were held at the Basin Reserve on 26–27 December 1911. This was a combined Australian and New Zealand championship, at which New Zealanders won all the track events and Australians won all the field events.[16]
Before embarking on the
The first Test match played at the ground was between New Zealand and England, the first day of which was 24 January 1930. One-day international cricket was played at the Basin Reserve until 1999, after which it moved to the larger Wellington Regional Stadium on the other side of the Wellington CBD.
On 13 March 2011 the Basin Reserve was host to "Fill the Basin", a cricket event intended to raise money for victims of the
In addition to cricket, other sports have also used the Basin Reserve, including
Statistics
Test matches
There have been 68 Test matches played at the Basin Reserve as of June 2024.
Brendon McCullum has the highest innings, 302, and is the first Black Cap to pass 300 runs in a test. The previous highest score at the ground and for any NZ test cricketer was the 299 runs by Martin Crowe in 1991[23] Almost a year later in 2015, Kumar Sangakkara scored his 12000th test runs and his 11th double century there while McCullum dropped three catches and scored a two-ball duck in the first innings. It is also a ground where Trent Boult made the most of his one-handed catches. One of which was the one that removed Sangakkara in 2015. In the same test, Kane Williamson scored his first test double century, with his 6th wicket partner BJ Watling scoring a century in the second innings. Williamson also contributed on the field to help NZ win the test match. His catch also made the top play on Sports Center in America[24] In 2017, this is also the ground where Henry Nicholls scored his maiden test century. Late in that year, Tom Blundell scored his maiden Test century on debut, then walked home while still in uniform as he lives near the ground.
The highest total set by a team here in Test cricket was by the
ODI matches
In ODI cricket, the highest total has been set by
See also
- List of Test cricket grounds
- List of international cricket centuries at Basin Reserve
- List of international cricket five-wicket hauls at Basin Reserve
References
- ^ "BRT announces new naming rights agreement with Cello". Basin Reserve. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ England Cricket legend W. G. Grace remembered at New Zealand Cricket Museum
- ^ "New Zealand Cricket Museum". New Zealand Cricket Museum.
- ^ "New Zealand Cricket Museum on NZ Museums". nzmuseums.co.nz. Te Papa.
- Dominion Post.
- ^ [1] Archived 1 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "3. The 1855 Wairarapa earthquake – Historic earthquakes – Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand". Teara.govt.nz. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- ^ a b Neely, D., Romanos, J. (2003). The Basin – An Illustrated History of the Basin Reserve. Canterbury University Press.
- ^ "William Wakefield Memorial". Cricket Wellington. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Basin Reserve". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ "Basin Reserve Pavilion". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
- ^ "Basin Reserve Historic Area". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
- ^ "New Zealand v India: After eight years dormant, Basin's 95-year-old stand is back". Stuff. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ Wiren, A. F. (3 February 1909). "Basin Reserve: A fragment of its history". Evening Post: 10.
- ^ Bell, Jamie (27 October 2015). "The Basin Reserve: Cricket comes to play". NZ Cricket Museum. Archived from the original on 16 October 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- ^ "Australasian Championships - 1911-12".
- ^ Fagan, Sean (2009). "New Zealand 'Kangaroos'". rl1908.com. Australia. Archived from the original on 8 October 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
- The Dominion Post. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
- The Dominion Post. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
- ^ "Statistics / Statsguru / Basin Reserve, Wellington". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "HowSTAT! Grounds – Top Players". Howstat.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- ^ "HowSTAT! Grounds – Top Players". Howstat.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- ^ "HowSTAT! Grounds – Top Players". Howstat.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- ^ Kane Williamson Catch – #1 On Sportscenter Top 10 Plays
Bibliography
- ISBN 1-877257-05-2.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Basin Reserve at Austadiums
- Official website
- Ground Profile at ESPNcricinfo
- Quick information about the Basin Reserve
- "The Basin" at New Zealand Cricket Museum