The first bicycle race at Salisbury was at the Salisbury Athletic Sports on April 10th 1869 when a velocipede race was held along with around twenty other athletic events. The meeting was organised by the Salisbury Athletic Club and was attended by 2,000 spectators and a grandstand was specially erected for the evet. The Salisbury and Winchester Journal of April 17th 1869 described the meeting. "There was a preliminary ‘spin', or rather a pushing of the vehicles round the Cricket Ground, by four competitors, absurdly dressed in coloured racing jackets." The race did not go well, one bicycle ‘broke down' just after the start and the turf was so heavy that the three remaining riders relied on pushes to get around the course. Later in the day, a further race was held on the road, which was won by Mr Smith of Cheltenham, who won a teapot.
The ground was used as a cricket ground, but no further bicycle races seemed to have been held at the ground. The Salisbury and Winchester Journal of May 22nd 1869 reported that a velocipede club had been established in Salisbury.
During World War Two, the American Armed Forces were stationed on the Sports Grounds and they played football there. The sports ground is still in use, it has two cricket grounds, an artificial all-weather pitch and a full-size grass football pitch. The ground is the home of South Wilts Cricket Club and Salisbury Hockey Club.