A NEW plaque to commemorate the birthplace of cricket legend Thomas Lord has been officially unveiled.

It is the first of 20 blue plaques being erected in Thirsk to mark famous buildings and birthplaces.

Thomas Lord - the founder of Lord's Cricket Ground in London - was born in the house now used by Thirsk Museum, in November 1755. On moving to London, he played for the White Conduit Club but it lacked a ground of its own. The club commissioned Lord to find a suitable sit. He did, and it took his name and the Marylebone Cricket Club was born.

Its secretary and chief executive, Roger Knight, performed the official unveiling.

He said: "I am very pleased to be invited here and feel you are very brave inviting a former Surrey captain into Yorkshire. Lord's is the most famous cricket ground in the world and Thomas Lord was very much a figure to have there. He could not only play cricket but was very good at persuading the nobility to part with some of their money.

"I wonder what he would have thought of the present-day media centre, but he was a forward-looking man so I'm sure he would have approved."

Thirsk Town Council, working with Hambleton District Council and Sowerby Parish Council, has commissioned 20 other plaques for buildings of note in the town.

They will also be placed on the World of James Herriot, the town hall and the Ritz Cinema, one of the oldest surviving independent cinemas in the UK.

The project has been spearheaded by county and local councillor Jan Marshall following a suggestion by Coun Jim Jackson.

After the official launch, guests and visitors were invited for refreshments by Thirsk Athletic Club. There, the exhibition mounted for the 150th anniversary in 2001 had been mounted again for visitors to browse through while enjoying a typical cricket club tea.