McLean Park facts for kids
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| Ground information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Napier, New Zealand | ||
| Coordinates | 39°30′7″S 176°54′46″E / 39.50194°S 176.91278°E | ||
| Establishment | 1911 | ||
| Capacity | 19,700 | ||
| Owner | Napier City Council | ||
| Operator | Napier City Council | ||
| Tenants | Hurricanes (Super Rugby) Hawke's Bay Rugby Union (ITM Cup) Central Stags (State Championship/State Shield/State Twenty20) |
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| End names | |||
| Centennial stand end Embankment end |
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| International information | |||
| First Test | 16 February 1979: New Zealand v  Pakistan |
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| Last Test | 26 January 2012: New Zealand v  Zimbabwe |
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| First ODI | 19 March 1982: New Zealand v  Sri Lanka |
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| Last ODI | 13 February 2019: New Zealand v  Bangladesh |
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| First T20I | 3 January 2017: New Zealand v Bangladesh |
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| Last T20I | 30 March 2021: New Zealand v Bangladesh |
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| First WODI | 17 January 1982: India v  International XI |
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| Last WODI | 24 January 2019: New Zealand v India |
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| Team information | |||
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| As of 30 March 2021 Source: Cricinfo |
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McLean Park is a famous sports stadium located in Napier, New Zealand. It's a top-level sports ground with both an outdoor stadium and an indoor events center. The main sports played here are cricket and rugby union. It's one of the biggest cricket grounds in New Zealand.
The home teams for McLean Park are the Hawke's Bay Rugby Union and the Central Districts Cricket Association. The stadium has two main sides, called the Centennial Stand End and the Embankment End. Because it's so close to the International Date Line, McLean Park is the world's most eastern Test match ground!
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About McLean Park Stadium
The stadium was first called 'Sir Donald McLean Park'. This name was given by an act of Parliament. It was named after Sir Douglas Maclean, who gave ten acres of land in 1910. This land was a special gift to remember his father.
In cricket, McLean Park is great for one-day games. The playing area is shaped in a way that helps batters score lots of runs. There are four covered stands for fans. There's also a big grassy hill opposite the Centennial Stand. The grass playing surface, called the wicket, tends to get slower as the day goes on. This means teams often prefer to bat first to set a high score.
The stadium has hosted important cricket matches since 1952. It has also held ten Test matches since 1979. The New Zealand team has a record of seven draws, one win, and two losses in Test matches here. Since 1990, the ground has hosted at least one international one-day cricket match every year. The stadium can hold up to 19,700 people.
Sports Played at McLean Park
McLean Park is a busy place, used for many different sports. It hosts all types of cricket games. It's also a key venue for rugby union and has even seen a professional rugby league match.
Cricket Matches
This stadium is used for all kinds of cricket games. The very first One Day International (ODI) played here was in 1982. It was between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. New Zealand won that match by 7 wickets.
Rugby Union Games
McLean Park is the home stadium for the Hawkes Bay Magpies rugby team. They play in the Mitre 10 Cup. The stadium has also hosted several games for the New Zealand Maori team.
McLean Park was a venue for the 1987 Rugby World Cup. It hosted a game between Canada and Tonga. It was also chosen for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. During that tournament, it hosted two Pool A games: France vs. Canada and Canada vs. Japan.
The stadium has hosted two All Blacks (New Zealand's national rugby team) Test matches. The first was in 1996, when the All Blacks beat Manu Samoa. This was special because it was the first home Test match for the All Blacks played under floodlights. The second All Blacks match was in 2014, against Argentina. The All Blacks won that game too.
McLean Park is also sometimes used by the Hurricanes team for their Super Rugby games. They have played 11 Super Rugby matches here. After the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the Crusaders team used McLean Park as their home ground for two matches.
Rugby League Games
In 2015, the Melbourne Storm rugby league team played an NRL game here. They played against the St. George Illawarra Dragons.
Stadium Upgrades
McLean Park has been improved over the years. A new part of the stadium, called the Graham Lowe Stand, opened in 2009. This upgrade was finished in just one year. It was built to prepare the stadium for big events. These included the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the 2015 Cricket World Cup, both of which had games at McLean Park.
Sometimes, there have been issues with the drainage at the park. Because of this, two international cricket matches had to be moved in 2018. However, McLean Park returned to hosting international games in January 2019, with New Zealand playing India.
Cricket Statistics and Records
McLean Park is known for having a very good pitch for batting in cricket. This means batters often score a lot of runs here.
Test Match Records
The pitch at McLean Park is considered one of the best for batting in the world. It's hard for bowlers to get wickets here. This means many Test matches at McLean Park end in a draw. Out of ten Test matches played, seven have been draws. New Zealand has won one Test match here, against Zimbabwe in 2012.
The highest score by a team in a Test match here was by the New Zealand national cricket team. They scored 619 runs for 9 wickets against the India national cricket team in 2009.
Some top batters who have scored many runs at this ground include Brendon McCullum (494 runs), Ross Taylor (420 runs), and Jesse Ryder (317 runs). The most wickets have been taken by Chris Martin (22 wickets).
One Day International Records
McLean Park is also a good ground for batting in One Day International (ODI) cricket. On average, teams score well here. New Zealand has a good record in ODIs at this ground, winning 20 out of 33 matches. Two matches, both against England, have ended in a tie.
The highest individual score in an ODI at McLean Park was 141 runs not out by Ricky Ponting. This was part of a team score of 347 runs. McLean Park was also a venue for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, hosting three matches.
The highest total score in an ODI at this ground was set by the New Zealand national cricket team. They scored 373 runs for 8 wickets against the Zimbabwean national cricket team in 2012.
The most runs scored in ODIs at McLean Park are by Ross Taylor (779 runs), followed by Nathan Astle and Stephen Fleming (both 743 runs). The most wickets have been taken by Daniel Vettori (30 wickets).
Twenty20 International Records
The very first Twenty20 International (T20I) match at McLean Park was held in 2017. It was played between New Zealand and Bangladesh. This made McLean Park the sixth stadium in New Zealand to host a T20 International game.
See also
In Spanish: McLean Park para niños
