‘McIntyre well on the spot’
Martin Chandler |Published: 2026
Pages: 12
Author: Tebay, Martin
Publisher: Red Rose Books
Rating: 3 stars
It has been a while since Martin Tebay produced the fourth monograph in his Notable Lancashire victories in 19th-century cricket series, so to see the fifth come along as a new season begins is a welcome sight, particularly as the side vanquished in this was was the old enemy, Yorkshire.
Martin begins his introduction by reminding us that Yorkshire won all of the first three ‘Roses’ matches, and that by the time we got to this encounter, the eighth and last First Class match to be played at Great Horton Road in Bradford Yorkshire were 8-3 ahead after eleven meetings.
The match was played more than 150 years ago in August of 1874, so three years before what we now regard as the inaugural Test match took place and sixteen years before the first official incarnation of the County Championship was contested so whilst both teams were effectively at full strength there are not too many familiar names in the two sides. Of the Yorkshiremen George Ulyett, Andrew Greenwood and Tom Emmett were in the future to win Test caps, and amongst the victors Dick Barlow and Vernon Royle.
Of course you already know that Lancashire won, and they did so by an innings, scoring 207 to which Yorkshire could manage only 107 and 69 in reply. Edward Porter was the top scorer on either side, making 61 for Lancashire in what remained the highest score of an otherwise undistinguished and brief career. With the ball Lancashire’s star was William McIntyre, a fast bowler whose deeds have featured in at least one previous Tebay monograph – he took 5-31 and 8-35.
The major part of ‘McIntyre well on the spot’ is, as you would expect, a retelling of the story of the match gleaned from a variety of contemporary sources. It is well worth reading for any Lancashire follower with a penchant for the county’s history. Copies of the monograph are available directly from the publisher and it appears in a limited edition of twenty signed and numbered copies. For Lancastrians in exile in the southern hemisphere a few copies are on their way to Roger Page.
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