His form slumped following injuries in the late 1920s, but a recovery in the early 1930s led to a recall by England, although he broke down in his second match back.

[2] Macaulay was educated at Barnard Castle; in later years, he took teams of famous cricketers to play annual matches against the school eleven.

[5] In the First World War, Macaulay served with the Royal Field Artillery;[6] afterwards he returned to work for the same bank as before, initially in London,[4] then in Herne Bay, Kent, playing club cricket in his spare time.

Of the team's previously successful bowlers, Major Booth had been killed in the war, Alonzo Drake had died soon afterwards from illness, and George Hirst was past his best.

[5] Subsequently, Harry Hayley, a 19th-century Yorkshire cricketer, saw Macaulay in action and was sufficiently impressed to recommend him for a trial with the county.

[11] Helping Yorkshire to win the first of four County Championships in a row,[15] Macaulay finished second to Rhodes in the team's bowling averages.

[25] England won the series 2–1, but the Wisden correspondent for the tour was not impressed by the English performances, noting that no really effective bowlers had emerged.

The citation praised his stamina, spin and ability to bowl on all kinds of pitches but noted that he was easily discouraged and had a negative attitude if circumstances went against him.

[32] In a match against Middlesex in 1924 at Sheffield, the hostility of the crowd provoked an MCC inquiry which found that Yorkshire bowler Abe Waddington had incited the spectators.

[34] The editor of Wisden blamed Yorkshire's poor discipline on a small group of approximately four players.

[35] It is also possible that during a match at this time, Macaulay openly criticised the captaincy and bowling of Arthur Gilligan, the England captain.

[36] Since 1923, Macaulay had run a cricket outfitters in Leeds and Wakefield with his Yorkshire team-mate Herbert Sutcliffe, borrowing £250 from his mother to help establish the business.

Wisden described his performance as "lifeless",[45] while cricket writer Neville Cardus noted that he had "yet again ... fallen below his best away from the Yorkshire XI".

[8] Macaulay was selected for the third Test against Australia at Headingley, possibly because Arthur Carr, the England captain, expected the pitch to favour spinners.

The Australians were concerned that Macaulay represented a threat to their batting, but the match did not work out in Macaulay's favour as a bowler; having been dropped at the start of play, Charlie Macartney played what Wisden called one of the best innings of his career and vigorously attacked the England bowling, achieving the rare feat of scoring a century before the lunch interval.

The Australian batsman had asked his captain if he could attack Macaulay in particular, and the Yorkshire bowler suffered as Macartney quickly dominated him.

[8][11] Over the next four seasons, Yorkshire failed to win the Championship, although they never finished lower than fourth in the table.

The effectiveness of the main bowlers was reduced by age and injury; only Macaulay remained at something approaching his bowling peak.

Hampered by another foot injury throughout 1930, Macaulay failed to take 100 wickets for the first time since his debut season; his average of 25.12 was the highest of his career.

[10] This placed him third in the Yorkshire averages, behind Hedley Verity and Bill Bowes, who both took over 100 wickets and led a very strong bowling attack.

Not picked initially, a decision described by Wisden as unfair, he played in the first Test when E. W. Clark dropped out of the team before the match.

[76] Following his retirement, Macaulay initially attempted to market a patented rheumatic medicine, but the business quickly failed.

He believed that he was owed the balance, and continued his business under that assumption, but Yorkshire had invested the amount and he only received the interest.

[3][80][81] When the Second World War began, Macaulay joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) Volunteer Reserve in 1940 as a Pilot Officer, and was stationed at Church Fenton, close to Barkston Ash where he lived with his wife Edith.

[12] Wisden said that his spin made him more effective than other bowlers of his speed on a sticky wicket, a pitch which has been affected by rain, making it erratic and difficult to bat on.

[3][86] Kilburn wrote: "His run-up was half-shambling, his steps short and his shoulders swaying, but his feet were faultlessly placed and his aim was high at the instant of delivery".

[87] He knew many tricks to dismiss or unsettle them, including the tactic of bowling the ball straight at their head without pitching, which was usually considered dangerous and unfair.

[5] Robertson-Glasgow described him as an unusual man, "fiercely independent, witty, argumentative, swift to joy and anger.

He had pleasure in cracking a convention or cursing an enemy ... A cricket-bag came between him and his blazer hanging on a peg; and he'd kick it and tell it a truth or two, then laugh.

[6][91] Yet, he could also express appreciation when a skillful batsmen hit a good shot from his bowling; the result was that his colleagues were never sure what to expect from him, even after playing with him for years.