Focus on The Battle of the Roses and explore the Accuracy and 2020 reappraisal.
Until 2020 historians, including rugby specialist Tony Collins considered that the picture featured the  rugby union match between the representative sides of Yorkshire and Lancashire played at Park Avenue, Bradford on 25 November 1893 but noted that at least 11 of the players in the picture have been identified as taking part in the 1893 match but others who have been identified didn't, most notably Alf Barraclough, the player making the pass, and Thomas Dobson, the rightmost player in the picture. The referee in the picture has been identified as George Rowland Hill then the secretary of the Rugby Football Union but the actual referee of the game was T Potts from Durham.With the greater availability of contemporary newspapers for study Collins is now of the opinion that the painting is based on the game between the two counties at Fallowfield stadium, Manchester on 24 November 1894.  A review of the painting while it was on public display in Huddersfield in 1896 gives a full description of the painting identifying many of the players illustrated, the match, location and the identity of many rugby officials who appear in the crowd.  One remaining discrepancy is the referee as match reports record the referee as Irish referee, R. G. Warren.
Thomas Dobson Huddersfield Fallowfield Tony Collins rugby union George Rowland Hill Park Avenue Rugby Football Union Alf Barraclough