South Island won the first match between the two teams in 1903–04, by two wickets.
[2] North Island won the most recent first-class match in 1999–2000, part of the Shell Conference tournament, by 32 runs.
[3] In total, the two teams have played each other 12 times in first-class matches.
The highest score for South Island is 167 by Graham Dowling in 1968–69,[4] and the best innings and match bowling figures are 7 for 117 and 12 for 152 by Paul Wiseman in 1999–2000.
[5] In the 1981–82, 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons, South Island played North Island in one-day matches billed as the "Plunket Shield", while similar contests in 2003–04 and 2004–05 were named the "State of Origin" matches.