Seddon Park voted among world's best cricket venues

The grassy banks and “boutique” feel of Hamilton’s Seddon Park have seen it ranked in the top 20 test cricket venues by influential magazine The Cricketer.

In its May edition, The Cricketer ranked the world’s best 26 venues, with Seddon Park claiming 15th spot, ahead of Dunedin’s University Oval, The Wanderers in Johannesburg, The Oval in London, Bellerive Oval in Hobart and several other grounds in the United Arab Emirates, India and Bangladesh.

The magazine described Seddon Park as “a perfect circular venue with grassy banks running around from a classy pavilion”, and quoted South African writer Neil Manthorp’s comments the park had “fabulous grass banks, white picket fences, and just five minutes from the centre of town”.

Mayor Julie Hardaker said The Cricketer’s high ranking for Seddon Park had confirmed what many New Zealand cricket fans already knew – that the ground is a great place to enjoy the summer game.
“This is a great result, and it’s also a tribute to the staff who work very hard to make it so picturesque. Seddon Park is one of Hamilton’s best assets, and residents should be proud of it,” Mayor Hardaker said.

Seddon Park hosted its first test, New Zealand versus Sri Lanka, in 1991, and has been the venue for 19 tests, 18 One Day Internationals, and five international Twenty20 fixtures.

Lord’s, the north London ground considered the home of the game, claimed top spot in the magazine’s rankings. There are more than 100 test cricket venues around the world.