The Arnos Vale Sports Complex, #12th best Cricket Stadium Worldwide

Fri, Jun 8. 2012

by Osborne Browne
Manager, National Sports Council

The highly respected and acclaimed sports publication, the Cricketer monthly magazine out of the United Kingdom, published, in its May 2012 edition, the results of a study they conducted re: The best grounds (cricket) in the world.{{more}}

Obviously, the different criteria not only took into consideration the infrastructural development of the various venues, including night lighting, replay screens, concessionary amenities, quality seating accommodations, but also spectator feedback, historical and picturesque setting and general ambience were bound to be of prime importance in arriving at a conclusive determination as to the rankings of the venues under consideration.

High profile local columnist, Mr Renwick Rose (whom we thank dearly for his initiative), was first to articulate the cricket magazine’s findings, in an article in the Searchlight Newspaper of April 24, 2012. According to the magazine, an international panel of 42 broadcasters, journalists, photographers and fans from 13 countries was set up to judge the best 26 test venues across 5 continents, 13 countries and 24 cities.

The panel decided that the Arnos Vale Sports Complex, ideally nestled between the rolling and undulating hills of Cane Garden and Arnos Vale, flanked by the imposing elevations at Belmont, Fountain and Fairbaine Pasture, with the azure waters of the incomparable Caribbean Sea providing a startling but peaceful halcyon that dwarfs Andalucía in Spain, in the month of April, is ranked number twelve 12 in the order of merit.

Unsurprisingly, the historic home of cricket, Lords Cricket Ground, the headquarters of the Maryleborne Cricket Club (MCC) is ranked at number one!

To place the number 12 ranking of Arnos Vale into perspective, the venue placed first among the 4 venues of the Windward Islands, despite being the oldest by a long stretch. Both the Grenada and Dominica venues were brand new creations for the hosting of the 2007 Cricket World Cup, while St Lucia’s Beausejour was constructed in the first part of the last decade. Only the Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG) received a higher ranking in the entire OECS – # 8, while the historic, recently expanded and rebuilt Kensington Oval of Barbados was ranking # 9.

The Arnos Vale Sports Complex is ranked higher than most famous regional counterparts such as Jamaica’s Sabina Park, Trinidad’s Queens Park and the new Sir Vivian Richards stadium in Antigua, which unfortunately was ranked # 4 in the worst test venues category. Other world renowned stadiums such as the Kennington Oval in London, Old Trafford in Manchester, Edgbaston, Headingley in Leeds; Australia’s Perth and the Gabba; all of the cricket grounds in India (except Kolkata ranked #11) all stadiums in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka (except Galle, ranked #4); and all of the cricket venues in mineral-rich South Africa (except Newlands, ranked #2) are ranked lower than the Arnos Vale Sports Complex!!

The obvious leading question must be: “How can we elevate the Arnos Vale Sports Complex to an even higher ranking? The completion of the 5,000-seater Double-Decker Pavilion and the Bleachers, in terms of their amenities, including concession areas and increased washroom facilities, must be a factor. Stadium floodlighting for night fixtures and a replay screen would surely combine to ensure a higher place on the proverbial totem pole. Spectator participation also has a role to play, by providing living proof of the magnetism of the venue.

But athletes and John Public also have a role to play. The Arnos Vale Sports Complex’s main facility, Arnos Vale I, is the only venue that is available for the hosting of regional and international fixtures for Football, Athletics, Rugby and Cricket etc. Therefore, the maintenance of a top-quality outfield surface is a prime requirement, but one which cannot be achieved if it is to be daily subjected to the incessant treading of spiked and non-spiked shoes, some of which invariably, but unwillingly, transport undesirable weed spores that are a daily challenge to eradicate when they germinate and spread. In short, the venue cannot also be a daily training venue. That is the role of Arnos Vale II.

The peerless 19-acre sporting facility’s flora features an exaggerated and enticing “wall-to-wall” green carpet that must be the envy of most similar venues. This is the way the magazine described our tropical splendour: “A picture-postcard snapshot of the Caribbean at its most intimate and inclusive, snuggled between the Airport, the sea and the rustic hills, you can feel the tailwind as the planes take off towards the island of Bequia in the distance.”

The high rating that the venue received following the hosting of the three One Day Internationals, West Indies vs Australia in March 2012, was mainly attributable to the technical input of the Ministry of Agriculture, spearheaded for that particular exercise by the Chief Agriculture Officer Reuben Robertson, and Sylvester Vanloo; the support of the Ministry responsible for Sport and the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines who are ever alert to the significance and importance of the venue in the context of International fixtures particularly, and sports development, generally.

The policy direction of the National Sports Council’s Board of Directors led by Mr. Carlton James as well as Council members Messrs Lance John and Marcellus Constance and the dedication of the Groundstaff, particularly the special unit, comprised of Messrs Williams “Bill” Edwards; Kervin King and Brennon Springer, and the Manager, Mr. Osborne Browne, all combined to ensure that the Arnos Vale Sports Complex not only took its rightful place in the sun but that it also lived up to its proud legacy while continuing to send a message for more and better fixtures with the enhanced Sports Tourism as the focus and the beneficiary.

In continuing to strive for excellence the Council must strike a prudent balance between using the outfield’s surface for training exercises of athletes and for persons who are simply keeping fit.

Mr. Renwick Rose’s article advised that “Whatever is done in Arnos Vale must not destroy the intrinsic beauty and attractiveness of the Arnos Vale Sports Complex.” That is excellent advice to follow!!