Lives in Cricket No 13 - AP Lucas

Lucas was elected as a member of the Rovers and made his debut for them in July 1874, while still at the school. For the Rovers’ annual dinner, The Rhyming Rover regularly set words to a familiar tune, producing clever and witty doggerel that scanned almost as badly as that of William McGonagall, who flourished around the same time. He recorded Lucas’s contribution to an innings win over Prince’s Club and Ground side, at Chelsea: That young Lucas must have found it far from easy work to run Over turf like asphalt pavement underneath a broiling sun What a first-rate bat he is, though. Draper looked in quite a fix When against his straightest bowling Lucas knocked up seventy-six … In 1875 Lucas and Patterson were elected as the Cambridge University representatives on the Rovers’ committee. In his account of a match against Crystal Palace, the chronicler gave an insight into the characters of the two young men: As Patterson was supposed to be troubled with ‘nerves’ and senses while Lucas was reported to be devoid of such encumbrances, they were put in first together … . The fellow Cantabs hit about in excellent style until Lucas (while laughing at a joke he had heard the night before, and which he had just discerned the point of) made a mistake and was bowled … . Against Tooting, the pair added an extraordinary unbroken partnership of 238 in two hours, Lucas 130 and Patterson 93. Due in next was a joint-founder of the Rovers, Jack Beevor, who complained that he ‘had not come all the way from Nottingham to see these two youngsters bat.’ Aged only 18, Lucas headed the Rovers’ averages with 264 runs at 52.80. Uppingham Rovers, 1874-1913 23 ‘Elephantine volumes’: ‘The Doings of the Uppingham Rovers’.