Cricket at Metricon stadium

[Matchu]

Unless they renegotiate a deal with QLD stadiums I can't see it happening. Suns will make NO money from the T20 match against SA!

The Suns are currently renegotiating the agreement with Stadiums Queensland and now have the precedent set by the Titans to point to pressure the state government into a fairer deal. They are also able to dangle the carrot of more cricket in QLD should they come to an agreement. Cricket Australia/Queensland are apparently very interested in expanding into the Gold Coast market but understand the current stadium deal isn't financial feasible for them or the Suns. So they are waiting for the Suns to get that in order before they commit to BBL games on the GC.

It's a case of when, not if.

 

[exile]

Hopefully local TSS boy Billy Stanlake gets to play in front of his home crowd in this game.

I would encourage everyone on the Gold Coast to attend this game. A large crowd would convince Cricket Australia that granting the Gold Coast a BBL licence is worth the risk. It would also create a much needed summer revenue stream for the Suns and allow them to become a profitable football club.

Bottom line - It's very important for the future of the Suns that this cricket match is well attended.

got my tickets! haven't been to a live cricket match in a long time, pretty keen!

 

[Grandsun]

well thats not the case. I have an emotional attachement with the Melbourne Stars and will find it very difficuilt to change however will still support the Suns T20 Team aswell but when the stars play the suns, i want the stars to win.

 

[GC2015]

got my tickets! haven't been to a live cricket match in a long time, pretty keen!

I got mine too! Excited to see some new content at Metricon and hoping for a big crowd.

I've loosely followed the Brisbane Heat and got wrapped up in Lynnsanity for a while there but I know I'd switch to the Gold Coast team when/if we get one. No doubt Mr Bods would be on board if we got a team

 

[GcSunsfan]

 

[Matchu]

Official announcement to come tomorrow when the 2018-19 BBL draw is released. Rumour is two games will involve the Brisbane Heat and one won't.

 

[GcSunsfan]

 

[GcSunsfan]

Official announcement to come tomorrow when the 2018-19 BBL draw is released. Rumour is two games will involve the Brisbane Heat and one won't.

 

[Matchu]

Looks like an early leak has become available...

So Metricon will host the following this summer:

Saturday 17 November - Australia vs South Africa @ 6:20pm
Saturday 22 December - Brisbane Heat vs Hobart Hurricanes @ 7:00pm
Tuesday 1 January - Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers @ 2:45pm
Saturday 5 January - Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder @ 6:15pm

Nice of Cricket Australia to give the Gold Coast three Saturday night games this summer. Just remember guys, a full stadium means $$$ for the Suns so there is most definitely incentive to get out there and attend these games.

 

[SandyToes]

If we're here we're there

 

[Big Red Machine]

Looks like an early leak has become available...

So Metricon will host the following this summer:

Saturday 17 November - Australia vs South Africa @ 6:20pm
Saturday 22 December - Brisbane Heat vs Hobart Hurricanes @ 7:00pm
Tuesday 1 January - Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers @ 2:45pm
Saturday 5 January - Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder @ 6:15pm

Nice of Cricket Australia to give the Gold Coast three Saturday night games this summer. Just remember guys, a full stadium means $$$ for the Suns so there is most definitely incentive to get out there and attend these games.

Heat vs my Sixers on a Tuesday that I traditionally have off?

Booyah! Members to get discounted tickets?

 

[Iva Bigun]

Ok so how are we going to * this up? C’mon you know we will

My money is on one of the following

It absolutely pisses down and 2 of the 3 games are abandoned or

We don’t anticipate the crowd size and people struggle to get in, bars and food areas are overwhelmed leaving people hungry and thirsty. Headlines the next day “MetriCON” the GC isn’t ready for the big time or a licence

 

[hitthepost]

Ok so how are we going to **** this up? C’mon you know we will

My money is on one of the following

It absolutely pisses down and 2 of the 3 games are abandoned or

We don’t anticipate the crowd size and people struggle to get in, bars and food areas are overwhelmed leaving people hungry and thirsty. Headlines the next day “MetriCON” the GC isn’t ready for the big time or a licence

You mean the city that just hosted a Commonwealth Games with minimal big issues won't be able to pull off a game of cricket?

The rain can't be helped but attendance figures for ticketed events are usually fairly easy for administrators to get a ballpark figure on and prep for.

 

[robo_1]

Ok so how are we going to **** this up? C’mon you know we will

My money is on one of the following

It absolutely pisses down and 2 of the 3 games are abandoned or

We don’t anticipate the crowd size and people struggle to get in, bars and food areas are overwhelmed leaving people hungry and thirsty. Headlines the next day “MetriCON” the GC isn’t ready for the big time or a licence

I’m guessing the crowd size.. geelong game waited over an hour to get the bus from Broadbeach then bars ran out of beer the line ups were long didn’t bother trying to wait for food lol

 

[Iva Bigun]

I’m guessing the crowd size.. geelong game waited over an hour to get the bus from Broadbeach then bars ran out of beer the line ups were long didn’t bother trying to wait for food lol

And this is the type of thing the media will use to erode our chances of getting a full licence

 

[Matchu]

The pessimism that often follows an announcement like this bothers me. Why not show positivity and optimism for it? The media can't write bad articles if nothing bad happens.

 

[SandyToes]

The pessimism that often follows an announcement like this bothers me. Why not show positivity and optimism for it? The media can't write bad articles if nothing bad happens.

This is a great thing for Metricon and the Coast
It would be nice if people could buy pre-parking say in the Blue carpark

 

[Matchu]

This is a great thing for Metricon and the Coast
It would be nice if people could buy pre-parking say in the Blue carpark

Speaking of public transport, the likelihood of a light rail extension from Broadbeach South to Nerang heavy rail station (with a stop outside Metricon) is far greater if there are two professional sporting teams based at the stadium. I'm sure most footy fans on the Gold Coast dream of the day they'll be able to catch the tram to Metricon to watch the Suns play.

 

[Matchu]

Two of the recent articles regarding BBL cricket on the GC:

Suns aiming for own BBL franchise on the Gold Coast

The Gold Coast Suns hope to cash in on top-flight cricket’s three-year fling in the growing city with a Big Bash League franchise of its own.

Metricon Stadium, the Suns’ home ground, will host three BBL games and a T20 International this coming summer, with three BBL games also locked in for each of the next two seasons.

Expansion isn’t on the cards for at least three years but Suns chairman Tony Cochrane said the city now had a platform to prove itself worthy.

“That’s our long-term plan; what Cricket Australia have put to us is to prove the Big Bash games and one-dayers (T20s) over the next three years (are a success) and we’ll look at that,” he said.

“Gold Coast is a pretty dynamic population, heading towards 650,000 people and in another 10 years that will be close to 800,000.

“We’ve got a fantastic stadium everyone will see and I think we can really prove a case to have our own Big Bash team.”

A summer tenant would lighten the load on the struggling AFL franchise, which already sees cricket as something worth investing in.

The Suns reportedly chipped in about $300,000 of the $1 million spent on the drop-in pitch, practice areas and new broadcast infrastructure at the stadium.

“It’s a simple equation. We get 11 or 12 uses out of the stadium now, but that increases that to 16 — eventually 20, 22 to spread the pie — then we’re really in business,” Cochrane said.

“We’ve got a tremendous administration and training facility and when you put all those parts together with Metricon, it makes a good fit.

“The more this stadium gets used by the community, the better off we are.”

Meanwhile, in international cricket, Pakistan thrashed Zimbabwe by nine wickets after bowling out the home team for just 67 runs in the third one-day international on Wednesday to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

Seamer Faheem Ashraf picked up a career-best 5-22 and left-arm fast bowler Junaid Khan returned to the one-day team with 2-7 as Zimbabwe were bowled out in 25.1 overs.

Captain Hamilton Masakadza won his third successive toss, but Zimbabwe’s batsmen continued to struggle against Pakistan seamers.

Opener Fakhar Zaman, dropped on two at first slip, made an unbeaten 43 off 24 balls and took Pakistan to 1-69 in just 9.5 overs.

Blessing Mazurabani had Imam-ul-Haq caught behind off the first ball with a superb bouncer before Zaman smashed the fast bowler for four boundaries.

“A great performance,” Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed said.

Short boundaries set to see Big Bash League light up at Metricon Stadium

IT is set to be raining sixes when the Big Bash League makes its long-awaited arrival on the Gold Coast this summer.

Short square boundaries at Metricon Stadium plus the presence of Brisbane’s “Bash Brothers” Brendon McCullum and Chris Lynn will make for an action-packed introduction to Carrara.

That prospect is sure to delight fans, with the likelihood of 200-plus scores promising an entertaining night of cricket as the Twenty20 format meets the equally fast-paced Gold Coast.

“The straight boundaries here are pretty similar to that of the Gabba but some of the square boundaries will be much shorter,” Heat general manager Andrew McShea said.

“Everyone who attends the game will need to keep their eyes on the ball because everyone is in the game to a degree. I think we are going to see some great moments played here over summer.”

The Heat will take two games to Metricon – against Hobart on December 22 and Sydney Sixers on January 1 – while the Melbourne Stars will host the Sydney Thunder there on January 5.

Test opener Matt Renshaw is likely to be occupied at that point with five-day cricket but agrees there will be no shortage of crowd catches for Gold Coasters.

“I don’t think Chris Lynn needs too short boundaries, seeing him hit one out of the Gabba,” said Renshaw, who is trying to change his perception as a long-format specialist as he recovers from a broken finger.

“It will be really exciting for the Gold Coast community.”

Eight of the past 10 Heat matches at the Gabba have been sold out and Renshaw expects tickets to be snapped up quickly for the Coast games.

“After a Gabba game for the Heat, you go to the South Bank station and it is always packed with people coming back down to the Gold Coast so I’m pretty sure you will be able to get a few people in here and probably will have to turn away a few people as well,” he said.

McShea – who declared “we’re committed to here and we are going to make it a huge success” – added ticket prices would be even cheaper than the Gabba.

“We have always prioritised keeping tickets really affordable at the Gabba. We are actually generally maintaining our year one prices from 2011 so families for $48 for two adults and two kids,” he said.

“At the Gold Coast here at Metricon it will actually be marginally cheaper than that as well.”

Tickets will go on sale to the general public in October.

Good news about the short boundaries at Metricon. Should make for some exciting games this summer.

 

[Choppers]

I wouldn't have thought Metricon being 3.5 metres shorter to the boundary than the MCG (with the pitch in the middle)and only 2mtrs shorter than the Gabba, would produce many more 6ers than normal. Most 6ers that I can remember seeing, cleared the boundaries pretty easily...

 

[hitthepost]

I wonder if someone with more talent than me could do a graphic and measure what the boundaries will be - they'll be a bit unusual, like Geelong, due to the NW-SE pitch alignment.

 

[Billy ray]

Here is a map with field alignment of key grounds Across Australia. If wickets are all perfectly up/down being north/south, you can get a feel

 

[Big Red Machine]

I wouldn't have thought Metricon being 3.5 metres shorter to the boundary than the MCG (with the pitch in the middle)and only 2mtrs shorter than the Gabba, would produce many more 6ers than normal. Most 6ers that I can remember seeing, cleared the boundaries pretty easily...

You'll get the odd flat one or two that'll carry as opposed to being caught on the rope or one hopping for four.

But that said if we see if the records tumble later in the year if we start calling it a NZ esque postage stamp ground.

 

[Matchu]

View attachment 529864 Here is a map with field alignment of key grounds Across Australia. If wickets are all perfectly up/down being north/south, you can get a feel

Just to add to the visualisation, here is the Google Maps aerial view with an exact north-south point of view:

So if the ground dimensions are 160x134, what's the shortest distance a batter would need to hit the ball in order to hit a 6 given the orientation/dimensions? 65 metres or so towards the north-west/south-east depending on which way you're facing?

 

[Matchu]

From the GC Bulletin:

NUDGE, THEN A BIG BASH
BIG Bash League administrators have been careful not to get hopes sky high about the Gold Coast getting its own team, even in the wake of Metricon Stadium’s new-found place on the schedule.

However, Ball and All understands that matches over the next three years will somewhat act as a trial — so if the Coast can prove to be a smash hit, it may go a long way towards the creation of our own franchise.

Bring on the summer.

Even more incentive to go.