Bay 13
Encyclopedia
Bay 13 is a section of tiered seating at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
that occupies part of the Great Southern Stand behind the slips for a right-handed batsman, usually where third man is fielding. It is well known in the cricket world as a centre for rowdy spectators to congregate at the cricket and participate in practices such as Mexican waves
, beach ball throwing and other disorderly conduct, often including abuse chanting towards opposition players.
In January 1999, Shane Warne
was forced to come out of the change rooms and don a helmet in an attempt to calm the crowd who had disrupted a one-day match by throwing bottles onto the pitch. A string of incidents involving projectiles being thrown onto the MCG playing arena during one-day internationals in the late 1990s
and early 2000s prompted authorities to beef up security presence around the Bay 13 area, which has led to a reduction of Bay 13 hooliganism in recent years. However, unruly crowds are becoming more of a problem at Victorian Bushrangers
home games, which can attract huge crowds but have only a minuscule security presence compared to international games.
At the 2005 Boxing Day
test, reports of people throwing cups of urine
and other liquids into the air during Mexican waves were downplayed by patrons of Bay 13.
. Then during the 2007 Boxing Day Test, patrons in Bay 13 chanted "Show us your visa" to Indian fans. In two ODIs against Sri Lanka in February 2008 the "Show us your visa" chant was targeted at Sri Lankan fans.
It is common for spectators in Bay 13 to abuse - or even throw objects at - opposition fielders who field in front of them at fine leg or third man (or long-on or long-off from the other end), often with obscene gestures and chanting.
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
that occupies part of the Great Southern Stand behind the slips for a right-handed batsman, usually where third man is fielding. It is well known in the cricket world as a centre for rowdy spectators to congregate at the cricket and participate in practices such as Mexican waves
Audience wave
The wave or the Mexican wave is an example of metachronal rhythm achieved in a packed stadium when successive groups of spectators briefly stand and raise their arms...
, beach ball throwing and other disorderly conduct, often including abuse chanting towards opposition players.
History
Historically, Bay 13 is unofficially seen as an important part of the MCG's atmosphere and environment. Iconic pictures are regularly repeated in cricket coverage of the crowd mimicking Merv Hughes' warm up stretches in front of the Bay 13 mob.Criticism
Bay 13 is situated almost opposite across the ground from the members stand and despite efforts to tame the behaviour of the crowd from this section of the ground, it has the worst behaved crowds of all the cricketing venues in the country. Particularly in recent times the section has been criticised for poor and drunken behaviour.In January 1999, Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
was forced to come out of the change rooms and don a helmet in an attempt to calm the crowd who had disrupted a one-day match by throwing bottles onto the pitch. A string of incidents involving projectiles being thrown onto the MCG playing arena during one-day internationals in the late 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
and early 2000s prompted authorities to beef up security presence around the Bay 13 area, which has led to a reduction of Bay 13 hooliganism in recent years. However, unruly crowds are becoming more of a problem at Victorian Bushrangers
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
home games, which can attract huge crowds but have only a minuscule security presence compared to international games.
At the 2005 Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
test, reports of people throwing cups of urine
Urine
Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...
and other liquids into the air during Mexican waves were downplayed by patrons of Bay 13.
Racism
In more recent times, Bay 13 has often been accused of racially abusing opposition teams, fans and players. The first such instance occurred on Boxing Day, 2005, when Bay 13 directed racial taunts in Afrikaans at South African fast bowler Andre NelAndre Nel
André Nel is a South African cricketer who played Test cricket and ODIs as a fast bowler but has since retired opting to play county cricket for Surrey.-International career:...
. Then during the 2007 Boxing Day Test, patrons in Bay 13 chanted "Show us your visa" to Indian fans. In two ODIs against Sri Lanka in February 2008 the "Show us your visa" chant was targeted at Sri Lankan fans.
It is common for spectators in Bay 13 to abuse - or even throw objects at - opposition fielders who field in front of them at fine leg or third man (or long-on or long-off from the other end), often with obscene gestures and chanting.