Your Ultimate Guide To Barbados

Kensington Oval

Kensington Oval on the island of Barbados is one of the most well known cricket grounds in the world. Seated on the immediate outskirts of Bridgetown, it actually sits but and bound to Holborn and Fontabelle, St. Michael. Its historical component traces as far back as 1895 as this ground was the site for the first ever tour England played away from home and in the Caribbean.

Kensington Oval was first developed in 1871 and from 1882, over the years up to the time of the World Cup in 2007, was the home of one of the long-standing home clubs, The Pickwick Cricket Club, the second oldest on the island.

The Oval underwent major renovations in preparation for the Cricket World Cup Games held in the West Indies in 2007 and was re-opened on February 17, 2007. The new ground has been fashioned to international standards and one improvement of note is the outfield on which major work was done to eliminate the constant waterlogged state of the pitch was a major irritant and show-stopper. This issue now seems to have been completely resolved.

Seating at Kensington is more than adequate. The new stadium can seat 28000 persons, a massive jump from the original capacity of 12, 500. The stands themselves are named after many of the local cricketing greats, like Sir Clyde Walcott, The 3 Ws (Weekes, Walcott and Worrell), Charlie Griffith, Wes Hall, Sir Garfield Sobers, Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge. There is also an open-air Party Stand.

Numerous matches of note are played at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, with the latest one being the finals of the World Cup Twenty20 in 2010. Efforts are also ongoing to fully maximize the usage of Kensington for public events outside of cricket and the cricket season. Major parties like the Wadadah Back to School fete held during Crop Over, the Square One Reunion, Cohobblopot and the Crop Over Calypso finals have also been held here. On a more somber note, Kensington Oval was also the venue for the state funeral of the late Prime Minister of Barbados, David Thompson in November 2010.

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