Lives in Cricket No 13 - AP Lucas

On 5 May the tourists arrived in New York where, at the St George’s Club in Hoboken, they played a team which called itself the United States of America, made up of club cricketers from New York and Philadelphia. The match got a good preview in the New York Times, 51 which said that Lucas had ‘quite an enviable reputation’ as a batsman. Only seven of the tourists played, so the numbers were made up by four English-born men who were living locally. The home side won the toss and batted, but were bowled out for 84. Lucas opened the bowling and took four wickets as did George Lane, a Nottinghamshire man who was working as the professional at Staten Island C.C. Lucas and Penn opened the batting and ‘struggled for some time before they got a hit, but the way once opened, one brilliant hit followed another with astonishing rapidity.’ Lucas hit two balls over the fence, which counted as six. When he was on 98, Edward Moeran ‘sent in a twister which clipped Lucas’s bat and was caught by Cross.’ He batted for 165 minutes and ‘was loudly applauded as he left the field.’ The Englishmen won by an innings and 114 runs. The tourists left New York on 10 May aboard the White Star Line’s S.S.Baltic . Lucas, Penn, Webbe and Royle shared ‘a beautiful cabin’. Royle closed his diary the next day and, after some seven months away, the tourists returned to England. On 26 May, Lucas scored 70 against Cambridge University for the Gentlemen of England, captained by Donny Walker, and Webbe was also in the side. The Australian tour, 1878/79 54 Though Lucas toured Australia only once, his time there was recalled on the plaque placed in Fryerning Church almost half a century later. 51 From which the match reports in this paragraph are taken.