 to Middlesex , but their form improved in November , when they won 10 of their 13 matches . The team played its first international match on 1 December , against Ireland , and won 13 – 4 . This was followed by a win over one of the strongest English county teams , Yorkshire , and a 5 – 0 defeat against the Wales national team . By January 1889 the Natives had played 36 matches in less than three months , winning 22 of them ; they had spent most of their time in the north of England , where the playing strength was strongest and the crowds largest and most profitable .  
Ġto ĠMiddles ex Ġ, Ġbut Ġtheir Ġform Ġimproved Ġin ĠNovember Ġ, Ġwhen Ġthey Ġwon Ġ10 Ġof Ġtheir Ġ13 Ġmatches Ġ. ĠThe Ġteam Ġplayed Ġits Ġfirst Ġinternational Ġmatch Ġon Ġ1 ĠDecember Ġ, Ġagainst ĠIreland Ġ, Ġand Ġwon Ġ13 ĠâĢĵ Ġ4 Ġ. ĠThis Ġwas Ġfollowed Ġby Ġa Ġwin Ġover Ġone Ġof Ġthe Ġstrongest ĠEnglish Ġcounty Ġteams Ġ, ĠYorkshire Ġ, Ġand Ġa Ġ5 ĠâĢĵ Ġ0 Ġdefeat Ġagainst Ġthe ĠWales Ġnational Ġteam Ġ. ĠBy ĠJanuary Ġ1889 Ġthe ĠN atives Ġhad Ġplayed Ġ36 Ġmatches Ġin Ġless Ġthan Ġthree Ġmonths Ġ, Ġwinning Ġ22 Ġof Ġthem Ġ; Ġthey Ġhad Ġspent Ġmost Ġof Ġtheir Ġtime Ġin Ġthe Ġnorth Ġof ĠEngland Ġ, Ġwhere Ġthe Ġplaying Ġstrength Ġwas Ġstrongest Ġand Ġthe Ġcrowds Ġlargest Ġand Ġmost Ġprofitable Ġ. Ġ Ġ