2016–17 Sheffield Shield season 2016–17 Sheffield Shield season The 2016–17 Sheffield Shield season was the 115th season of the Sheffield Shield, the domestic first-class cricket competition in Australia. It started on 25 October 2016 and finished on 30 March 2017. There was a break between December and January for the Big Bash League. The first round of matches were played as day/night games in preparation for Australia's day/night Test match against Pakistan on 15 December 2016. A second day/night round of fixtures took place in round five of the tournament. Victoria qualified for the final after their 8 wicket win against Western Australia in
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