St George's Park

ABOUT US

The grounds of the second oldest cricket club in South Africa, the venue for the first Test, the first women's international Test, the last Test before South Africa's expulsion from world cricket, the first ever Test series win against Australia, the first Rebel Test, the first Test victory for South Africa with the resumption of 'normal' cricket. . . and the sixth oldest cricket ground in the world - that's just a bit about St George's Park.

Add to it South Africa's first rugby test and the numerous other events that have been staged at this historic venue.

St George's Park is also home to the Port Elizabeth Bowls Club, founded on August 14, 1882, and known as "The Mother Club of Bowls in South Africa" as it was the first bowling club in the country.

The first lawn, or "green," as they are known by the bowling fraternity, was opened on January 5, 1884.

The first trophy presented to and played for in South Africa was a pair of bowls presented to the club by one of the enthusiastic founders, Mr Ebernezer Webster.

There is no record of the actual date for which the bowls were played for, but at the first annual general meeting on 23rd August; 1883, the secretary was instructed to write to thank Webster for the bowls.

In another first for St George's Park and Port Elizabeth, the first South African inter-club bowling tournament, the South African Inter-Colonial Contest was contested from April 11 till April 18, 1894 between the Port Elizabeth and Kimberley clubs.

Not bad for a stadium that started out in 1859 on an open tract of veld alongside a cemetery on a hill outside the harbour town of Port Elizabeth.

IMPROVEMENTS TO THE PARK - 1905

Several improvements have of late been carried out at St George’s Park, chief of which is the macadamising of the main walk. This walk, commencing at the Bird Street entrance gate, extending to the superintendent’s house, and going off at right angles to Park Drive, immediately opposite Doncaster Road, was formerly a gravel path, but now that it has received a finished coating it will be both easier of up-keep and more comfortable to traverse. Last night the final section was covered, and the walk should be open for the public in the course of a few days.

Another alteration which greatly adds to the beauty of the park is the erection of a neat paling facing the main walk in the vicinity of the bowling green, in substitution of the bush which formerly has acted the part of a fence. Throughout the park several old trees have been pulled down and new ones planted, while various species of new plants have been introduced, all of which will add towards the general improvement of the park.

At the meeting of the Town Council on November 22, 1905, the application of the Military Cricket Club for the use of the ground recently occupied by the Arab Football Club in St George’s Park, was granted “under the usual conditions”.