Cricket Victoria and the St Kilda Cricket Club have paid tribute to the legendary Shane Warne by renaming a heritage-listed grandstand at the Junction Oval in Melbourne after him. The stand, which has stood since 1925, was previously named after Australian rules footballer Kevin Murray, who has supported the change. Murray’s name now adorns a stand at Brunswick Street Oval in Fitzroy.
The process of renaming the stand began well before Warne’s untimely passing in March 2022. The MCG had already named its southern stand after Warne at his state funeral, but the process to rename the heritage-listed stand on the western side of Junction Oval took longer.
Warne’s father, Keith, and his daughters, Summer and Brooke, attended the unveiling ceremony, which took place before Victoria took on New South Wales in a One-Day Cup match at the Junction Oval. Australia Test captain Pat Cummins and a host of Australian players, including Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell, also attended the ceremony.
Cricket Victoria has also unveiled a Shane Warne exhibition in the foyer of their administration and high performance center at the northern end of the ground. The exhibition features memorabilia from Warne’s illustrious career, much of it supplied by his father, and is free to visit.
Keith Warne expressed his gratitude at the unveiling, saying, “Today marks a very special and proud day for the Warne family. To have a stand named after Shane here at the Junction Oval is a wonderful tribute to him. He would be honored to be chosen for such an accolade.”
Warne made his first-class debut for Victoria against Western Australia at the Junction Oval in February 1991. He enjoyed some of his most memorable early cricketing years playing for his beloved St Kilda, especially when matches were played at the Junction Oval.
“As proud as Shane would be to know a stand at the Junction Oval bears his name, he would also be thrilled to know that he will now be forever linked with St Kilda Cricket Club and the Junction Oval,” Keith Warne added. “On behalf of our family, I’d like to thank Cricket Victoria and St Kilda Cricket Club for their support in honoring Shane with such a wonderful tribute, further enhancing his incredible legacy.”
