Newcastle No.1 Sportsground

Located a short walk from the central business district of Newcastle, No.1 Sports Ground was for many years a stopover on the tour itinerary for many visiting teams as they faced the Northern New South Wales XI. In 1981/82 the ground was allocated a Sheffield Shield match when the SCG was unavailable, and healthy crowds saw No.1 then become host to at least one first-class fixture per year.

Despite the demise of the Northern NSW tour fixture in the early 1980's, No.1 continued to host the first-class game between NSW and touring sides. An earthquake which struck the city in December 1989 caused structural damage to the grandstand and forced the closure of the ground. Protracted insurance wrangles delayed reconstruction for three years and cost Newcastle the opportunity of hosting a match in the 1992 World Cup.

After the ground's reopening, first-class matches continued to be held here until the 1997/98 season, when adverse reports on the pitch and outfield, combined with a desire to centralise all NSW home games at the SCG, saw it removed from the roster. The surface was completely relaid during the 2000 off-season.

The only taste to date of full international cricket came in February 2000 when the Australian women's team totally outplayed its English counterparts in a one-day international. An Under-19 test two years earlier gave an early glimpse of rising Pakistani all-rounder Abdur Razzaq, who scored a century and took a hat-trick against the Australian youth team.

The Newcastle No.1 Sportsground has seen crowds in excess of 22,000 for local rugby league grand finals - but now can hold a maximum of around 10,000 spectators, including seating for 400. The ground hosted one day state cricket for the first time in 2004 when NSW played Tasmania in front of around 5,000 fans, however first-class cricket hasn't been played at the venue for some years now.

A redevelopment was completed in October 2022, which saw a larger playing field and improved irrigation and drainage, lighting upgraded, new sight screens, concrete bleacher seating, new perimeter fencing and improved player facilities.