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Manuka Oval

Manuka Oval
Manuka Oval.JPG
The Menzies, Bradman and Hawke stands (left to right)
Former names Manuka Circle Park (before enclosed)
Location Griffith, Australian Capital Territory
Coordinates 35°19′5″S 149°08′5″E / 35.31806°S 149.13472°E / -35.31806; 149.13472Coordinates: 35°19′5″S 149°08′5″E / 35.31806°S 149.13472°E / -35.31806; 149.13472
Owner ACT Government
Operator Territory Venues and Events
Capacity 16,000 (overall)
13,550 (seated)
12,000 (cricket)
Record attendance 14,974 (2016, Greater Western Sydney v Richmond, AFL)
Field size 167.5 x 138.2 m
Surface Grass
Scoreboard Jack Fingleton Scoreboard
Construction
Broke ground 1926
Built 1929 (enclosed)
Tenants
GWS Giants (AFL)
Eastlake Football Club (NEAFL)
ACT Comets (men's cricket)
ACT Meteors (women's cricket)
Ground information
End names
Pool End
Manuka End
International information
First ODI 10 March 1992:
 South Africa v  Zimbabwe
Last ODI 6 December 2016:
 Australia v  New Zealand
As of 6 December 2016
Source: Cricinfo

Manuka Oval is a sporting venue in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is located in Griffith, in the area of that suburb known as Manuka. Manuka Oval has a seating capacity of 13,550 people and an overall capacity of 16,000 people, although this is lower for some sports depending on the configuration used. The area on which the ground is situated has been used for sport since the early 20th century, but was only enclosed in 1929. It has since undergone several redevelopments, most recently beginning in 2011.

Currently, Manuka Oval is primarily used for cricket (during the summer months) and Australian rules football (during the winter months). The ground was previously also used for rugby league and rugby union matches, but there are now more suitable venues in Canberra for those sports. As a cricket ground, Manuka Oval is the home venue for the ACT Comets (men's) and the ACT Meteors (women's) teams, and has also hosted a number of international matches, including at the 1992 and 2015 World Cups. As an Australian rules football ground, Manuka Oval's primary tenant is the Eastlake Football Club, which plays in the North East Australian Football League (NEAFL). The ground has also hosted occasional home matches for teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), most notably the North Melbourne Football Club (from 1998 to 2006) and the Greater Western Sydney Giants (since 2012).

The oval was originally a park officially known as "Manuka Circle Park", however by the end of the 1920s it was known as Manuka Oval. The park and nearby shopping centre were named after the Leptospermum scoparium's Māori name, Manuka. There was a push for the park to become an enclosed oval starting in 1926 by various sports groups. Work began on Manuka Oval to erect a fence, along with other improvements made in 1929. The field had previously been used to casually play rugby league and Australian rules football. The first cricket pitch was played on in April 1930. The Bradman Pavilion, the oval's main stand, was constructed in 1962 in honour of Sir Donald Bradman. The Robert Menzies Stand and the Bob Hawke Stand were constructed in 1987 and 1992 respectively and were named after the first two Australian Prime Ministers to bring international cricket teams to Canberra to play against the Prime Minister's XI. In 2004, Manuka Oval celebrated the 75th anniversary of its formal establishment.


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