Brisbane
The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as the Gabba,[1][2] is a major sportsstadium in Brisbane, the capital ofQueensland, Australia. The nickname Gabba derives from the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located.
The land on which the ground sits was set aside for use as a cricket ground in 1895 and the first match was held on the site on 19 December 1896, between Parliament and The Press. Prior to this, cricket was played at a ground in the area then known as Green Hills (beside Countess Street Petrie Terraceopposite the Victoria Barracks – now occupied by the Northern Busway),[3] since at least the early 1860s.[4]
The Gabba shared first-class cricket matches with the Exhibition Ground until 1931. The firstSheffield Shield match at the Gabba was scheduled to be played between 31 January 1931 and 4 February 1931, but it was washed out without a ball being bowled. The first Test match at the Gabba was played betweenAustralia and South Africa between 27 November and 3 December 1931.
Over the years, the Gabba has hostedathletics, Australian rules football, baseball,concerts, cricket, cycling, rugby league, rugby union, soccer and pony and greyhound races.
Between 1993 and 2005, the Gabba was redeveloped in six stages at a cost of A$128,000,000. The dimensions of the playing field are now 170.6 metres (east-west) by 149.9 metres (north-south) to accommodate the playing of Australian Football at elite level. The seating capacity of the ground is now 42,000.
On 15 December 2016, Australia hosted Pakistan for the first day-night Test at the Gabba,[5] and the first Australian day-night Test hosted outside Adelaide Oval.
Sports played at the ground
Cricket
The Gabba in 1899
The Gabba is used from October to March for cricket and is home to the Queensland Cricket Association, the Queensland Cricketers Club and the Queensland Bulls cricket team. The venue usually hosts the first Test match of the season each November in addition to a number of international one-day matches usually held in January. The pitch is usually fast and bouncy.
The Gabba's amenities were greatly improved in the 1980s from a very basic standard, especially in comparison with the other Australian cricket grounds. Test cricket was first played at the ground in November 1931, the first Test of the series between Australiaand South Africa. In December 1960, Test cricket's first-ever Tied Test took place at the ground when Richie Benaud's Australian team tied with Frank Worrell's West Indian side. Queensland clinched its first-ever Sheffield Shield title with victory over South Australia in the final at the ground in March 1995.
In November 1968 Colin Milburn scored 243 – in the two-hour afternoon session he scored 181- in a Sheffield Shield match for Western Australia vs. Queensland [8]
For the first day of the first Test of the 2010–11 Ashes series between Australia and England the Gabba was almost sold out.[9]Australia's Michael Clarke holds the record for number of runs scored in one Test innings at the Gabba with 259 not out, breaking the previous record set by Alastair Cook.[10]
Australia has a formidable test match record at the ground. In the 55 matches played at the ground, Australia has won 33, drawn 13, tied 1 and lost 8. Australia has also not lost at the Gabba in 28 matches, a record dating back to 1988.[11] England have a notoriously poor record at The Gabba, and have only won two test matches at the ground since the end of the Second World War. Many of their defeats have been heavy[12] and only seven England players have scored centuries at the ground.
Australian rules football
Australian Football Premiership Finals at the Gabba, 1907
An Australian Football Match at the Gabba in 2008.
The grave of David Newitt, who died from injuries received in a cycling race at the Gabba in 1922.
The Gabba was the home ground for theBrisbane Bears from 1993 to 1996 and since 1997 has been the home of the Brisbane Lions AFL team. The record crowd for anAustralian rules football match is 37,224 between the Brisbane Lions and Collingwoodin Round 15 of the 2005 AFL season.
Australian football has a long association with the ground. The Queensland Football League, a precursor to AFL Queensland played matches at the Gabba from 1905 to 1914, 1959 to 1971, and in the late 1970s and early 1980s. AFLQ matches resumed in 1993 as curtain-raiser events to AFL games, along with occasional AFLQ Grand Finals.
Interstate games, including the 1961 national carnival have also been played there, as was a demonstration game during the 1982 Commonwealth Games. In 1991 the Gabba was host to Queensland's only victory over aVictorian side.
Soccer
In the early 1900s, the Gabba hosted numerous matches between Australia and various touring nations.[13] During the 1950s and 1960s the Gabba hosted soccer matches for English first division and Scottish clubs including Blackpool FC, Everton FC,Manchester United and Heart of Midlothian.[14] The Chinese and South African national teams also played at the ground. During the 2000 Summer Olympics, the Gabba hosted association football group games.[15]
Rugby league
On 8 May 1909 the first match of rugby league was played in Brisbane at the Gabba.Norths played against Souths before a handful of spectators at the ground.[16] The Gabba hosted its first rugby league Test match on 26 June 1909, when Australia defeated New Zealand Māori 16–13.[17] The Kangaroos continued to play Tests at this venue until 1956, and a ground record crowd of 47,800 people saw Australia play Great Britain in 1954. From 1932 to 1959 the Gabba was also used to host interstate matches and International Rugby League Finals from 1909 – 2003.
Rugby league Test matches
The Gabba hosted 11 rugby league test matches between 1912 and 1956.[18]
Rugby union
The Gabba has hosted six rugby union Test matches.
2000 Olympic Games
The Gabba hosted seven games of the 2000Olympic Games Men's Football tournamentincluding a Quarter final match.
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing was also conducted at the Gabba prior to the redevelopment.[19]
Awards
In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, the Gabba was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as a "structure and engineering feat".[20]
Largest crowds at the Gabba
- Concerts – 65,000 – Adele Live 2017, 4/5 March 2017
- Rugby League – 46,355 – Ashes Test Match: Australia v Great Britain, 9 July 1954
- International Cricket – 38,874 – 2006 VB Series T20I: Australia v South Africa, 15 January 2006
- Rugby Union – 37,460 – 2001 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia British and Irish Lions vs Australia, 30 June 2001
- Association Football – 37,332 – 2000 Olympic Football (Men's) Brazil vCameroon, 23 September 2000
- Australian Football – 37,224 – 2005 AFL Season Brisbane Lions v Collingwood, 9 July 2005
- Domestic Cricket (Big Bash League) –35,116 – 2016–17 BBL Season: Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers, 25 January 2017
VFL/AFL records
Players
- Most games played: Simon Black (Brisbane Lions), 170
- Most goals kicked: Jonathan Brown(Brisbane Lions), 323
- Most goals kicked in a match: Billy Brownless (Geelong), 11.4 (70) vs. Brisbane Bears, 14 April 1991
- Most disposals in a match: Tom Rockliff(Brisbane Lions), 47 vs. Gold Coast, 26 July 2014
Teams
- Highest score: Brisbane Bears 33.21 (219) defeated Sydney 8.9 (57), 16 May 1993
- Lowest score: Brisbane Bears 5.8 (38) defeated by Carlton 9.8 (62), 15 June 1996,Brisbane Lions 5.8 (38) defeated by North Melbourne 16.14 (110), 25 July 2015
- Biggest margin: Brisbane Bears defeatedSydney, 162 points, 16 May 1993
- Longest winning streak: Brisbane Lions, 18 games, 2001–2002
Last updated: 19 May 2015.[21]
Comments
Post a Comment