Location: Queenstown, Georgetown
Classification: Recreational
Period/ Year Built: 1885
Historical Background / Description:
Bourda Cricket Ground is the home of the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), the oldest cricket club in the country. GCC was established circa 1858 and was initially based at Parade Ground where it shared use of the ground with many other entities. The club had access to the ground three days a week and this impeded its development when compared to its regional and international counterparts.
On September 15, 1883, the Georgetown Cricket Club held an extraordinary meeting to discuss the possible relocation from Parade Ground. Two sites were identified, one located near the seawall area and the other in Bourda. On January 19, 1884, during its yearly half meeting, the GCC, concluded that the piece of land in Plantation Vlissengen was more suitable for the new ground. On April 28, 1884, it was announced that the club had received and acted upon recommendations and wrote the Government in relation to the land. The Club had a total of $4,675.00 pledged by members and an additional $3,631.25 raised through donations to build a new ground and club.
The club received a response that the Government was willing to lease 0.02 square kilometres (5 acres) of land. This land which was made available by Mayor & City Council of Georgetown was part of the larger plantation owned by Joseph Bourda. In the early part of 1885, work was progressing on the ground with some amount of financial difficulties; however, it was completed and opened to a small crowd on December 26, 1885. The first match at the facility was also played during its official opening and was headlined as “West Indies against the World”.
The ground did not gain much prominence until the 1930s after the first test match was played. The Bourda Cricket Ground was Guyana’s premier cricketing facility with a capacity of approximately 25,000 seats, until the Providence Cricket Stadium was opened in 2007.