Great Barrier Reef Arena

Last updated

Great Barrier Reef Arena
Harrup Park
Ground information
Location Mackay, Australia
Establishment1968 (first recorded match)
Capacity10,000 [1]
End names
n/a
International information
First ODI28 February 1992:
Flag of India.svg  India v Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka
Last ODI24 August 2025:
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia v Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
First WODI21 September 2021:
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia v Flag of India.svg  India
Last WODI26 September 2021:
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia v Flag of India.svg  India
First WT20I19 September 2024:
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia v Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
Last WT20I22 September 2024:
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia v Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
Team information
Queensland (Sheffield Shield/One-Day Cup)(1988 - present)
Gold Coast Suns (AFLW)(2020 - present)
Brisbane Heat (WBBL)(2018 - present)
As of 22 September 2024
Source: Cricinfo

The Great Barrier Reef Arena (also known as the Ray Mitchell Oval and Harrup Park) [2] is an Australian rules football and a cricket ground in the city of Mackay, Queensland, Australia.

Contents

Australian rules football

On 19 September 2018, the Gold Coast Suns announced a four-year deal with the Mackay Council to play AFL Women's matches at Harrup Park between 2019-2022. [3] [4]

Domestic cricket matches

The first recorded match on the ground occurred when Queensland Country XI played against the touring West Indians in 1968, with Rohan Kanhai scoring 206 runs on the 2nd day. [5] In 1978, the ground staged a single World Series Cricket "Country Cavaliers" match. [5]

The ground held its first two List A one day matches in 1988, when Queensland played the touring Pakistanis on 3 and 4 December 1988. [6]

The first first-class match to be played there came in 1995 when Queensland played against the touring Sri Lankans, [7] with the match ending in a 273 run victory for Queensland, with Michael Kasprowicz taking match figures of 12/95. [8] The second first-class game, and first Sheffield Shield game came in 2015 when New South Wales defeated Queensland in a close contest by 3 wickets. Queensland opener Matt Renshaw top scored with 170, and New South Wales spinner Will Somerville collected 7 wickets. [9] A List A match was played there in October 2011 between Queensland and Tasmania in the 2011/12 Ryobi One Day Cup. [6] The ground was then host to a 2016 Quadrangular series between Australia A, India A, South Africa A and Australia's National Performance Squad, being won by India A. [10]

Brisbane Heat from the Women's Big Bash Cricket League played six home games at Mackay in 2018 and 2019. [11]

Great Barrier Reef Arena hosted nine WBBL games from 13 November 2021 to 20 November 2021, with six teams competing in two consecutive "festival rounds". [12]

International cricket matches

The ground hosted a One Day International match during the 1992 Cricket World Cup, with India and Sri Lanka playing on 28 February. [13] The match was abandoned after two deliveries due to torrential rain, despite the best efforts of the groundstaff to dry the outfield. [14] Thus, Sri Lankan fast bowler Champaka Ramanayake and Indian batsman Krishnamachari Srikkanth held unusual distinctions: Ramanayake was the only male international bowler to have ever bowled at the venue, and Srikkanth was the batsman who scored the only run ever in the only men's international cricket match played here. [15] This match was also the debut match of Ajay Jadeja.

In 2021, the venue was selected to host three Women's One Day International matches between Australia and India, the first of which was played on 21 September 2021. [16] [17]

In 2025, the ground hosted two ODIs between Australia and South Africa, 33 years after its first. [18] [19]

ODI centuries

As of August 2025, three ODI centuries have been scored in Mackay. [20]

No.ScorePlayerTeamBallsInningsOpposing teamDateResult
1142 Travis Head Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 1Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 24 August 2025Australia won
2100 Mitchell Marsh
3118* Cameron Green

ODI five-wicket hauls

As of August 2025, two ODI five-wicket hauls have been taken at the venue. [21]

No.FiguresPlayerTeamOpposing teamDateResult
15/42 Lungi Ngidi Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 22 August 2025South Africa won
25/22 Cooper Connolly Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 24 August 2025Australia won

References

  1. ↑ "Great Barrier Reef Arena". Austadiums. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  2. ↑ "Great Barrier Reef Arena". Austadiums. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  3. ↑ AFL club signs huge deal with Mackay Council
  4. ↑ Mackay deal excites Bella
  5. 1 2 "Other matches played on Ray Mitchell Oval, Mackay". CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  6. 1 2 "List A Matches played on Ray Mitchell Oval, Mackay". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  7. ↑ "First-Class Matches played on Ray Mitchell Oval, Mackay". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  8. ↑ "Queensland v Sri Lankans, 1995/96". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  9. ↑ "Queensland v New South Wales, 2015/16". CricketArchive. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  10. ↑ "Australia A v India A, 2016". CricketArchive. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  11. ↑ "Brisbane Heat to return this summer". Mackay Regional Council . 8 July 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  12. ↑ "More WBBL for Mackay". Brisbane Heat . 7 October 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  13. ↑ "One-Day International Matches played on Ray Mitchell Oval, Mackay". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  14. ↑ "India v Sri Lanka, 1992 Cricket World Cup". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  15. ↑ "India vs Sri Lanka". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  16. ↑ Burnett, Adam (20 September 2021). "Lively track expected as Aussies eye 25th win". Cricket Australia . Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  17. ↑ "Australia scores nine-wicket ODI win over India, teenager Darcie Brown takes 4-33 for hosts". ABC News . 21 September 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  18. ↑ Moonda, Firdose. "Ngidi takes five, Breetzke, Stubbs shine as South Africa claim series 2-0" . Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  19. ↑ Moonda, Firdose. "Green, Head and Marsh flay centuries as Australia put on a show" . Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  20. ↑ "HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORES - Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay" . Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  21. ↑ "BEST ODI BOWLING - Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay" . Retrieved 22 August 2025.

21°09′34.03″S149°11′10.58″E / 21.1594528°S 149.1862722°E / -21.1594528; 149.1862722

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