bowenhills

Albert Sports Ground during the Brisbane floods of March, 1890

from State Library of Queensland

• Vesna Verencevic said:

  ALBERT SPORTS GROUND. The opening of the new Albert Sports Ground was an event of considerable importance to the cricketing and sporting community in a city which, like Brisbane, is but poorly supplied with cricket grounds. That the new ground supplies the actual want will not be generally admitted, for sooner or later the association must obtain a ground of equal, or nearly equal, proportions to the cricket enclosures of Sydney or Melbourne. Nevertheless, the Albert Sports Ground will prove exceedingly useful. Its situation is easy to access by omnibus or rail. It forms a portion of the seven acres of land occupied as a garden by the Chinese between the Bowen Bridge-road and the Bowen Hills railway station. The company at present possesses about four and a half acres, but on the lease of the remaining portion falling in, as it will in about five months' time, the whole portion will be in their hands, and will be devoted to the purposes of athletic sports of all kinds. The ground is bounded at the back by Breakfast Creek, and in one cool "sequestered shade" will be found a delightful bathing spot. The ground is surrounded by a high paling fence. The chief entrance gates are near Bowen Bridge road, but a pedestrians' entrance gate has also been placed in convenient proximity to the railway station. The buildings at present on the ground consist of a small dressing-room for cricketers, with a veranda in front, and a galvanized, iron shade attached to the fence nearest the roadway. Along this fence, there is a grassy slope, and on this, not a few spectators reclined yesterday. The wicket pitch has received much attention, and although during the opening match yesterday played rather slowly, it will very probably soon develop into one of the best wickets in Brisbane, if not the best. Even towards the close of the match it "quickened" considerably. The fielding space has been carefully prepared, and the ball had a moderately good chance of traveling to the ropes. The circle enclosed for the play was about 120 yards in diameter, but when more land has been acquired by the company a much larger circle will be obtainable. The only arrangements for other sports thus far made are two swings for children. These were used very largely yesterday. It is, however, intended, when space permits, to have portions of the ground set apart for lawn tennis, bowls, quoits, skittles, and other games. Among other plans for the future is the very necessary one of planting shade trees of rapid growth around the ground. The company has apparently worked hard to put the ground in its present forward condition, and deserve success. The ceremony of opening took the form of a cricket match yesterday between elevens selected from the Albert and Stanley clubs and was witnessed by about 300 spectators. The Albert team was a very strong one, notwithstanding the absence of R. M'Gill, whose bowling abilities are too high to be lightly esteemed. The Stanleys suffered from the loss of Neeson and one or two others of their best players. The Alberts took the creases first, and before the last wicket fell had scored 70. The Stanleys failed to reach nearer to that number than 70. It was still anybody's game, and the excitement as to the result of the second innings was unmistakable. Source: The Brisbane Courier, 02 Jan 1884 trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3425588