Bermuda National Stadium

Bermuda National Sports Centre is a multi-purpose sports complex in Devonshire Parish, Bermuda, just to the east of the capital, Hamilton. The stadium was built on what was once a field used as a parade and sporting ground within Prospect Camp. The track had experienced Usain Bolt's performance in the 2004 CARIFTA Games, where he broke the World Junior Record with a time of 19.93 seconds.[1]

Bermuda National Sports Centre

Ground information
Location	Hamilton, Bermuda
First T20I	19 August 2019:  Bermuda v  Canada
Last T20I	19 August 2019:  Cayman Islands v  United States
Team information
Bermuda national football team (1956–) Bermuda national cricket team (1955–)
As of 19 August 2019 Source: Cricinfo

Football

The main stadium is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 8,500. The stadium was used by the Bermuda Hogges of the United Soccer Leagues Second Division.[2][3]

Cricket

Located just north of the National Stadium is a cricket ground of the same name which is used by the Bermuda cricket team. The first recorded cricket match on the ground came in 1955 when E. W. Swanton's XI played Bermuda.[4] It held its first first-class match when the New Zealanders played Bermuda as part of their tour of the West Indies. The match, which marked Bermuda's debut in first-class cricket, ended in a victory for the New Zealanders by an innings and 31 runs.[5] Thirty-two years later the ground held its next first-class match, involving Bermuda and the United States in the 2004 Intercontinental Cup. Four further first-class matches have been held on the ground, the last of which saw Bermuda play the United Arab Emirates in the 2009-10 ICC Intercontinental Shield.[6]

The ground hosted its first List A match in 2009, when Bermuda played Uganda in a three match series. Two further List A matches were played in a two match series against the United Arab Emirates in 2010.[7] The series against the United Arab Emirates also saw two Twenty20 matches played there.[8] With Bermuda's relegation from 2011 World Cricket League Division Two, the return of senior cricket to the ground is for the foreseeable future some way off. The pitch at the ground often cited controversy due to its poor quality, meaning when Bermuda had One Day International status they were the only Associate with that status which did not have an ODI accredited ground.[9]

In August 2019, the venue was selected as one of the two grounds to host matches in the Regional Finals of the 2018–19 ICC T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier tournament.[10][11] However, mid-way through the tournament, the pitch was deemed to be unsuitable, and the matches scheduled to be played at the stadium were moved to White Hill Field.[12][13]

References

1. "Bolt dashes to World Junior 200m record of 19.93 in 2004". Loop Jamaica. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
2. World Stadiums - Bermuda National Stadium Archived April 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-05-06. Retrieved 2008-04-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
4. "Other matches played on National Stadium, Hamilton". CricketArchive. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
5. "Bermuda v New Zealanders, 1971/72". CricketArchive. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
6. "First-Class Matches played on National Stadium, Hamilton". CricketArchive. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
7. "List A Matches played on National Stadium, Hamilton". CricketArchive. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
8. "Twenty20 Matches played on National Stadium, Hamilton". CricketArchive. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
9. "Bermuda await inspection on national ground". ESPNcricinfo. 21 March 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
10. "Rawlins selected for ICC T20 team". The Royal Gazette. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
11. "Preview: ICC T20 World Cup Americas Final in Bermuda". Emerging Cricket. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
12. "Venue Change for ICC T/20 World Cup Americas Qualifiers". Bermuda Cricket Board. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
13. "North Field described as 'unsuitable'". The Royal Gazette. Retrieved 21 August 2019.