Cricket in Western Australia from Western Australia fought in World War I, including Ernie Parker, Lionel Gouly and Jim Everett. Western Australia was admitted to the Sheffield Shield for the 1947–48 season. Keith Carmody was recruited from New South Wales to lead the inaugural side. Although playing a shortened schedule of matches compared to the other teams, playing each team only once instead of twice, Western Australia won the competition in the first year. Notable cricketers from the first few years of Western Australia's Sheffield Shield competition include Carmody, Allan Edwards, Wally Langdon, Laurie Sawle, Jack Rutherford, Ken Meuleman, John Munro and Basil Rigg.
Relocation of sports teams in the United Kingdom rivalry with both the Whitley Warriors and the Billingham Bombers. It was a golden period for hockey in the North East with derby matches against the Warriors often resulting in crowds which exceeded the stated capacity of the rink by a considerable margin. With the rise of teams such as the Cardiff Devils and Sheffield Steelers, the Wasps started to struggle to fund a competitive team. At the same time, the rink was in need of significant investment. Around this time, John Hall, then owner of Newcastle United Football Club, laid plans to form a centre of sporting excellence in