Dr Bacher pleased with attendance

A total of 182 000 people attended the 15 events which were held in the first week of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, a figure which the tournament's executive director Dr Ali Bacher has described as "very pleasing".

On reviewing the attendance figures for the tournament's first 14 matches and the Opening Ceremony, Bacher said: "We are particularly pleased with the attendance and support for the tournament so far. The figures are especially good when one takes into account the fact that this is term time for schools and universities, as well as a busy time of year for all businesses."

He noted that particularly good crowd attendances had been reported for the Bangladesh-Canada match at Kingsmead in Durban (10 482) and the Canada v Kenya match at Newlands in Cape Town (12 590).

"The South African public and overseas visitors have been supporting the tournament exceptionally well. We have a maximum attendance of about 800 000 for all 47 events of the tournament which are held inside in South Africa (46 matches and the Opening Ceremony) and we believe we will reach our target of about 700 000 for those particular events," Bacher said.

A total of 24 169 people attended the Opening Ceremony at Newlands, with a crowd of 24 180 watching the South Africa v West Indies match there the next day. The biggest crowd of the tournament so far has been the 31 305 who filled the Wanderers in Johannesburg to watch South Africa play New Zealand last Sunday. (This was also one of the biggest crowds ever at a cricket match in South Africa.) The Australia-India match at SuperSport Park in Centurion was watched by 17 694 people and the Australia v Pakistan match at the Wanderers by 27 057.

Bacher has praised the South African public for their conduct at the matches that have taken place, as well as thanking the tournament Volunteers and the South African Police Services for the outstanding roles they have played in ensuring the smooth running of the tournament.

"So far we have seen very good behaviour from the crowds around the country," said Bacher today. "There have been no pitch invasions, and very little drunken behaviour." He said that the principle of closing the bars for an hour-and-a-half after the break between innings had been well received and had helped to alleviate alcohol-related crowd problems.

"I have personally tried to speak to as many spectators as I can, and their feedback to me has been tremendous. Most people have complimented the volunteers and the security officials and have stated that the event so far has been world class," Bacher said.

Bacher did, however, ask spectators to arrive at grounds early to avoid long queues at security checks and turnstiles. "For the two hours before the match, the public can watch the teams warm up and train on the playing field. It is worthwhile getting there early - especially to the bigger grounds and bigger matches. Not only will spectators find they get through the gates quicker, but they can watch the players long before the game starts."

Organisers have requested that spectators try to arrive at the ground for day matches by 8am and by noon for day/night matches.

Bacher also sounded a warning to anyone who bought tickets illegally outside the grounds. "As soon as tickets are reported lost or stolen, they are cancelled on the system. Many fans who have bought tickets from illegal 'touts' outside the gates have wasted a lot of money on tickets which don't get them into the ground. I appeal to the public not to buy tickets from any unauthorized source."