Manuka Oval

Manuka Oval

Manuka, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Manuka Circle
Manuka, ACT, 2603
Telephone: +61 (0)2 6239 6002

Capacity 13,000
Playing area 179.0m long, 150.0m wide
End names Pool End, Mall End
Home team(s) Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Prime Minister's XI
Other sports Australian Rules Football
Curator Marcus Pamplin

Profile

Situated in suburban Canberra, this picturesque ground is best known as the host of the annual match between the Prime Minister's XI and an overseas touring side, though it is now also the home of the Canberra Comets in the Mercantile Mutual Cup.

It was Robert Menzies who instigated the first PM's XI match against the touring MCC side from England in 1954/55, the fixture lapsing after his retirement as prime minister in 1966, until former Oxford University player Bob Hawke resurrected it in 1983/84. The ground has been the scene of occasional first-class fixtures as a home venue for New South Wales, the first of these in 1978/79 when the SCG was in unsuitable condition.

Manuka Oval was the venue of the World Cup match between South Africa and Zimbabwe in 1992, and became a regular venue for major limited-over cricket with the birth of the Canberra Comets in 1997/98. The venue is set to host a CB Series match between India and Sri Lanka in 2008, marking a return to international cricket after 16 years.

One of the features of the ground is the Jack Fingleton Scoreboard. This was originally the scoreboard at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, recycled when the MCG installed its first electronic board in the early 1980's. It was relocated to Manuka and named after the late Australian opening batsman who made his career as a political journalist in the corridors of Parliament House, just a few kilometres away.