Southland Cricket Association chairman Gerry Ward remains optimistic Queens Park will host domestic cricket this season.
The Invercargill venue’s continued suitability to host elite cricket was called into question after some drainage issues emerged during a first-class game between Otago and Auckland in March.
An area at the duck pond end of the ground became very damp and caused significant disruptions to the match.
The drainage is not the only issue the venue faces, though. The ground could do with some levelling and a new scoreboard is required to met the standards set down by New Zealand Cricket (NZC).
Ward met representatives of NZC, Otago Cricket and the Invercargill City Council last week to discuss the issues.
He emerged with a "to do list" but hopes the venue would remain on the domestic roster.
"I’d certainly like to think so. We certainly want to bring in games," Ward said.
"We would like to think we can make a schedule of work of what can been done now and what may be able to be done over two years.
"But the council don’t have an endless supply of money to put into this.
"We haven’t lost our warrant of fitness but you don’t want to have to be fighting to maintain your warrant all the time. And if we don’t get this done then we might not get a game next year."
The drainage problems could be a relatively easy fix. Initial investigations have revealed a broken ring drain.
But further work is required to gauge the extent of the overall drainage problem at the venue. Once that work has been done, an independent review of the venue will be carried out.
Work removing some trees near the the troublesome area at the duck pond end has begun.
There are about five trees which need removing and the macrocarpa hedge will be trimmed to help reduce shading and allow the wind to pass through.
