Antigua’s Recreation Ground was host to some of international cricket’s classic moments, from Brian Lara’s 400 to Viv Richard’s brutal 56-ball hundred. But now it lies forgotten and forlorn, a victim of the obsession with building new, largely characterless, stadiums for last year’s World Cup.
The once famous ground is now only used for local football matches, and even hosted a state funeral two weeks ago. The outfield is overgrown and the centre circle cuts across the pitch on which Lara twice set the record for the highest ever Test innings.
It is ironic that the construction of the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium has robbed the ARC of international cricket. The groundstaff for many years were inmates from the local jail, where Viv's father Malcolm was a warden.
