Norfolk Island – the oldest cricket ground in the Southern Hemisphere
Norkfolk Island is a remarkable place. It is a tiny Pacific Island, defined by pine trees, jagged cliffs, stunning blue ocean, and an incredible history…including cricket.
The island, now an external territory of Australia, is isolated 1,673 km from Sydney, Australia. It was first discovered by Captain James Cook in 1774 and settled by British convicts in 1788.
Cricket is recorded as having been played by soldiers on Norfolk Island from 1838. It continued to be played after the island was settled in 1856 by Pitcairn Islanders, descended from the mutineers of the Bounty.
Norfolk Island’s cricket is located at Kingston Oval, and with games starting in 1838 it is the oldest cricket ground in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the oldest active sports grounds in in the world for any sport.
This beautiful and unique ground is bordered by the ocean and overlooked by Kingston’s World Heritage convict-era buildings.
Cricket is popular on the island, and APT was thrilled to recently help keep this remarkable tradition and ground going for future cricketers, by having our Supergrasse Shield cricket turf installed by Polytan at Kingston Oval.
Polytan had previously installed Laykold courts on the island, so they were delighted to help when he was approached by Brendon Christian from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications and the Arts, about the cricket wicket.
Completed in Dec 2022, the photos are simply amazing. What a great place to play cricket.