It's a rivalry that goes back as far as the War of the Roses - but when it comes to Yorkshire vs Lancashire, we think we've got our cousins at the other side of the Pennines licked.

Here's 34 reasons Yorkshire - or God's Own County - is far greater than Lancashire.

1) Yorkshire is the largest historical county in the United Kingdom - so vast it has had to be split into four parts (north, east, south and west) just to function properly. Take that, Lancashire.

2) As soon as you start to cross the Pennines, those grey clouds tend to loom, and Manchester is known for its rainy weather. Yorkshire may not be the warmest county, but we get our fair share of sunshine.

3) When it comes to cricket, Yorkshire are the most successful team in English cricketing history with 31 County Championship titles. Lancashire had a rather embarrassing gap of 77 years between wins, 1934-2011.

4) When it comes to day at the seaside, Scarborough is the home of many a happy childhood memory, and its north and south beaches secured recommendations for excellent water quality in the 2014 Good Beach Guide. In contrast, Lancashire holiday rival Blackpool's three beaches (north, south and central) were given a mandatory rating - which means the minimum standard in terms water quality.

Scarborough's north and south beaches secured recommendations for excellent water quality in the 2014 Good Beach Guide
Scarborough's north and south beaches secured recommendations for excellent water quality in the 2014 Good Beach Guide

5) Where else can you find a beautiful harbour, a historic abbey and the setting of a classic gothic horror novel all in one place? Whitby! The north Yorkshire seaside town features in Bram Stoker's Dracula and is packed with tourists in the summer months. How could Morecambe compete?

6) Yorkshire folk are known for their funny bones, it seems - comedy stars hailing from God's own county include Monty Python actor Michael Palin, Shooting Stars team Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, and Bo Selecta's Leigh Francis, better known as Keith Lemon. And his character Avid Merrion was named after the Merrion shopping centre in Leeds.

7) Britpop nostalgia has been everywhere of late, inspiring radio station BBC 6Music to ask its listeners to vote for which Britpop record was the best. The winner - Sheffield band Pulp's anthem Common People. Take that, Oasis.

8) When it came to casting the Lord of Winterfell in HBO's award-winning series Game of Thrones, a Yorkshireman was the obvious choice. Enter Sean Bean as Ned Stark. Not only was Ned rocking a Yorkshire accent, but King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) joined in as well. And of course, Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister) hails from Huddersfield.

The Game of Thrones' cast includes plenty of Yorkshire faces, including Huddersfield actress Lena Headey, Sheffield's Sean Bean and York's Mark Addy.
The Game of Thrones' cast includes plenty of Yorkshire faces, including Huddersfield actress Lena Headey, Sheffield's Sean Bean and York's Mark Addy.

9) Yorkshire created rugby league - in fact, it was in Huddersfield that the sport was invented in 1895. Yorkshire teams have also won seven out of the last ten Super League titles.

10) Yorkshire began life as a Viking settlement, the Kingdom of Yorvik - and York's popular Yorvik museum ensure no one forgets it (including its smells).

11) And Yorkshire's also known as the home of many a decent pint - including the nation's most popular ale, John Smith's. It's also the home of award-winning brewery Black Sheep and Sam Smiths, which operates around 200 pubs in the north of England. Lancashire has Thwaites - but Yorkshire's got more big ale names.

12) The British tradition of afternoon tea is epitomised by Betty's Tearooms, in York and Harrogate - and if you need proof that Bettys is popular, just check out the queues that snake around the two tearooms most weekends. The tearooms are hit with tourists from around the globe.

13) Mud, tents, live music and a pint in a paper cup - nothing says summer like a music festival. Crowds have flocked to Bramham Park (and Temple Newsam, before that) for Leeds Festival since 1999. This year Queens of the Stone Age, Paramore, Blink 182 and Arctic Monkeys are topping the bill. Lancashire currently offers no equivalent weekend of debauchery.

Mud, tents, live music and a pint in a paper cup - nothing says summer like Leeds Festival
Mud, tents, live music and a pint in a paper cup - nothing says summer like Leeds Festival

14) Fancy a ferry trip? Well Yorkshire certainly beats Lancashire on that front. From Liverpool docks on the west you can sail over to Ireland, or the Isle of Man. But at the opposite side of the country, from Hull, a host of interesting destinations are on offer, including Amsterdam, Bruges, Hamburg and Rotterdam.

15) Yorkshire also beat Lancashire in the space race - the first British astronaut was Helen Sharman, born in Sheffield.

16) Known worldwide for Wuthering Heights, Jayne Eyre and Shirley, the Bronte literary family are one of Yorkshire's most famous literary exports, with fans travelling from all over the world to pay pilgrimage to their birthplace in Haworth - Lancashire has its famous authors, sure, but can it offer an entire family of them?

17) Yorkshire pudding vs steak and kidney pudding - need we say more?

18) Lancashire may have Blackpool Tower, but Yorkshire's got Emley Moor Mast - the tallest structure in the UK, even taller than The Shard in London.

Lancashire may have Blackpool Tower, but Yorkshire's got Emley Moor Mast - the tallest structure in the UK, even taller than The Shard in London.
Lancashire may have Blackpool Tower, but Yorkshire's got Emley Moor Mast - the tallest structure in the UK, even taller than The Shard in London.

19) Lancashire entrepreneur John Lees may have opened the first fish and chip shop, but Yorkshire holds the crown for best chippie in the UK.

Quayside in Whitby took the top prize at the 2014 National Fish and Chip Awards, held in January.

20) Yorkshire also has a UNESCO World Heritage site - Saltaire, near Shipley in Bradford. The historic village, established by Victorian philanthropist Sir Titus Salt, is protected as a 19th century industrial site and is also home to a grade I listed church. Liverpool is also a World Heritage Site - but it was kicked out of Lancashire in 1974 and made part of Merseyside.

21) When it comes to national museums, Yorkshire has some of the most fun, including the National Media Museum in Bradford, which recently housed the 50th anniversary Doctor Who exhibition, and Eureka, the National Children's Museum, which brings learning to life. There's also the National Railway Museum in York and the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield, where you can go 140m underground to get a taste of life down t'pit. Lancashire has the Imperial War Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry and the Football Museum - but do they sound as fun?

Eureka, the National Media Museum, the National Railway Museum and the National Coal Mining Museum are all in Yorkshire
Eureka, the National Media Museum, the National Railway Museum and the National Coal Mining Museum are all in Yorkshire

22) If Yorkshire had been regarded as an independent country in the 2012 Olympic Games in London, it would have finished twelfth in the medal table, with seven gold medals, two silver and three bronzes won by Yorkshire athletes. No other UK county fared as well.

23) Yorkshire beat off worldwide competition to host the Grand Depart during this year's Tour de France bike race. More than two billion people watch the sporting event around the globe, so it will be all eyes on Yorkshire's green and pleasant land this July- and the race will also pass through Holmfirth, Huddersfield, Elland and Hebden Bridge. Where's your bike race, Lancashire?

24) The Great Yorkshire Show is an important event on the county's calendar and is billed as England's premier agricultural event, highlighting the cream of the crop of British farming and country life over three days in July. More than 135,000 people flocked to the Harrogate showground last year, enjoying fashion shows, food tasting, show jumping, sheep shearing, cookery demos and more.

25) Some like it hot - and Yorkshire is no stranger to spices. While Manchester boasts about its Curry Mile, Bradford has been named Curry Capital of Britain three times, most recently in 2012. Yorkshire is also home to the world's largest Indian restaurant, the Aakash in Cleckheaton.

26) A Mecca for real ale fans, the Transpennine Real Ale Trail begins in Yorkshire and ends in Lancashire (or the other way round, depending on where you live). But Yorkshire wins, as it is home to six of the eight participating rail stations.

Six of the eight stations on the Transpennine Real Ale Trail are in Yorkshire
Six of the eight stations on the Transpennine Real Ale Trail are in Yorkshire

27) Opened by the Queen in 1981, the Humber Bridge was the longest single span suspension bridge in the world for 16 years. It's now the seventh longest, but at at 2,220 metres, it's still pretty impressive. Lancashire is definitely trailing on the bridge front.

28) Yorkshire Terriers. These pint-sized cuties are Yorkshire's canine mascot - ever heard of a Lancashire Labrador or Manchester Malamute? No, us neither.

29) Known as the 'gallery without walls', Yorkshire Sculpture Park has international fame and offers a wide range of sculptures and modern art scattered across 500 acres of 18th century parkland. Based in the grounds of Bretton Hall, Wakefield, it also features five indoor galleries - and it's free! Again, Lancashire offers no equivalent. We win.

30) Following the success of Educating Essex in 2011, TV execs chose Yorkshire for its next fly-on-the-wall school documentary series, and made stars out of pupils at Dewsbury's Thornhill Academy. Educating Yorkshire has won three awards and is nominated for two BAFTA television awards - and reduced the nation to tears when Musharaf Asghar overcame his stutter with the help of The King's Speech and teacher Mr Burton. Where's your award winning educational documentary series, eh Lancashire?

Educating Yorkshire has won three awards and is nominated for two BAFTA television awards
Educating Yorkshire has won three awards and is nominated for two BAFTA television awards

31) Yorkshire was also part of the abolition of the slave trade - Yorkshire MP William Wilberforce, born in Kingston-upon-Hull, lead the slave trade abolition movement, campaigning for 26 years until the passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807. Well done William.

32) And you can also thank Yorkshire for bonfire night and the fireworks that fill the sky on November 5. Gunpower Plot leader Guy Fawkes was born in York.

33) Yorkshire actors are so talented they're commended by the Queen. Step forward Sir Ben Kingsley (Snainton, North Yorkshire), Dame Judy Dench (York) and Sir Patrick Stewart (Mirfield).

34) Tea is the lifeblood of the British people - so it makes perfect sense that Yorkshire has perfected its own special brew. Yorkshire Tea, produced in Harrogate, is the fastest growing mainstream tea brand - and counts among its fans One Direction's Louis Tomlinson. Ever been offered a cup of Lancashire Tea? Us neither.

Click here to take you back to more Huddersfield news.

Want to read, watch and hear more? You can download the FREE Examiner Apple App here, the FREE Examiner Android App here or you can view the paper as an e-edition on your Apple, Android or Kindle device by clicking here

To follow us on Twitter click here