Meyricke Serjeantson

Feb 29 Dunedin

Breakfast in town in the gathering gloom followed by some unsuccessful shopping. At 10.30 I drove through the avenue of trees at the back of the new cricket ground, parked by the gate and paid my $10 to get in. Very light drizzle was falling and there were only minimal covers on the pitch. I climbed into the stand and watched as a procession of men and a tractor towed lots of heavy covers into position. Just after 11 it was announced that lunch would be taken at 12 so that the earliest that play could commence would be 12.45.
The University Oval, Dunedin. Grand entrance. Shame about the weather

I abandoned the cricket and drove round the city centre looking for somewhere to park. I found a good spot behind the station but then hit the problem that a couple of weeks before, some “£$%^” in a train demolished the footbridge so that I had to walk half a mile down the road to a level crossing so that I could return to where I had started but on the right side of the tracks.

Some fool broke the bridge	Mediocre sandwich

Lunch at a café was OK. The “gourmet” sandwich was very large but not particularly gourmet.

I managed the return hike to the car, in some pain as both legs were playing up, and drove back to the cricket ground. Here I found play in progress and was rewarded by the sight of 3 wickets falling in no time at all.

The ground has only recently been converted from the basic University oval to a test ground with grass embankments and a couple of decent sight screens accompanying an elderly stand. It would be on a par with a good club or minor county ground in England.

Half decent scoreboard	and excellent food

There is even a half decent scoreboard. The food puts the Basin Reserve to shame. In the morning I had spotted the mobile coffee van, which was being well patronised by the non-playing members of the England squad, and the sausage & bacon van, which I normally patronise in the Saturday market. Even better, however, was the stall run by one of the local Indian restaurants, selling an assortment of curries and accompaniments. If only I hadn’t had the gourmet sandwich!

In the evening, I drove up to Pete & Toni’s for tea, after which we walked downhill into town for a beer before returning home for a reasonably early night.