ARENA AT COOK'S GARDENS HAS BEEN COMPLETELY TORN UP

Wanganui Chronicle, 14 April 1949, Page 4

ARENA AT COOK'S GARDENS HAS BEEN COMPLETELY TORN UP

The scene of many colourful displays, including Royal receptions, the oval at Cook’s Gardens presents a sorry sight, now in the first stages of its redevelopment. The green sward has been disced and the centre of the oval appears reminiscent of the days when the area was used for the growing of vegetables during the early history of Wanganui. The Wanganui City Council recently decided to close the oval to enable it to be resown. The first stage of discing the ground has been carried out and the area will be worked up and topdressed before being levelled and sown in grass. It is hoped that the sportsground will be in readiness for the opening of the athletic and cricketing season at the end of the year

Cook’s Gardens is probably the hardest worked sports area in Wanganui and the fact that the grass has stood up so long to the gruelling it receives is good testimony to the work of those who prepared its surface. During the winter months th? eval is used for Association football matches and during the summer it is used for cricket and athletics, in addition to numerous other functions. The Rugby field at Spriggens Park is hardly used during the winter months, but it has a long spell to be restored to good condition. There is a vast amount of sand in the soil in Cook’s Gardens oval and hundreds of tons of good soil will be used as topdressing before the area is resown. When this work is completed, it is expected that the arena will be one of the best sports grounds in the Dominion. Cook’s Gardens is already known well afield as a good sportsground, and it lias not. been unknown to overseas athletes who have visited Wanganui.