Closer to the action
Since the first club fixture in March 2007, Bay Oval has been the home of Bay of Plenty cricket and hosted many epic cricketing moments from domestic to international levels of the game. The Oval is located in the heart of greater Tauranga right next to the famous surf beaches of Mt Maunganui. The relaxed beachside vibe combined with some of the sunniest and consistently good weather makes the Bay Oval one of the most enjoyable grounds to both play and watch cricket in New Zealand. With a capacity of 12,000, Bay Oval offers a boutique sporting atmosphere bringing cricket fans even closer to the action!
Image: Zespri AIMS Games Media
The Bay Oval Trust
The Bay of Plenty Cricket Trust (CC 41339) was constituted in 2009 by the Bay of Plenty Cricket Association. The purpose of the Bay of Plenty Cricket Trust was 'to enable and encourage the community to play cricket or other games and sports thereby assisting in the physical health and well being of the Bay of Plenty community. '. In 2014 the Bay of Plenty Cricket Trust was renamed Bay Oval Trust.
The Bay Oval Trust is responsible for the development of the Bay Oval, which is situated on Blake Park, Mount Maunganui. The Bay Oval now comprises an international level cricket ground, wickets, outdoor (grass) practice nets and a newly completed pavilion, with player facilities second to none in New Zealand.
The catalyst for this venture occurred when first class cricket was lost from Blake Park in 2001. Management and Board recognised that it was essential to the profile of cricket that first-class games were returned. This was an opportunity to look ahead 50 years, to grasp the potential of what the ground could become to Tauranga, the Bay of Plenty and New Zealand.
The Bay Oval project became active in 2005 when it was adopted as part of the Blake Park sporting precinct's future development policy. Since then all groundworks have been completed. The Bay Oval has been functioning both as a multi-level cricket ground (junior, club, representative and first-class levels) and as a community sports ground with regular junior soccer and rugby during the winter months.
The Bay Oval has also hosted a free community Christmas concert, the 2011 Cancer Society Relay for Life, and was the ‘home base’ for the 2012 NZCT AIMS (Association of Intermediate Schools) Games.
Since the idea of the Bay Oval was first mooted and then accepted by Tauranga City Council in the 2005 Active Reserve Management Plan, there has been ongoing work in developing and designing a community pavilion for the Bay Oval. Trustees commissioned renowned architects Jasmax to work alongside the Bay of Plenty Cricket Trust to ensure a cost effective, highly flexible and appropriate community facility for the Bay Oval was designed.
To manage funding constraints Trustees In 2011 opted for a staged construction plan for the proposed Bay Oval Community Pavilion. By October of 2012 Stage 1A, the public toilets and ground user storage had been completed. In December of 2013 Stage 1B, comprising flexible changing rooms (with a number of variations in size available depending on user requirements), player viewing areas, lounge, kitchen and meeting facilities was completed. The Trust believes that they have successfully designed a community building that will serve the cricketing fraternity and the wider sporting and volunteer community very well.
The Bay Oval has become a facility that is the home of cricket in the Bay of Plenty, and a focal point for all cricket lovers and players alike!
Bay Oval Trustess
The members of the Board of Trustees are all prominent business people who share a love of cricket and their community. They all have the ability to drive and realise a vision for the future of one of New Zealand's iconic international cricket grounds.
