Lives in Cricket No 13 - AP Lucas

Kortright and Mead bowled unchanged throughout the match, at which there was ‘a capital attendance’, and it was appropriate that they and Lucas ‘came in for an enthusiastic ovation at the finish of the game’ – not only for their performance in that match, but throughout the season. Mead took 119 wickets and Kortright 78, both at a fraction under 16 and far ahead of Pickett with 34 at 17. Lucas scored 599 runs at 46.07, both figures double those of Russell who was next on the list. Wisden described Lucas in 1893 as ‘a tower of strength’, and the Essex annual report commented: ‘Individual mention must be made of the sterling and consistent batting of Mr A.P.Lucas and the splendid bowling of Mr C.J.Kortright and Mead, who have been of immense assistance in all the county matches.’ C.E.Green told The Cricket Field : ‘All Essex men owe a debt of gratitude to A.P.Lucas, who at great inconvenience to himself played in nearly all the matches, and captained the team with great ability.’ Conditions for batting in a glorious summer were often easy and some opposing attacks weak, but Lucas seems to have batted with greater freedom than at any time in his career. Much like Trevor Bailey more than half a century later, he had a reputation as a solid defensive player, but could attack with great flair when bowling was not of the highest class and the situation demanded, most notably with his unbeaten 80 in 90 minutes when batting No.10 against Leicestershire. He was better known for his rearguard actions to save games but, in three of the four Essex wins in which he played, it was his positive batting that gave his bowlers enough runs to bowl at. Essex had experienced an inconsistent but encouraging season. They had the rather curious record of winning once and losing once against each of the five counties they played. They lost to Hampshire, who won only one other game, yet they were the only second-class county to defeat the joint ‘second-class’ champions, Derbyshire, and the only team to beat both Yorkshire and Surrey. Best of all, they more than held their own with the Australians. Reviewing Essex’s season, the Leytonstone Express and Independent, which only a year earlier had argued that Essex should ‘content herself playing good second-class counties’, commented: ‘Their all-round cricket was worthy of a first-class county, and it is to be hoped the fact will not be lost sight of when the next readjustment is considered at Lord’s.’ The fact was indeed not lost sight of: in April 1894 a meeting of the first-class captains resolved to ask MCC to regard three-day matches played by Derbyshire, Essex, Leicestershire and Warwickshire as first-class. MCC decided that second-class status should be abolished and counties were to be deemed first-class or otherwise. All four counties were granted first-class status, although it was too late for them to arrange enough matches to enter the Championship. When they did so in 1895 they were joined by Hampshire. Essex captain, 1889-1894 97