Born on 15 August 1847 in Eastwood, Martin McIntyre was a right-hand batsman and a right-arm round-arm fast bowler from mining stock. “When at his best he was terribly destructive, ripping up the wickets in rare fashion.”
McIntyre appeared for the XXII Colts in April 1868 and was drafted in for his First-Class debut at the Oval versus Surrey in July 1868 and in Surrey’s second innings took 3-17, Notts losing the game by 74 runs. In the following match at Dewsbury he was most effective, taking 5-33 to lead Notts to a comprehensive victory. At the end of July versus Lancashire at Old Trafford he got the top score for Notts to underline his all-round ability. His career in county cricket was interrupted in 1869 and 1870 as he was in America, engaged by the Germantown Club, but he continued to find success for in 1869 he became the first player to score two centuries in a single season in the United States. McIntyre resumed his place in Notts Eleven in 1871, but his insobriety affected his performances. Prior to the Oval match in 1872 he was severely reprimanded by the Notts Committee for indiscipline and drinking and given one more chance due to the late withdrawal of Alfred Shaw. The result of this admonishment was the most brilliant all-round display ever attained by a Notts cricketer up to that date. Notts batted first and fell to 55-7 when Martin McIntyre came in to join Richard Daft. The pair added 147 and Notts were all out for 209, McIntyre finishing with 88 not out. McIntyre then took 9-33, including seven clean bowled, as Surrey were all out for 60; they remain the best figures for a Notts bowler against Surrey. McIntyre scored 115 for once out in the match and took 12-99.
Other notable performances for Notts include 77 v Middlesex at Trent Bridge in 1874, 10-55 including 8-55 in the second innings v Surrey (Oval) in 1873, obtaining the last five Surrey wickets in 11 balls; 6-18 against the MCC (Lord’s) in 1874; and 5-8 v Yorkshire (Sheffield) in 1874. His undoubted ability as a fiery fast bowler, albeit sometimes peppered with wides and no-balls, was reflected in his achievement as leading bowler in 1872 and 1874, in an attack which boasted bowlers of the calibre of Wootton, the two Shaws and Morley.
He played for Notts until the close of 1875, but not at all in 1876 due to the demon drink; his final three matches for the County were in 1877. His last game was against Yorkshire at Sheffield in September. In 45 first-class games for Notts he scored 1,145 runs @16.35 and took 123 wickets @13.52.
Martin McIntyre represented the Players v Gentlemen on nine occasions. During the North v South at Lord’s in 1873 he almost repeated his feat of 1872; his first innings bowling figures were 8-18 and he scored 77 in the North’s second innings. His last First-Class match was for an England XI v Cambridge University in May 1878. In 77 first-class matches he scored 1,992 runs @16.32 and took 194 wickets @17.39.
His professional engagements were: Manchester Broughton (1864), Bestwood Park, Leeds, Wirksworth and Dudley (1868), Germantown CC (1869-70), Hull and Hornsea (1871), Cambridge University and All England Eleven (1872-76), Uppingham (1873), Walsall (1874-75), Beeston (1875), Holbeck (1877-80), Stockport (1877-78), Todmorden (1879), Belfast (1880) and Sunderland (1882). He umpired three First-Class games at Fenner’s between 1878 and 1881.
In addition to his two seasons in the United States he went abroad with WG Grace’s team to Australia in 1873-74. Grace later diplomatically wrote that ‘the hospitality of our friends …was too much for him and he sat up later than he should have’. It was probably why Richard Daft remarked that ‘if he had taken the trouble, he might have been ‘one of the finest all-round men who ever played cricket’.
In 1882 while in Sunderland he made a single appearance for Durham v Northumberland at North Shields when he took 5-17 in the contest. Martin McIntyre died of consumption on 28 February 1885 in Moorgreen aged 37 years. During the summer of that year the American Cricket Magazine appealed for contributions to a fund for his widow and children who were in very poor circumstances. In October 1886 his widow wrote to Notts CCC, asking for assistance.
His brothers William (1844-92) and Michael (1839-88) also appeared for Notts.
June 2020
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 117