Players say facilities are not up to scratch

A large majority of New Zealand first-class cricketers have labelled playing and practice facilities in their country as substandard. In a recent survey, most players "strongly disagreed" that they were given adequate ground and practice conditions at first-class venues.

The cricketers singled out below-par venues such as Rangiora and Waikanae being used for first-class games as one of the main problems. "At domestic first-class level we haven't got it right yet," said Martin Snedden, the board's chief executive. "There will be much stricter control on games allocated to minor venues. It will depend on the facilities as to what games they'll get; if they're used at all."

Snedden added that a new document was being drawn up by the board to put pressure on all the grounds to come up to scratch. The Westpac Park in Hamilton, regularly used for Test cricket, was recently ranked the worst ground in New Zealand and with the poorest wicket. What's more, there were no outdoor nets available at the ground this season, and a huge crater appeared on the pitch during the first Test against South Africa last month.

Snedden said, "We advised them unless they were prepared to make some radical changes we would not be prepared to allocate international cricket here." As a result, the Hamilton City Council, which owns the ground, agreed to splash out $NZ 476,000 on improving the joint, including 12 new outdoor practice wickets.

Snedden also revealed that the players rated 11 out of 16 pitches used this summer at international level between good and excellent. Of the remaining five, three were the wickets used for the one-dayers at Eden Park.

"We have presented the results and concerns to New Zealand Cricket and it has responded positively to the issue," said Heath Mills, manager of the players' association. "Like the players, it sees the improvement of grounds and facilities as the next step towards its goal of making New Zealand the No. 1 cricket nation."

Early-season cricket was another topic of concern, with only east-coast venues providing good enough weather and ground conditions, as was a lack of depth in umpiring.