This cricket and sporting ground is located a short distance from Newcastle CBD, 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.

No.1 sports ground has hosted the first-class game between NSW and touring sides, often to the visitors' detriment. England have lost to NSW in both of their encounters here, while the West Indies were lucky to escape with a rain-affected draw. Mike Whitney and Greg Matthews ending their first-class careers during successive NSW versus New Zealand tour matches because of injuries incurred mid-game.

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.