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Centennial Park (Oamaru)
Encyclopedia
Centennial Park is a sports facility which is located on Taward Street in Oamaru
. The main sports that are played at Centennial Park are rugby union
, cricket
and hockey
. It is the home ground for the Heartland Championship
team North Otago
. It has hosted NPC
finals and semi-finals, mostly in the last five years. One of the more notable finals held at Centeninial park was in 2002, when North Otago
finished their successful season by winning 43-19. The last final held at Centennial Park was the 2007 Heartland Championship
Meads Cup against Wanganui, with North Otago winning. Centennial Park is also one of the home grounds for Super 14
franchise Highlanders, although most of the matches are only pre-season matches. The other major sport played at Centennial Park is cricket
. It is one of the home venues of the Otago Volts
.
Centennial Park also hosts international hockey
matches, and is a venue for the Black Sticks
.
In 2007 the main ground was renamed Whitestone Contracting Stadium, after the rights were handed to Whitestone Contracting Limited.
Oamaru
Oamaru , the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is 80 kilometres south of Timaru and 120 kilometres north of Dunedin, on the Pacific coast, and State Highway 1 and the railway Main South Line connects it to both...
. The main sports that are played at Centennial Park are rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
. It is the home ground for the Heartland Championship
Heartland Championship
The Heartland Championship New Zealand Division One competition, known for sponsorship reasons as the AA Rewards Heartland Championship, is a domestic rugby union competition in New Zealand. It was founded in 2006 as one of two successor competitions to the country's former domestic competition,...
team North Otago
North Otago Rugby Football Union
The North Otago Rugby Football Union is a New Zealand rugby union province based in Oamaru and current holders of the Meads cup, the top trophy in the Heartland Championship. They are one of the strongest teams in The Heartland Championship, winning the Meads Cup section of the competition in its...
. It has hosted NPC
National Provincial Championship
The National Provincial Championship, or NPC, is the major domestic rugby competition in New Zealand. The NPC has seen many alterations to its format and brand. Since 2006 the National Championship has been split into 2 competitions, the ITM Cup and the Heartland Championship...
finals and semi-finals, mostly in the last five years. One of the more notable finals held at Centeninial park was in 2002, when North Otago
North Otago Rugby Football Union
The North Otago Rugby Football Union is a New Zealand rugby union province based in Oamaru and current holders of the Meads cup, the top trophy in the Heartland Championship. They are one of the strongest teams in The Heartland Championship, winning the Meads Cup section of the competition in its...
finished their successful season by winning 43-19. The last final held at Centennial Park was the 2007 Heartland Championship
Heartland Championship
The Heartland Championship New Zealand Division One competition, known for sponsorship reasons as the AA Rewards Heartland Championship, is a domestic rugby union competition in New Zealand. It was founded in 2006 as one of two successor competitions to the country's former domestic competition,...
Meads Cup against Wanganui, with North Otago winning. Centennial Park is also one of the home grounds for Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
franchise Highlanders, although most of the matches are only pre-season matches. The other major sport played at Centennial Park is cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. It is one of the home venues of the Otago Volts
Otago Volts
The Otago Volts are a first class cricket team representing the Otago Cricket Association, one of six major associations that make up New Zealand Cricket....
.
Centennial Park also hosts international hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
matches, and is a venue for the Black Sticks
Black Sticks
The Black Sticks Men are New Zealand's men's national field hockey team. They upset Australia to win gold at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, becoming the first non-Asian/European team to clinch the gold.-Summer Olympics:*1956 – Sixth place...
.
In 2007 the main ground was renamed Whitestone Contracting Stadium, after the rights were handed to Whitestone Contracting Limited.