Lives in Cricket No 13 - AP Lucas

On 28 July the Australians came to Leyton, fresh from Old Trafford and the famous three-run win that brought back memories of the Ashes Test twenty years before. Lucas won the toss, and on a benign wicket the tourists found bowling altogether more difficult than they had two days earlier. In front of a large and enthusiastic crowd Essex made 345, and despite Victor Trumper’s fine 109 in 90 minutes, the visitors were dismissed for 232. Trumble twice bowled Lucas but not before the veteran had scored 26 and 50 ‘in classic style’. Lucas declared five minutes after lunch and set the Australians 297 to win in 165 minutes. After the Leyton crowd were treated to another Trumper century, the match ended in a draw with the visitors on 253 for six. Two weeks later Lucas had the opportunity for a final tilt at the Australians when he was invited to captain MCC against them at Lord’s. Most of the counties were playing, so apart from Ranjitsinhji, who had temporarily fallen out with Sussex, the MCC team was rather weak. The game came immediately after England’s thrilling one-wicket victory at The Oval, so there was a disappointing lack of atmosphere. Lucas batted well for 27 in the first innings but Trumble had ‘the old beggar’ caught at the wicket for 11 in the second, and the Australians won by an innings. Lucas had enjoyed the festival atmosphere at Canterbury and returned at the earliest possible opportunity. Essex were caught on a drying wicket that was expected to be difficult, but ‘Mr Lucas played with all his usual elegance and power’ for 42 out of 81 added in an hour with Fane. Further rain ruined the game and ‘neither captain took it seriously. Mr Mason changed his batting order and Mr Lucas tried some quite unusual bowlers.’ Against Derbyshire Lucas was dropped on 0 and in the fifties but otherwise batted ‘in perfect style’. He ‘made most of his runs behind the wicket, his placing on both sides being admirable’. He was last out for 103, the eighth and final century of his first-class career, although he had scored three for Essex pre-first-class. Essex took a first innings lead of 62 but free hitting by the Derbyshire tail enabled them to set a target of 160 and they won an exciting game by 15 runs. Lucas’s final game as Essex captain was at Leyton against Leicestershire. Though he made only three and 12, it was a memorable swansong. After conceding a first innings lead of 172, Essex lost their second wicket shortly before the close of the second day. Mead went in as nightwatchman and in 90 minutes he made 119, the only century of his career. According to E.H.D.Sewell, whose anecdotes sometimes seem more colourful than reliable, it might never have happened but for him. 93 The secretary, O.R.Borradaile, called out to Sewell to tell Sailor Young to go in but Young ‘hadn’t spent valuable years in the Royal Navy for nothing … and so was conveniently not on deck’. Mead was, so Sewell said: ‘Get ’em on, Walter, Borry says you’ve to go in if a wicket falls.’ Mead made ‘almost every stroke in the good books, and several that, if he’d been bowling, he’d have liked Essex cricketer, 1895-1907 109 93 Sewell, E.H.D. Well Hit! Sir , Stanley Paul, 1946, p 89.