Cricket 1885

THURSDAY, JULY 30, 1885. p r i c e ad “ Together joined in cricket’s man ly toil.”— Byron. MR. F R E D E R IC K M U R R A Y LUCAS. "W ith the exception, perhaps, of Mr. O’Biien no cricketer of late years has so suddenly burst into universal notoriety as the Sussex Amateur whose portrait we are able to give this week. Though his appearances this summer have only been few, they have been sufficiently brilliant to establish his claim to be considered in quite the fore­ front of players, amateur or profes- si nal. Long connected- with Sussex by reason of residence at Wamham Court, Horsham, Mr. F, M. Lucas was, how­ ever, born in London, on February 3, 1860. When only ten years old he had already found a place in the eleven at Elstree School—the nursery, as many are well aware, of many youngsters who have, after receiving the finishing touches of their education at Harrow, taken conspicuous positions in the world of cricket. Under ordinary cir­ cumstances Mr. F. M. Lucas would have gone up to Harrow: indeed, he was really destined for that School. The elevation, though, of the Rev. F. W. Farrar, the present Archdeacon of Westminster, in whose house his brothers were while at Harrow, to thS Head - Mastership of Marlborough, however, changed the plana formed for his School life. It was arranged that ■»ith Dr. Farrar he should go to Marl­ borough, and the same year of 1872 found them both in residence there. During the whole term of Dr. Farrar's hea.imastership, too, and, indeed, until after its completion Mr. F. M. Lucas remained at Marlborough. It was not, though, until 1876, that he was able to get his colours as one of the College cricket eleven. Mr. A. G. Steel was then in the first year of his Captaincy, at Marlborough, and a successful season it was, eight of the nine matches played being won and the ninth drawn. The occasion of Mr. Lucas’s debut was the opening fixture against Exeter College, and he was fairly fortu­ nate in making a first score of fourteen. The promise he Bhowed in this match was fully realised. Though unlucky against Rugby, at or Rugby. Iadeed, altogether, his figures were not quite so good as in the previous year, and three cricketers, well-known like himself, sub­ sequently, at Cambridge—A. G. Steel, C. P. WUson and C. E. Grainger—were all in front of him in the batting averages. Leaving Marl­ borough at the end of 1877, Mr. Lucas went to a tutor in Suffolk prior to his matriculation at Cambridge. Though the winter of 1879 found him in resi­ dence at Trinity College, his cricket that year was mostly confined to Suffolk, and he even represented that County once against Hertfordshire, The summer of 1880 was one produc­ tive of exceptional run-getting for him, and at Cambridge, as well as later in the year, he was credited with 'some very big scores. Though tried in the Freshmen’s match he was not fortunate, and most of his best records were in minor matches. In three successive innings during May he got over a hundred, making 122 for Trinity against Rugby School, and 134 and 119 for the Hawks against Jesus College and the Inexpressibles respectively. The end of July, too, saw him credited with three consecutive scores of a hundred within a week. The first of these wai one of 141 not out in a total of 581 for Warnbam Court against Horsham on July 19 and 20, followed by 132 for Horsham on the 21st against North­ brook, and 184 for Horsham against Rudgwick on the 26th. With his two brothers, C. J. and M. P., he played fovSussex in 1880 against Derbyshire at Derby, the first occasion, and the only one during 1he year, on which he represented the county. A well-got score of 40 for the Seniors at Cam­ bridge secured him a place in the first University elevtn match of 1881. A severe attack of tjphoid fever, though, unfortunately checked his cricket just at a time when he seemed to have a good chance of getting his blue. He was, indeed, only able to play once more during the season, and then not until August, when he was credited with thirty-nine for Horsham. In the follow­ ing summer of 1882 Mr. Lucas was capta:n and, on the whole, for a first season he acquitted himself very well, having an average only second to Mr. Steel, one of over twenty-one runs for twelve completed innings. Though he played some good innings during 1877 he was not par­ ticularly successful either against Cheltenham Lord’s, he showed capital cricket against Chel­ tenham, and he enjoyed the double distinction not only of being not out each time with 43 and 14, but of being in with Mr. A. G. Steel when tho winning hit was made. His best score of the year was one of sixty-three against the Old Boys