Punt Road Oval says farewell

Further to my article last month on Richmond CC leaving the famed Punt Rd Oval. This weekends Premier First XI match between Richmond and Hawthorn-Monash University is likely to be the last Premier First XI match at Punt Road Oval. The club has invited a number of past champions to attend the second day of the match on Saturday for the historic occasion.

Punt Road Oval, or the Richmond Cricket Ground, has been the Tigers' home since November, 1855. The first documented match there took place on Boxing Day, 1856, when Richmond defeated Melbourne by 40 runs. Apart from approximately 700 VCA/Premier First XI matches in the past 105 years, the ground has hosted a number of important representative matches including:

First-Class Matches

1932-33 Victoria v Tasmania

1999-00 Victoria v Tasmania
1999-00 Victoria v New South Wales
2000-01 Victoria v New South Wales
2001-02 Victoria v Queensland
2001-02 Victoria v New South Wales
List A Matches
1999-00 Victoria v ACT
2000-01 Victoria v New South Wales
2000-01 Victoria v South Australia
2001-02 Victoria v Queensland
2001-02 Victoria v South Australia
Women's Test Match
1990-91 Australia v India
Women's ODIs
1988-89 Australia v England
1988-89 Ireland v New Zealand
Women's National Cricket League Matches
1997-98 Victoria v New South Wales
1997-98 Victoria v New South Wales
1997-98 Victoria v Western Australia
1997-98 Victoria v Western Australia
1998-99 Victoria v South Australia
1998-99 Victoria v South Australia
2000-01 Victoria v South Australia
2000-01 Victoria v South Australia
2002-03 Victoria v South Australia
2002-03 Victoria v South Australia

As I wrote in my last article it will a lost memory of cricket being played on this central city ground, and true shame for the lovers of the game in Victoria. For many outside of Melbourne this will seem as story that is all to familiar, of cricket grounds being swallowed by the city influx.

Below are some photos sourced from the Victoria Premier Cricket website on the 1st day of the final match.



Doug Ring- Bill Johnson Scoreboard named after two Legends of the club.



The view from the scorers box high up. Notice the famous old stands

 

Construction continues, and to the far side the busy Punt Rd traffic, passing time stuck in Saturday traffic watching cricket.