Bradman Oval

Bradman Oval
Location Bowral, New South Wales, Australia
Establishment 1891
Capacity 5,000 (with temporary stands)
Source:

Bradman Oval is situated at Bowral in the southern highlands area of New South Wales, Australia. It was named after cricketer Don Bradman, who lived locally and played at the ground in the 1920s. His ashes are scattered on and near the Oval.[1] It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 23 June 2000.[2]

It is an attractive ground, with a white picket fence and an old fashioned pavilion. The Camden Woollybutt is the main gum tree species surrounding the playing surface.

Bradman Oval and the nearby International Cricket Hall of Fame (which incorporates the Bradman Museum that operated 1989-2010) are tourist attractions for cricket fans in Australia, and for people visiting from overseas.

History

The land on which Bradman Oval is situated was originally part of Glebe Park, granted to the Church of England by John Oxley.[2]

In 1883 the Bowral Cricket Club was formed and cricket has been played on the ground since 1893.[2]

Bradman first played on this oval when he was 12 and scored 29 not out for the Bowral Cricket Club.[2]

Bradman became a member of the Bowral Cricket Club in 1925. During his first season in the Berrima District competition, Bradman scored 1,318 runs, an average of 94.14 runs. He also took 51 wickets, averaging 7.8 and held 26 catches.[2]

Another memorable game on this ground was in 1925 when Bradman scored 234 against the Wingello team that included Bill O'Reilly.[2]

In 1947 the "A Glebe" wicket was formally named the Bradman Oval. Later, improvements were made to the oval through the efforts of Bowral Municipal Council, and Gordon Whatman of Bowral personally maintained the wicket area.[2]

In 1976 the reopening of a rehabilitated Bradman Oval was performed by Sir Donald Bradman himself in the company of O'Reilly.[2]

Description

Ellyse Perry batting, Paul Reiffel umpiring at a women's Test match at Bowral, February 2008.

Bradman Oval is bounded by Glebe Street, Boolwey Street, St Jude Street and Bowral Street. A large parkland area dominated by a stand of mature eucalypts possibly remnants of the original vegetation. A stand of these on the eastern corner impart a sense of enclosure and offer a gateway to the corner site. A line of maturing quercus occupy the St Jude's Rd boundary, and a line of exotic trees are being established between the eucalypts and Bradman Oval. The park contains a childrens playground with old road roller and adventure playground on the eastern side and is the location of the International Cricket Hall of Fame.[2]

Heritage listing

Bradman Oval is historically significant at a State level through its association with Sir Donald Bradman's cricketing activities, an association which has been reinforced by the recent construction of the Bradman Museum and the name change to Bradman Oval to commemorate national cricketing history. Bradman Oval provides a tangible link to Sir Donald Bradman's formative years. As the former Glebe Park, the Bradman Oval represents the country town parks of the turn of the century which were characterised by a simple planting layout of trees and a few shrubs and reflects a phase in the development of Bowral when attention was turning to the garden environment. Aesthetically, the park's simple layout is further enhanced by the combination of mature Eucalyptus and deciduous trees which enhance the surroundings.[2]

Bradman Oval was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 23 June 2000.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-02-25. Retrieved 2010-07-09.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Bradman Oval and Collection of Cricket Memorabilia, New South Wales State Heritage Register (NSW SHR) Number H01399". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 2 June 2018.

Attribution

This Wikipedia article contains material from Bradman Oval and Collection of Cricket Memorabilia, entry number 01399 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales and Office of Environment and Heritage 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 2 June 2018.

Coordinates: 34°28.90476′S 150°25.4985′E / 34.48174600°S 150.4249750°E / -34.48174600; 150.4249750

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