The Rose Bowl, New Zealand

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The Rose Bowl is the cricket ground the Haywards Shield has historically been played on.

It is not to be confused with the Rose Bowl in Hampshire, England.

The Haywards Shield is an annual 3-match cricket series between Porirua and the Hutt Valley.

The Rose Bowl is located about 5 minutes up the Paekakariki Hill Road from the small town of Pauatahanui - placing the ground slightly in Porirua territory.

As the Haywards shield is played with teams being either 4-on-4 or 5-on-5, the Rose Bowl is smaller than most cricket grounds. It is somewhat of a square shape, and since batsmen only face at one end (unlike traditional forms of cricket where the ends the batsmen face alternate every over), the straight boundary is significantly longer than those immediately to the batsmans' left and right.

The length of the pitch is that of a regulation international batting wicket. It is now measured to ensure accuracy to this standard.

When epic contests are not taking place on the Rose Bowl, it is used as a sheep paddock. Beginning in 2005/06, painted markings will be made at both the strikers and non-strikers end for the batsmen and bowlers to abide by.

The Rosebowl is very picturesque. The entire ground is in the shadow of a large hill located directly in front of a batsman as he faces the bowling (visible here to the northwest of the Rosebowl). The hill is about 150-200 metres high and can be climbed by the batting team members for a great view of the whole ground. To the batsman's left there's a row of tall trees which provide some shade, and to his right is another sheep paddock containing marshes, grass and beyond that another row of trees of various variety. Behind the batsman is a creek which runs dry in the summer. The bottom of the creek acts as the fine-leg/third man boundary. All other boundaries are marked by the fence which encircles the ground.

Since it is impractical to have wicket-keepers when we only have 4 or 5 fielders on the ground, directly behind the stumps at the batsman's end is a "board" made of corrogated iron and old gates. This acts as an "auto-wickie" - as well as stopping the ball if the batsman leaves the ball, if the batsman "snicks" the ball and the ball then carries to hit the board, the batsman is dismissed.

from www.haywardsshield.tk