Willowmoore Park

Willowmoore Park sits in the East Rand, away from the coastal stadiums that draw the headlines. Its identity comes from the willow trees that once surrounded the ground and the moor behind the stands, a landscape that has changed but left its name. It is not a temple of football; **Easterns Cricket** calls it home, and the text on the pitch is written in runs, not passes.

The ground changed shape at the break in 2003. That was when the **International Cricket Council** (ICC) brought the World Cup to South Africa, and Willowmoore had to prove it could host the modern game. A four-story media center rose up, an LED scoreboard replaced the old boards, and a new drainage system was buried beneath the natural grass. It was at that event that the stadium hosted matches for the Caribbean and New Zealand, proving its credentials in international cricket.

But the history runs deeper than the World Cup. The ground claims the first men's One Day International match, played here in 1997 between India and Zimbabwe, and the first night cricket game in the world. Those are quiet claims, made without fanfare, but they set a precedent. Today, the stadium is the only major multi-purpose ground in Benoni. While football clubs like **Benoni Spurs** book the field, the heartbeat of the venue is cricket. The pitch is natural grass, worn by the season, and the stands look out over a town that has grown around the oval. It is a functional ground, sturdy and unpretentious, where the game is played under the open sky.