Lives in Cricket No 13 - AP Lucas

Remarkably, Lucas’s third outing of the season two weeks later also saw an Essex record that has never been beaten – Walter Mead’s match return of 17 for 119 against Hampshire. If Essex’s 1893 match against the Australians had been deemed first-class, he would have been, at that time, the only man ever to get 17 wickets in a match twice. As with Pickett’s record earlier in the season, Essex lost comfortably. In the first innings Lucas top-scored with 37 and added 56 at a run a minute with Kortright. He got a duck in the second and another in Essex’s next game, and missed the rest of the season. In 1896 Lucas was able to play in only three of Essex’s 14 games. The first of them was against the Australians, whom he always seems to have been keen to take on. He came in with Essex on 74 for four and was last man out, for 46 out of 166. In the second innings he was out for 16 and the Australians won comfortably by seven wickets. Lucas was run out without scoring against Warwickshire but made 42 and 56 in a big win at Derby. 100 Essex cricketer, 1895-1907 The Essex side which played the Australians at Leyton in May, 1896. Standing (l to r): W.Mead, C.J.Kortright, J.W.Armour (scorer), H.Pickett, T.M.Russell (wk). Seated: P.A.Perrin, A.P.Lucas, H.G.P.Owen (capt), C.P.McGahey, H.A.Carpenter. On the step: F.G.Bull, J.F.Bawtree.