LAVINGTON'S name across Australia, and indeed the cricket world, has largely drawn interest because of sporting events.
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Yet now Albury City Council is out to erase the tag of Lavington Sports Ground as part of its big redevelopment of the complex.
"We're looking for a name that will represent our city and its facilities so that it resonates with audiences across the nation," the council declares in its spiel seeking feedback on the moniker makeover.
It is a pretty major assumption to argue that Lavington does not already resonate.
The name Lavington has been spread across Australia because of what has occurred at the sports ground.
That encompasses the Lavington Sports Carnival that featured athletics, cycling and woodchopping, preseason AFL and NRL matches and cricket clashes ranging from a World Cup match through to Women's Big Bash League contests.
The council's argument is akin to the one employed when the Australian Open tennis precinct went from Flinders Park to Melbourne Park.
It was put that having Melbourne in the name would provide a greater promotional benefit to the city than a title that did not instantly indicate the tournament's location.
Of course, explorer Matthew Flinders has plenty of other landmarks named in his honour so there was no great backlash.
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But by removing the name Lavington from the sports ground, the council is inviting criticism from those with ties to the venue and residents who feel their area's name is being treated with disdain.
This feedback, already evidenced through comments from councillor Darren Cameron and Lavington football club figures "Happy" Wetmore and Brian Chalmers, is quite understandable.
For most of its history the sports ground has been the envy of other regional centres.
Good turf, lighting and spectator areas have driven that outlook, not the name of the place.
Yet as a result Lavington has been a by-word for fine sporting spectacles and it would take a substantial case to convince us that it's name should not stay on the ground.
