Lives in Cricket No 13 - AP Lucas

Lucas was neither the first nor the last to bowl donkey-drops and, in the late 1950s, the Leicestershire secretary-captain Charles Palmer – partly inspired by his love for The Story of Spedegue’s Dropper – took a dozen or more first-class wickets with them. He commented to Douglas Miller: The success of this type of ball depends on several things. It must be high enough for a steep descent, at least 30 feet, or it will merely be a full toss. It must be straight; it must be full enough length to land on or very near the stumps if missed. And it must be used sparingly enough to be something of a surprise to the batsman. 31 From 2000 Lucas and Palmer would not have been able to bowl donkey- drops, for they became illegal when the law relating to full tosses was broadened to include those that are not fast. Lucas headed the 1890 batting averages with 265 at 44.16 and took 13 wickets at 12.61. The chronicler concluded his report with a note that Lucas ‘has promised to take us all for three weeks next year and bring H.H.’, but evidently circumstances – possibly the scandal over brother Percy’s embezzlement – brought about a change of plan. In 1891 Bunny was unable to be with us this year. …When we have to record the loss of his general self and the consequent loss to the side of his always colossal average it is indeed a sad matter … . Lucas had been the Rovers’ finest player for seventeen years, but his time with them was all but ended. Perhaps because of his career on the Stock Exchange and increasing commitments to Essex, he played only three more games for them. In 1896 he returned for two matches. At Northampton, ‘knowing that he never took less than 100 v Northants we felt quite happy. Nor was our confidence misplaced, his 106, except for a difficult chance in the slips, being faultless.’ Then he made 68 against the Gentlemen of Derbyshire and ‘we lost Bunny here, who was compelled to leave us, much to our mutual sorrow. However, two matches are better than none, and we can only hope that he will be able to come on the whole tour with us next year.’ That hope went unfulfilled, but there was to be one last hurrah. In 1913 the Rovers held a splendid Golden Jubilee dinner at the Hotel Cecil, and Lucas was among the most distinguished of the guests. In a wide-ranging speech summarising the achievements of the Rovers, C.E.Green paid tribute to ‘A.P.Lucas, the finest batsman and one of the keenest cricketers that Uppingham has ever produced … who still goes on playing, and making runs, in his own inimitable style.’ Doubtless to mark the occasion, Lucas had turned out for the Rovers a few days earlier, at Beckenham against the Old Abbeians. After the Rovers had fielded all day, ‘their innings was remarkable for an innings of 65 not out by Bunny, who seems to get Uppingham Rovers, 1874-1913 35 31 Douglas Miller, Charles Palmer: More Than Just a Gentleman, Fairfield Books, 2005.