Cricket 1883

“ Together joined in cricket’s manly toil.”— B y r o n . Registered^or Trim am ission Abroad. THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 1833. P R I C E 2 d . ALFRED PERCY LUCAS. If it were possible to collect the votes of the whole body of cricketers to determine the batsman possessed of the most correct and fin­ ished style, in all probability there w ou ld be a large maj<rity to place Mr. A. P. Lucas at the head of the poll. As an all-round cricketer Mr. Lucas can claim to be in the front rank, but it is as a batsman that he . has chiefly gained a reputation as one of the best cricketers of the day. Though for eight years identified with Surrey, it was only the tie of residence which connected him with that County. Esher has been his home for many years, but he was born in London, at 22, Chesham Place, on Feb. 20, 1857, and Middlesex, consequently, has the prior claim on him of birth. Mr. Lucas was indebted for his early cricket education to one of the best instructors, H. H. Stephenson, the once famous Sur­ rey player, and the sound style of batting which has contributed to his fame was the result, beyond a doubt, of the ex­ ample of his preceptor. Stephenson’s connection with Uppingham School com­ menced at a fortunate time when there was a superabundance of good cricket material to work into shape, and his tuition soon took effect. Mr. Lucas was only in his sixteenth year when he made his debut (in 1872) in the Uppingham Eleven. Messrs.W.S.Fatterson and D.Q. Steel, who, like Mr. Lucas, obtained their blues subsequently at Cambridge, were also in tho team, and the last-named opened well in his first year with a most promising scoreof 66 . In the following year the Uppingham Eleven, who were exceptionally strong for a school, were under the command of Mr. W. S. Pat­ terson, and Mr. Lucas did an extraordinary per­ formance, with Mr. iC. L. Brook, scoring 161 for the first wicket against v Repton School. Few Public School Elevens have been able to boast a season so productive of high scoring as that recorded to Uppingham in 1874, and of the three batsmen, Steel, Fleming and Lucas, who contributed most to their huge totals, the last-named was tho most successful. It is open to doubt, indeed, whether any School player has ever secured a record equal to that of Mr. Lucas, at Uppingham, in 1874, when he obtained 604 runs for fourteen innings, an average of 50.1. Stephenson’s interest in Sur­ rey cricket prevented the authorities at the Oval overlooking Mr. Lucas’s claims on the County, and on July 16 he made his debut for Surrey, at the Oval, oddly enough opposing Middlesex, the shire of his birth. He was then only seventeen, and the following spring found him so success­ ful in the Freshmen’s match, at Cambridge, as to make his position in the University Eleven quite secure. His first appearance in the Inter-University match was in the memorable contest of 1875, which Mr. Ridley’s bowling won for Oxford by only six runs, and in this match he scored 19 and 5. Mr. Lucas j played in ten innings for Surrey, in 1875, but his best contribution was one of 50 against Middlesex, at the Oval, and he only had an aggregate of 145 runs. The season of 1876 was a most successful one for him. He opened it auspicuously with two fine in­ nings of 105 and 53 for Cambridge University v. Mr. C. I. Thornton’s Eleven, and he was the most successful member of a very strong batting team, having for the season an aggregate of 497 runs for thirteen innings, a fine average of 49J runs. Though not chosen to repre­ sent the Gentlemen against the Players at Lord’s, he took part in both matches • of 1875, at the Oval and Prince’s, and withsuccess, scoring 25 attheformer, and 35 at the latter ground. Mr. Lucas only played twice for Surrey during this sea­ son, but his figures in first-class matches were exceptionally fine for a cricketer not yet twenty, and his aggregate for 31 innings was 813, average 29.1. The Cambridge Eleven of 1877 included no less than five Old Uppinghamians, Messrs. W. S. Patterson, the Capt., A. P. Lucas, the Treasurer, 1). Q. Steel, S. S. Schultz, and H. T. Luddington, and Messrs. Lucas and Steel wererespectively first and second in the batting averages. Mr. Lucas made 54 out of 134 in the first innings for Cambridge v. Oxford, and for Surrey he was even more successful. His score of 115 mainly conduced to tho County’s victory over Notts, at the Oval, and in the !very next match, three days later, at Maidstone, he contributed 110 V. Kent, helping materially to secure another win. He figured in both matches between Gentlemen and Players, in 1877, and in first-class matches his averagewas very nearly the highest of the year, 33.7. Though the principal run-getter for Cambridge in the Inter-University match of 1878, he was, owing to illness, uot in his best form until the season had somewhat advanced, but his innings of 91 for the Gentlemen, at Lord’s, showed that he had lost none of his form. During the winter he visited Australia as one of Lord Harris’s Team, and did good service. His best score was 90 against Fifteen of Victoria, bat he was third