Lives in Cricket No 13 - AP Lucas

We are fortunate that one of the party, Vernon Royle, kept a diary of the tour. 42 Royle, who was three years older than Lucas, had played against him in the Varsity matches of 1875 and 1876, and in several games for Lancashire. Although he often mentioned the cricket, his main purpose was to record the whole experience. Lucas frequently accompanied Royle on his various outings, so we have an insight into Bunny’s interests outside cricket. The party left Southampton on 17 October 1878, aboard the Australia , a steamship of the P & O line. Lucas shared a cabin with his Uppingham and Cambridge team-mate S.S.Schultz. After a rough passage across the Bay of Biscay, they passed Gibraltar and arrived at Malta late on 25 October, immediately engaging a guide to show them the sights of Valletta. The ship was due to leave at 9 am the following morning, so Royle, Lucas and Francis MacKinnon went on shore at 6.30 and their guide took them to 46 The Australian tour, 1878/79 Lord Harris’s side in Australia, 1878/79. Standing (l to ): F.Penn, A.J.Webbe, C.A.Absolom, S.S.Schultz (later Storey), L.Hone (wk). Seated: F.A.MacKinnon, A.N.Hornby, Lord Harris (capt), H.C.Maul, G.Ulyett. On the Ground: A.P.Lucas, V.P.F.A.Royle, T.Emmett. 42 Quotations in this chapter are from Royle’s diary, unless otherwise stated.