Invercargill's Queens Park is back on the domestic schedule following a two-year absence.
New Zealand Cricket withdrew the venue’s warrant of fitness in September 2021 after questions were raised about its suitability following a first-class game between Otago and Auckland in March that year.
That game was ruined due to a combination of wet weather and poor drainage.
The venue’s warrant was put under review and an independent report found the soil structure was not as permeable as it could be. As a result, the ground drained slowly.
However, the necessary improvements have been made and the venue has been allocated two Ford Trophy games and two Hallyburton Johnstone Shield fixtures.
Southland Cricket Association general manager Lauren Roney said she was thrilled with the news.
"We’re really excited to have it back," she said.
"The drainage was the main thing [we needed to improve] and we’ve been really lucky because the council have done some fantastic work and that is all sorted.
"We also need to tick off another couple of things — one being a scoreboard, because we did not have a working electronic scoreboard."
That scoreboard came at a cost of $100,000 and the Southland Cricket Association also needed to appoint a turf manager which will remain an ongoing cost.
The drainage work was not cheap either. Roney did not have an exact amount, but believed the council’s spend was "close to six figures".
The facilities are used for representative, club and junior cricket as well.
New Zealand Cricket released the season schedule for the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, the Ford Trophy and the Plunket Shield yesterday.
The women’s one-day competition features day-night games for the first time.
Defending champions the Wellington Blaze will play in the first women’s list A day-night game against Northern Districts at Bay Oval on November 25.
NZC have introduced the day-nighters to better prepare domestic female players for international cricket.
There are three day-nighters scheduled, but the Sparks are not involved in any of them.
The other notable news is the six-round women’s one-day competition will be played entirely at first-class accredited venues, which is another first for the women’s domestic game.
One of those venues is Queens Park.
The Sparks host the Central Hinds in back-to-back games there on December 9 and 10.
The Volts open their Ford Trophy campaign against the Auckland Aces at Queens Park on November 25 and return on December 12 for a game against Canterbury.
The Volts also play two of their five home one-dayers in Queenstown, which means Dunedin’s University Oval has been allocated just one Ford Trophy game.
The Plunket Shield will follow the same structure as in previous seasons. It bookends the summer with four rounds at the start and another four at the end.
The Volts begin their summer in Hamilton with a first-class game against Northern Districts.
Their first home game of the season is a four-dayer against Central Districts at the University Oval in Dunedin beginning on November 6.
The men’s and women’s Super Smash schedule will be announced in the coming months.
