Dudley Park, Rangiora

I'm standing here at Dudley Park in Rangiora. It's a pretty interesting spot, not just for cricket, but it also has an aquatic center, netball courts, and a hockey ground, all nestled between Church and White Streets.

Back in the 1920s, the Rangiora Borough Council developed this as a public sports ground and named it after Archdeacon Dudley, who used to own the land. It officially opened in May 1928 with both football and hockey games happening at the same time. The first cricket match was played here in February 1929, after an artificial pitch was laid down.

This place has seen some big games over the years. There was a Youth One Day International in 1987, and a bunch of List A and first-class matches, with Canterbury playing here quite a bit. Even two Women's One Day Internationals were played here, one during the 1982 Women's World Cup. It was actually the main cricket ground in Rangiora from 1929 until 2004, when cricket moved over to the Rangiora Recreation Ground.