Great Barrier Reef Arena

Australian rules football and cricket ground

Great Barrier Reef ArenaHarrup Park

Ground information
Location| Mackay, Australia
Establishment| 1968 (first recorded match)
Capacity| 10,000[1]
End names
n/a
International information
Only ODI| 28 February 1992:
India v  Sri Lanka
First WODI| 21 September 2021:
Australia v  India
Last WODI| 26 September 2021:
Australia v  India
First WT20I| 19 September 2024:
Australia v  New Zealand
Last WT20I| 22 September 2024:
Australia v  New Zealand
Team information
| Queensland | (1988 - present)

|

As of 22 September 2024
Source: Ground profile

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.

## Australian rules football

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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 hold unusual distinctions: Ramanayake is the only male international bowler to have ever bowled at the venue, and Srikkanth is 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]

## References

[edit]

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. ^ a b "Other matches played on Ray Mitchell Oval, Mackay". CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
6. ^ a b "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.

## External links

[edit]

* Ray Mitchell Oval at ESPNcricinfo
* Ray Mitchell Oval at CricketArchive

21°09′34.03″S 149°11′10.58″E﻿ / ﻿21.1594528°S 149.1862722°E﻿ / -21.1594528; 149.1862722

* v
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Gold Coast Suns

* History
* Records
* Players
* Captains
* Coaches
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* Leading goalkickers

* AFL coach: Damien Hardwick
* AFL co-captains: Touk Miller & Jarrod Witts

* AFLW coach: Cameron Joyce
* AFLW captain: Tara Bohanna

AFL home grounds|

* Carrara Stadium (2011–)

AFLW home grounds|

* Carrara Stadium (2020–)
* Great Barrier Reef Arena (2020–)

Seasons (14)|

* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Related articles|

* Australian rules football in Queensland
* Gold Coast sports curse
* History of Australian rules football on the Gold Coast
* Marcus Ashcroft Medal
* QClash

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North East Australian Football League

Clubs|

| Final season|

* Aspley
* Brisbane reserves
* Canberra
* Gold Coast reserves
* Greater Western Sydney reserves
* Redland
* Southport
* Sydney reserves
* Sydney University

|

Former|

* Ainslie
* Belconnen
* Broadbeach
* Greater Western Sydney
* Labrador
* Morningside
* Mount Gravatt
* NT Thunder
* Queanbeyan
* Sydney Hills
* Tuggeranong

Seasons|

* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020

Main grounds|

* Blacktown International Sportspark
* Fankhauser Reserve
* Graham Road Oval
* Henson Park
* Metricon Stadium
* South Pine Sports Complex
* SCG
* Sydney Showground Stadium
* Manuka Oval
* Tidbold Park

Former grounds|

* Alan Ray Oval
* Bruce Purser Reserve
* Cazalys Stadium
* Cooke-Murphy Oval
* Dairy Farmers Park
* Dittmer Park
* Drummoyne Oval
* Esplen Oval
* Football Park
* The Gabba
* Giffin Park
* Greenway Oval
* Gungahlin Enclosed Oval
* Kombumerri Park
* Kippax Oval
* Leyshon Park
* Macpherson Park
* Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex
* Newcastle Oval
* North Dalton Park
* Northline Oval
* Ray Mitchell Oval
* Robertson Oval
* Salk Oval
* Sherwood Oval
* Sir Bruce Small Park
* Stadium Australia
* TIO Stadium
* Tony Ireland Stadium
* Tramway Oval
* University Oval

Related articles|

List of records
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