[1] Born in Whalley Range, Manchester, and the eldest of seven brothers, MacLaren was a keen cricketer from his youngest days.
[2] He was particularly close to his younger brother Archie, who later captained England.
[4] He played in the Harrow first team between 1886 and 1888, and was appointed captain in his final year.
[3] Upon leaving Harrow, he played on four occasions for Lancashire between 1891 and 1894 but had little success.
On one occasion in 1894, he opened the batting with his brother Archie, who was captain of Lancashire by that stage.