Gabba changes for public

Queensland Cricket has made a change to the main public entrance to the Gabba for the 2003-04 domestic cricket season.

The new main public entry will now be Gate 2 on Stanley Street and will replace Gate 4 on Vulture Street.

The members' entry at Gate 5 on Vulture Street will remain unchanged.

The change will apply to tomorrow's opening ING Cup match between Queensland and Tasmania at the Gabba.

Queensland Cricket Chief Executive Officer Graham Dixon said research had shown that an increasing number of patrons used public transport to attend matches and the proximity of Gate 2 to the Woolloongabba Bus Station was one of the reasons for the change.

"Gate 2 is also better suited for queuing than Gate 4 and there are more meeting spots with the Woolloongabba Place park close by," he said.

"After consulting with the ground authorities, we felt the benefits for patrons were significant enough to make the change," he said.

The switch to Gate 2 will not affect the International matches at the Gabba this season, with all gates opening as usual for the First Test against India from December 4-8 and the One Day Internationals on January 18 and 20.

Gate 2 will be the main entry point for ING Cup and Pura Cup games at the ground.

There will be increased security for matches at the Gabba this season with bag checks being conducted inside the ground when patrons enter.

Police will also be issuing on-the-spot fines of $225 for anyone caught bringing alcohol into the ground as part of an on-going enforcement of licensing laws.

Tomorrow's ING Cup match starts at 10am with Gate 2 opening at 9am.