[themaclad]

SECOND TEST NEWLANDS CAPE TOWN

24 years ago rocked up at this venue to see us lose in three days, it was Mike Watknson's last test he ended with a duck

This man also attended



Newlands Cricket Ground (known as PPC Newlands for sponsorship reasons) in Cape Town is a South African cricket ground. It is the home of the Cape Cobras, who play in the Sunfoil Series, Momentum 1 Day Cup and RamSlam Pro20 competitions. It is also a venue for Test matches, ODIs and T20Is. Newlands is regarded as one of the most beautiful cricket grounds in the world, being overlooked by Table Mountain and Devil's Peak. It is close to Newlands Stadium, which is a rugby union and football venue. The cricket ground opened in 1888.

The title deed for the land currently containing the ground was granted to a brewer, Jacob Letterstedt in 1845, who then presented it to his daughter, Lydia Corrina, as a wedding present upon her marriage to the Vicomte de Montmort.

The land, partly wetland and heavily wooded, was rented to the Western Province Cricket Club in 1887 for £50, with a 25-year lease being signed in 1888 and the rental increased to £100. Each of the club's life members contributed £25 towards the costs, and a further £350 was received in donations towards the construction of a pavilion.[2]

The ground was levelled and officially opened with a two-day match between Mother Country and Colonial Born, which went on to become a regular feature. There was no scoreboard, and a pond existed behind the location of the current scoreboard.[2]


The scoreboard at Newlands cricket ground Cape Town South Africa during the match between Western Province and Eastern Province in February 1972
Before the arrival of the Australians in 1902, which included Victor Trumper, the pine trees, which extended from the "B" field along Camp Ground Road and around the pavilion, were replaced by oak trees. This is the site of the current Oaks Enclosure, one of the most popular vantage points. A then-record crowd of 10 000 arrived to see the Test.[2]

Between 1991 and 1997 numerous changes were made to the ground. Large portions of the grass embankments were replaced by pavilions increasing the seating capacity to 25,000.

The ground hosted its first Test match on 24 March 1889 when England defeated South Africa by an innings and 202 runs. There have been 55 Test matches played at the ground of which South Africa has won 23, their opponents 21 and 11 which ended in a draw. The last team besides Australia to beat South Africa there was New Zealand in January 1962.[3]

Records and statistics
First Test South Africa v England - Mar 25-26, 1889
Last Test South Africa v Pakistan - Jan 3-6, 2019

First ODI South Africa v India - Dec 7, 1992
Last ODI South Africa v Sri Lanka - Mar 16, 2019

First T20I Australia v Zimbabwe - Sep 12, 2007
Last T20I South Africa v Sri Lanka - Mar 19, 2019