The N.L. Williams Memorial Scoreboard at Alberton Oval will be demolished after being condemned by the council.

ALBERTON OVAL’s iconic scoreboard will be demolished under council orders and replaced with a temporary scoreboard until a permanent option can be found.

The scoreboard has adorned the south-eastern pocket of Alberton Oval for decades, watching over and keeping score over countless victories for Port Adelaide in that time.

Named after cricketer Norman Leonard Williams, who was a highly regarded leg-spinner for South Australia and the Port Adelaide Cricket Club across the 1920s and 1930s, the scoreboard was also used for cricket when the sport was also played at the venue.

Williams still holds the record for wickets taken at district level with 894, and was also a prominent dentist in the Port Adelaide area.

The scoreboard and the canteen on the opposite side of the ground, between the Fos Williams Family Stand and Robert B. Quinn M.M. Grandstand, have been deemed unsafe by council and will need to be removed in the coming days.

“We understand the scoreboard is an iconic symbol of Alberton Oval but we have no choice but to have it removed for the safety of staff and patrons as it has been condemned by the council,” said club CEO Keith Thomas.

“A new permanent scoreboard will be included in the club’s redevelopment plans for the broader Alberton Oval precinct.”

A temporary scoreboard will be brought in for the 2020 season while a permanent solution is considered.