No shovel needed this year.
Otago Country Cricket Association chairman Malcolm Jones was left heartbroken at the way the Molyneux Park pitch played during Otago’s twenty20 match against Northern Districts late last year.
The Volts limped through to 99 for seven and the visitor also struggled on the surface, which was too low and too slow to accommodate a good twenty20 match.
You needed a digging implement of some sort if you wanted to get under the ball and it made for a lousy spectacle for a crowd of about 1800.
Jones, who is a passionate advocate for Molyneux Park, was scoring the game for New Zealand Cricket and was horrified. But he is confident the surface will be much more suitable this year.
"Since last year there has been a change in the contractor and things seemed to have progressed pretty well this year," he said.
"There was a game played on it at the beginning of December ... and from all reports the pitch played very well. There was a wee bit of pace in it. There was not a lot of movement.
"It was a bit flat, which is what you want for a twenty20.
"All the preparation has been done and I guess it is up to the teams to make the most of it."
The venue has had a troubled past. It lost its New Zealand Cricket warrant of fitness following the 2008-09 season and it was withdrawn again in 2011.
However, Molyneux Park remains an important venue for the Otago Cricket Association.
It draws much bigger crowds for domestic games than any other in the province and the weather is almost always good.
The ground will host four twenty20 matches this season. The Otago Sparks play Northern Districts tomorrow and Canterbury on Monday.
The Volts also have a double header — Northern Districts tomorrow and Canterbury on Monday.
"I’d be absolutely horrified if we had a repeat of last year, but it won’t be. They are doing the preparation differently and I’m confident [it will be a good pitch]."
The fixtures will be televised and Jones is hoping for a crowd of up to 2000 on each day.
Head groundsman Guy McCone could not be reached for comment.
