A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



oldest and paramount organization in the country, 

 controlled the selection of the teams. In 1 88 1, 

 however, owing to the development of the 

 game, it was felt desirable by the other clubs 

 that they should have some hand in the manage- 

 ment of county affairs and a voice in the selec- 

 tion of the team. The initiative in this 

 movement was taken by Mr. W. Bell of the 

 Broughton Club, who was supported by Mr. A. 

 M. Crook, Free Wanderers ; F. C. Hignett, 

 Swinton ; G. C. Lindsay, Manchester Rangers ; 

 and F. Hunter, Birch. Prolonged discussion 

 ensued, the Manchester Club being unwilling to 

 give up what they considered their prerogative. 

 Failing to come to an agreement the other 

 clubs took the law into their own hands, and on 

 17 May 1 88 1 formed the Lancashire Football 

 Union. 



Subsequently the Manchester Club adopted a 

 more conciliatory attitude, and all parties acquies- 

 cing in a joint meeting the following were elected 

 on 22 December 1 881 as the first officers of the 

 county club : — 



President, James McLaren, Manchester ; 

 Vice-Presidents, W. Brierley, Manchester, E. 

 Kewley, Liverpool ; Hon. Secretary and Trea- 

 surer, W. Grave, Manchester ; Committee, two 

 representatives for Manchester, and one each for 

 Liverpool, Broughton, Cheetham, Preston, Man- 

 chester Rangers, Rochdale Hornets, Oldham, 

 Swinton, and Free Wanderers. 



The new executive worked well together, and 

 additional county matches, including a fixture 

 with the Midland Counties, were played. On 

 12 March 1887, previous to the institution of 

 the County Championship Competition, Lanca- 

 shire had the honour, as the strongest county in 

 the north, of playing against Middlesex in the 

 presence of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. The 

 match was arranged in commemoration of the 

 Jubilee of her late Majesty's reign, and the pro- 

 ceeds were devoted to charity. 



The game, which was played at Kennington 

 Oval, attracted a large attendance. After a hotly 

 contested match Lancashire won by the bare 

 margin of a try. Directly after this match 

 another Lancashire club, Preston North End, 

 stepped into the arena and engaged the famous 

 Corinthian team. The Lancastrians showed 

 brilliant form and drew with their rivals, each 

 side scoring a goal. 



At the commencement of season 1889-90 

 the constitution of the county executive under- 

 went a change. It was decided that representa- 

 tion on the committee should go by districts 

 instead of by clubs. By this arrangement the 

 county was divided into four groups with the 

 following representations : The north one, south 

 four, north-east three, and north-west four. The 

 season 1890-91 was a brilliant one for the 

 Lancastrians ; not a goal was obtained against 

 them in county fixtures, and for the first time 



since its official institution in 1889 they gained 

 the County Championship. In virtue of their 

 position the County Palatine played the Rest of 

 England at Whalley Range on 18 April 1891. 

 The English side just won after a splendid 

 struggle by a goal and a try to a goal. Some 

 20,000 spectators watched the match, and the 

 proceeds, amounting to some ;^6oo, were dis- 

 tributed among the medical charities of the 

 county. In the following season Lancashire 

 lost the championship to Yorkshire, who luckily 

 won by a penalty goal. 



Since the institution of the Northern Union 

 and the consequent bifurcation which has taken 

 place, Lancashire have perceptibly weakened, 

 and though they have fairly held their own with 

 the other northern counties they have never 

 regained championship honours. 



We must not fail to record the fact that it is 

 to the energy of Lancashire that the inception 

 of the historic North and South match is due. 

 Of the twenty players who formed the North 

 side in the first match of the series at Rugby in 

 1874 more than half were Lancastrians. The 

 result of the match not only brought home to 

 the English governing body the excellence of 

 the north-country play, but also consolidated the 

 interests of the northern counties in seeking 

 adequate representation in the English teams and 

 Committee. 



Among Lancashire football clubs Manchester, 

 founded in 1866, naturally occupies first place, 

 both on account of its age and the important 

 part it played in the early spread and develop- 

 ment of the game in the north of England. 

 The game in a primitive form had undoubtedly 

 existed in the town for centuries, as this entry 

 in the Manchester Lete Roll of 12 October 

 1608 shows : — 



That whereas there has been heretofore great dis- 

 order in our toune of Manchester, and the inhabitants 

 thereof greatly wringed and charged into makinge and 

 amendinge of their glass windows broken yearlie and 

 spoiled by a companye of lewd and disordered psons 

 Ysing that unlawful exercise of playing with the fFote- 

 ball in ye streets of ye sd toune breakinge many men's 

 windowes and glasse at their pleasures and other great 

 inormyties, Therefore we of this Jurye doe order that 

 no manner of psons hereafter shall play or use the 

 fboteball in any street within the sd toune of Man- 

 chester subpoened to evye one that shall so use the 

 same for evye time xii''. 



The pioneers, however, of modern football in 

 Manchester and district were chiefly alumni of 

 the large public schools, who were anxious not 

 to relinquish the game when school-days were 

 over. 



Foremost among the early Manchester players 

 were the brothers McLaren. The elder, James 

 McLaren, father of the famous cricketer, was 

 largely instrumental in bringing about the insti- 

 tution of the annual North and South match. 



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