The decision was going to made by the Waitaki District Council, owner of North Otago's premier sports ground, yesterday and at one stage the council was considering a motion that would have given rugby the ground.
But in the council's afternoon session yesterday, representatives of the two codes talked again and an agreement was reached for cricket to have the oval but with a catch - ratepayers will have to underwrite the rugby.
Rugby wanted the oval for a pre-season Super 15 Highlanders v Crusaders game, while cricket sought the ground for a three-day, second-round defence of the Hawke Cup.
The council yesterday implemented the last-minute agreement by the codes, deciding:Cricket will use the oval (No 1 ground) and rugby grounds 2 and 3.
The council will underwrite gate takings for the rugby match up to $12,000 in the event of insufficient gate takings.
In the event cricket does not use the oval and rugby transfers to it, the underwriting would not apply.
Both codes, before yesterday's meeting, had failed to reach an agreement and the council decided to give them seven days to try again.
In the public forum before yesterday's meeting, neither North Otago Cricket's president Peter Cameron nor North Otago Rugby's chairman Bill Dean would give way.
Both sports needed the first-class ground, changing rooms and spectator facilities, they said.
Both said their games would go out of town if they did not have the oval.
Rugby booked the ground in January before cricket representatives indicated they needed it, but were told by council staff it would depend on the demands of cricket, which had summer sports rights.
Mr Dean pointed out the Hawke Cup was the second defence.
If North Otago lost the first, cricket would not need the ground.
Rugby was all-weather, but if it rained on February 11 cricket would not be played.
Up to 5000 spectators, including from out of town, would come to the rugby and up to 15 All Blacks would play because it was the last trial for both teams before Super 15 competition started.
The No 2 and 3 grounds were not suitable, Mr Dean said.
But Mr Cameron emphasised cricket was "the summer sport".
Winning the Hawke Cup for the first time in 100 years was "an exceptional achievement" and it was a "local team and a team of locals".
The No 2 and 3 grounds were not up to the first-class standard needed for the Hawke Cup and could not be brought up to that standard, they lacked facilities, sight screens and a scoreboard and the boundaries were too short.
Some councillors pointed out rugby would be more popular with ratepayers, who paid to maintain the ground.
Cr Hopkins then successfully moved the council set aside any decision for seven days to allow the two codes to see if a compromise agreement could be reached.
