Nelson Cricket Ground should not be confused with Nelson Park (cricket ground).
| Ground Name: | Nelson Cricket Ground |
| Country: | New Zealand |
| Location: | Hastings, New Zealand |
| Establishment: | 1878 (first recorded match) |
| Club1: | Central Districts |
| Year1: | 1999 - 2001 |
| Club2: | Hawke's Bay |
| Year2: | 1914 - 1915 |
| Date: | 2 November |
| Year: | 2011 |
| Source: | https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/21/1431.html Ground profile |
Nelson Cricket Ground was a cricket ground in Hastings, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.
The first recorded match held on the ground came in February 1878 when Hawke's Bay played the touring Australians.[1] The New Zealand Times referred to the match as taking place "in Mr Braithwaite's paddock at Hastings, about a mile from the railway station".[2]
It was known as the "Heretaunga School ground" until 1913, when the owners, Mr and Mrs W. Nelson, sold it to a trust for use as a sports ground for the local community and it was named Nelson Cricket Ground in their honour.[3] [4] In 1920 the ground was bought by the Hastings Borough Council.[5]
The ground held its first first-class match in 1914 when Hawke's Bay played Wellington. Two further first-class matches were held there, one in 1914 when Hawke's Bay played the touring Australians and one in 1915 when Hawke's Bay played Canterbury in the 1914/15 Plunket Shield.[6]
Other sports were also played at the ground. The New Zealand and England women's hockey teams played an international there in August 1914 in front of a crowd of 5000.[7]