The world’s best summer cricket set-up: Natural sandbar acts as the perfect pitch – but its secret location means only a handful of players enjoy it each year when the tide is just right
- Submarine Rock hosts two beach cricket matches every year in New Zealand
- Low tide gives time for two innings for each team in the middle of the day
- Getting to the sandbar takes half an hour by boat – with drinking on the way
This is arguably the best beach cricket pitch in the world – if you have the patience to wait for the few hours you can play on it.
A group of Kiwis have been playing on a tiny sandbar in the Bay of Islands in northern New Zealand that is exactly the right shape.
Named Submarine Rock for its appearance from the air, it has been hosting two matches a year since 2011 and has its own cricket club.
This is arguably the best beach cricket pitch in the world – Submarine Rock in the Bay of Islands in northern New Zealand
A group of Kiwis have been playing on a tiny sandbar as it is exactly the right shape
The only way to get there is by an NS$45 half-hour boat ride – time enough for a few beers each way – and only good for a few hours of action.
Because the island is a sandbar, matches have to be timed exactly for low tide in the middle of each day.
Teams have time for two one-hour innings each with a short drinks break in between, then get on the boat and head back to shore.
Submarine Rock remained one of New Zealand’s best-kept secrets until club president Ted Grant brought it into the open on Twitter.
An aerial view of the sandbar and the pitch reveals the size and shape of the island that makes it so good for beach cricket
The sandbar has a rock at the end of it that sets up the excellent sand formation
The cricketers in some matches appeared to have laid down a rubber mat to give the ball enough bounce in front of the wicket, but otherwise the surface is all sand
Because the island is a sandbar, matches have to be timed exactly for low tide in the middle of each day
Teams have time for two one-hour innings each with a short drinks break in between, then get on the boat and head back to shore
Australian test legend Dean Jones invited his fans to post photos of their backyard cricket pitches with the best one receiving a signed copy of his book.
‘Locals constantly refer to the area as our “backyard”,’ he wrote. Jones was impressed, expressing shock and calling it ‘amazing’.
The cricketers in some matches appeared to have laid down a rubber mat to give the ball enough bounce in front of the wicket, but otherwise the surface is all sand.
They compete for a submarine-shaped wooden shield with a plaque for every year, which the losing captain passes underwater to the victor after the match.
The only way to get there is by an NS$45 half-hour boat ride – time enough for a few beers each way – and only good for a few hours of action
Regular players included painters, forestry workers, and firefighters and also competed in other competitions on dry land
Teams compete for a submarine-shaped wooden shield with a plaque for every year, which the losing captain passes underwater to the victor after the match
The most recent match was held on November 4 with the next one likely to be in March as in previous years
Regular players included painters, forestry workers, and firefighters and also competed in other competitions on dry land.
Some tattooed themselves with the Submarine Cricket Club’s logo, featuring an old-style submarine with the club’s name in a circle around it.
The most recent match was held on November 4 with the next one likely to be in March as in previous years.
Some tattooed themselves with the Submarine Cricket Club’s logo, featuring an old-style submarine with the club’s name in a circle around it