South Australian Government’s cheeky bid to buy part of Lord’s cricket ground in London

A SOUTH Australian model is marrying England’s limited overs captain and now the SA Government has launched an audacious bid to buy sections of the home of English cricket.

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A SOUTH Australian model is marrying their limited overs captain and now the SA Government has launched an audacious bid to buy sections of the home of English cricket.

In a goading letter to New Commonwealth — the consortium selling off shares in abandoned railway tunnels that run under Lord’s Cricket Ground’s Nursery End — SA’s UK figurehead Bill Muirhead asked how many shares the State Government could buy.

London based SA Agent General Bill Muirhead

Lambasting Lord’s “tired stands” and “uninspiring concrete walls”, SA Agent General Mr Muirhead said it should “probably be accepted that Lord’s is no longer the finest cricket ground in the world”.

Despite the cheeky letter, Mr Muirhead said his approach was deadly serious.

“I think we can construct some more advanced outdoor media sites and generate some great publicity for a dirt cheap price,” he said.

The letter comes just weeks after the Sunday Mail revealed Mr Muirhead’s push to change SA’s name to Adelaide to make it easier to market overseas.

South Australian Cricket Association chief Keith Bradshaw is heavily involved in the New Commonwealth consortium, which is hoping to sell more than one million shares of the land at £500 each. Mr Muirhead said he had huge interest in buying multiple shares of the land, depending on their price.

“It is only fitting that under the progressive eye of Keith Bradshaw, the Adelaide Oval has been shaped into the ‘King of cricket grounds’,” Mr Muirhead wrote.

Test match between England and Pakistan at Lord’s earlier this week.

“I believe we could improve the future of the grounds (Lord’s) with a South Australian-led initiative.

“As part of this I would like to erect banners on the Nursery, directing cricket fans to the world’s finest sports ground, the Adelaide Oval.”

SAGA boss Mr Bradshaw is not the only high profile sporting figure involved in New Commonwealth — cricket royalty Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards and David Gower are also on board the investment scheme.

Tara Ridgway with fiance Eoin Morgan at Remarkable Rocks, Kangaroo Island. Picture: Instagram.

However, the Marylebone Cricket Club holds the above ground rights to the land until 2137.

Tourism Minister David Ridgway — whose daughter Tara is engaged to England’s limited overs captain Eoin Morgan — said Mr Muirhead’s letter was “exactly what makes him a great Agent General”.

“All he’s doing is just taking the mickey and he’s doing just what he’s done before in helping promote SA to the world,” he said.