AS the latest cricket Test got under way in one part of the North yesterday, a piece of the sport's history was being marked in another.

The man who gave his name to what is arguably the most famous cricket ground in the country, Lord's, was born in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, almost 250 years ago.

A blue plaque commemorating the birthplace of Thomas Lord was unveiled yesterday.

Lord was born in November 1755 in the house that is now used by Thirsk Museum.

On moving to London, he played for the White Conduit Club, but it lacked a ground.

So the club commissioned Lord to find a suitable site, which took his name, and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) was created.

Yesterday, the secretary and chief executive of the MCC, Roger Knight, unveiled the plaque.

It is the first of 20 being put up in Thirsk to mark famous buildings and birthplaces.

Buildings to be marked include the World of James Herriot centre - the site of the famous vet's original surgery; the town hall -designed by Yorkshire architect Walter H Brierley; and the Ritz Cinema -one of the oldest surviving independent cinemas in the UK.