An incredible range of sporting firsts

Lancaster Park played host to a disproportionate amount of cricket and rugby firsts, for both men and women. Men’s cricket recorded a triumvirate: the very first New Zealand cricket team played against New South Wales in 1894; the first New Zealand test match was played against an English side in 1930; and New Zealand’s first one day international was played against Pakistan in 1973. And the New Zealand women also played their very first test match at the Park against England in 1935. Rugby was not to be denied, hosting both the first ever New Zealand men’s team in a match against New South Wales in 1894 and the first ever New Zealand women’s side who played an American team almost 100 years later in 1989. This list of firsts was instrumental in developing the legacy of the Park.