Lives in Cricket No 13 - AP Lucas

batsman and the experience he brought to the captaincy undoubtedly made a crucial contribution to it. Lucas made a wonderful start to his Essex career. At Green’s invitation, W.G.Grace brought a ‘somewhat moderate’ MCC team down to Leyton. 84 Lucas and his friend Hugh Owen added 185 for the first wicket and ‘batted in excellent form, fairly collaring the bowling of Mr Grace, Alec Hearne and Hulme’. Lucas gave two chances but went on to make 103 with eight 4s, seven 3s, and fifteen 2s. MCC followed on but it was only a two-day game and they escaped with a draw. Grace and Lucas stayed with Green, and ‘had many cricket yarns and reminiscences that they were able to recall’. 85 Grace wrote to thank his host and added that ‘he would like to receive twenty guineas of the advertisement he had afforded the new ground’. His presence undoubtedly boosted attendances and Green sent a cheque – but did not seek to hide his indignation. Perhaps as a result of this performance, Lucas was picked for the Gentlemen for the first time since 1884, but they were bowled out twice in a day and lost by ten wickets. He opened with Grace and his scores of three and 17 weren’t conspicuously worse than anyone else’s, but it was his last game for the Gentlemen despite some excellent performances for Essex. Lucas led the side in all but two of the county matches. Against Derbyshire at Leyton, he opened the bowling in preference to the experienced professional Harry Pickett and sent down 58 five-ball overs, but Pickett proved a point by taking 31 wickets in the next three matches, and Lucas never again bowled as many overs for Essex. Lucas then captained Essex to their biggest win to date against a county, an innings and 123 runs against Leicestershire who ‘in an hour and ten minutes were disposed of for 51, and that on a wicket with which no particular fault could be found.’ Next came an even finer win, only Essex’s second against first-class opposition; Surrey were set 193 to win but ‘In an hour and twenty minutes they were all dismissed for the paltry total of 57.’ Lucas could look back with satisfaction on his first year with Essex. As captain, he led them to wins over Leicestershire and Surrey that were among the best in the club’s brief history. As batsman, he headed the averages with 334 runs at 37.11 and, perhaps more important, seems to have recovered his zest for the game. The Leytonstone Express and Independent wrote that ‘The addition to the team of A.P.Lucas not only strengthened the side from the batting point of view, but his presence has had a most satisfactory effect by encouraging the less prominent to more strenuous exertions.’ Essex were nevertheless £3,850 (£230,000 today) in debt to their bankers and in grave danger of having to sell the Leyton ground and wind up the club. At a Special General Meeting on 17 October 90 Essex captain, 1889-1894 84 Newspaper quotations in this chapter are mostly from the Leytonstone Express and Independent , which gave excellent coverage of all local cricket, including the county club . 85 Memorial Biography of Dr W.G.Grace , Green’s contribution, p 71.