Newly named oval christened on Saturday

The University of Queensland Cricket Club will play its first match on the Wep Harris Oval this Saturday (December 6).

The game against Gold Coast is due to start at noon, just half an hour after the official ceremony marking the renaming of the former Oval No 1 in Wep's honour.

For 50 years William Edward Pender (Wep) Harris was renowned as a player, secretary and administrator in University and Queensland cricket.

He died in March at the age of 71 and the University Senate agreed that the oval be renamed in his memory to acknowledge his outstanding contribution to cricket and sport in general at the University.

The official ceremony on Saturday will begin at 11.30am with the burying of Wep's ashes just outside the boundary line of the main oval.

Professor Ted Brown, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and himself a keen cricketer, will unveil a plaque donated by the Harris family. The plaque eventually will be mounted outside the Wep Harris Pavilion which is due to be demolished next year and then rebuilt.

The plaque, proclaiming the Wep Harris Ground and Pavilion, recalls Wep's degree in dentistry from the University, his wartime service with the RAAF, and his contribution to University and Queensland cricket from 1946 to 1997.

Saturday's ceremony will be attended by 17 members of the Harris family together with University officials and cricket club representatives, among them former Brisbane Lord Mayor Clem Jones. Members of the public are also very welcome.

For more information, contact Tom Corcoran (telephone 3870 9045).