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Sports correspondent & historian with |
A recent story on SunLive about the Monmouth Redoubt restoration grabbed my attention.
Work is under way to restore the Monmouth Redoubt, which includes structural reinforcements and improved access to the site.
The Tauranga City website tells us that the Tauranga Redoubt was built in 1864 by British forces arriving in Tauranga, tasked with blocking supplies being sent from Tauranga by local hapū and iwi in support of the Māori King’s forces in Waikato.
The Redoubt sat in a strategic military position overlooking The Strand and the inner Tauranga harbour.
Adjacent to the Monmouth Redoubt was the Government Paddock, which was essentially a fenced-off grass area used to stable military horses, store military equipment and provide a recreation area for the off-duty troops and militia.
Few of the residents of today’s busy metropolis of Tauranga would know that the Government Paddock was home to two foundation sports in the region that still make headlines today.
Cricket began in Tauranga with the introduction of the game by the 12th Regiment, who were responsible for the establishment of the Military and Civil Cricket Club around 1866.
Early honorary secretaries were Captain Marcon and Lieutenant Campbell, who supervised the pitch at the Government Paddock.
They also arranged matches between the crews of visiting naval vessels, notably the HMS Challenger and the HMS Falcon, who were regular visitors to the harbour.
The transition from a military to a civilian settlement signalled the demise of the military-dominated cricket club. In October 1872, the Tauranga Cricket Club was established.
Horse racing in Tauranga, as in many other districts at the time, started with the militia.
In November 1872, the Bay of Plenty Times reported that a meeting of gentlemen in the Tauranga Hotel came together to appoint stewards and organise details for a race meeting.
The outcome of the November gathering at the Tauranga Hotel was a race meeting set down January 1, 1873.
Race day was held on the Government Paddock course by kind permission of Major Roberts, the commanding officer of the military district.
The Government Paddock adjoined the Monmouth Redoubt, with a mile course put in place by temporarily levelling the dividing fence between the paddock and the militia camp. The course started in what is Monmouth Street today, into Willow Street and around into Brown Street and back into Monmouth Street.
The feature race was the Ladies Plate for a stake of 12 sovereigns.
Following the meeting at Government Paddock, officers and men of the Redoubt supported townsfolk for the formation of a racing club and the acquisition of a suitable course.
This led to the Tauranga Jockey Club and the Bay of Plenty Racing Club, which commenced racing at Gate Pā with the first meeting held on January 8, 1874.
One hundred and fifty years later, Racing Tauranga is to the forefront of thoroughbred racing in our nation, with the feature Group 2 Japan New Zealand International Trophy running continuously each autumn since 1972.
Bay Oval, which arose from a scrubby corner of Blake Park, ranks alongside the best wickets in international cricket and is likely to have a significant place in the international game well into the future.