The Kensington Oval is located to the west of the capital-city Bridgetown on the island of Barbados. "The Oval" is one of the sporting facilities on the island and is primarily used for cricket. The Kensington Oval referred to as "The Mecca" of Cricket locally has hosted many important cricket games, and seen many exciting matches and upsets between local, regional, and international teams during its over 120 year history. Cricket at the Oval began in 1882 when the Pickwick Cricket Club assumed ownership of the ground. The first international match held was in 1895 when Slade Lucas' side visited the island. The first Test match was held in January 1930, when the West Indies and England played to a draw. Since the genesis there have been a total of 43 Test matches played on the Kensington Oval grounds, 21 of those matches won by the West Indies cricket team. The large stands which makeup the Kensington Oval are at the time of writing about to be rebuilt, for the 2007 Cricket World Cup which will be held in the Caribbean region. Demolition of the old stadium began on schedule in June, 2005 after the first Test against Pakistan. As of the date July 20, 2005 only three of the ten stands still physically remain on the Kensington Oval -- those being: The Hall and Griffith, the Mitchie Hewitt and the new Carib Beer-sponsored Stands. The names of the former stands which made up the Kensington stadium were the Carib Beer-sponsored stand, the Eric Inniss, the Garfield Sobers Players Pavilion, the George Challenor, the Hall and Griffith, the Kensington, the Mitchie Hewitt, the Pickwick, the Three Ws Stand and the Peter Short Media Centre. The new proposed Kensington stadium will seat 28,000 persons and be the venue for the 2007 Cricket World Cup final. The grounds in and around the stadium are earmarked for a BDS$90M(US$45 Million) redevelopment programme to prepare for an estimated 20,000 spectators visiting the island for the 2007 World Cup event. The Kensington Oval has also hosted many non-cricket events like football, hockey, inter-school athletics, Miss Barbados pageants, and concert events. The Oval should not be confused with Kennington Oval in London, England.
Fast Facts - Kensington Oval Established: 1871
Seating Capacity: 28,000
Matches: Super:8 and Final
Location: Island of Barbados, west of the capital city of Bridgetown |
