MR F. E. LACEY

Shannon News, 27 August 1926, Page 3

MR F. E. LACEY

TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF “LORDS.” Mr. Francis Eden Lacey, who is to resign his position as secretary to tne "parliament of cricket” at Lord’s at the close of the present season, sue. ccedcd to that responsible post in 1898., on the retirement of the late Henry Perkins writes Percy Cross Standing-in “G. K’s Weekly”. Thus, Mr. Lacey has, among his other activities, carried out the arrangements in connection with the tours of all the Australian teams to the Old Counry since 1899, as well as those for the various tours organised by the M.C.C. and Ground to Australia, South, Africa* etc. A Dorsetshire man by birth, Mr. Lacey gained liis cricket colours tor Sherborne School. From thence he passed to Caius College, Cambridge when in 1882 he was a member of the celebrated ’Varsity eleven that beat the Australians and inflicted a seven wickets’ defat upon Oxford. The; names of that immortal Cambridge -combination deserve to be in. scribed in “letters of gold on spotless white”: the brothers C. T., G. 8., and J. E. K. (now Sir Kynaston) Studd ,th’e Hon. M, B. (new Lord) Hawke, F. E. Lacey, C. W. Wright, P. J T. Henery, P. J. de Paravicinl, W. N. Ttoei, C. Aubrey Smith (now chc well known actor), R. C. Ramsay, E. A. J. Maynard Lacey’s batting average for the Light Blues was the satisfactory one of 23. But his average in that same season (ISS2) for Hampshire, for which county he. had meanwhile qualified, was the extraordinary one of 111 runs per innings! ’Tis true that he appeared in only two matches, but he played a glorious innings of 157 against Sussex. Moreover* he could then bowl a pretty good slow ball, and he took sixteen wickets for Hants at the moderate cost of 13 runs each.

Hampshire was then a second.piass cricket county ,and F. E. Lacey was prominent among the little band of amateurs who were instrumental in bringing about her elevation. To demonstrate this, I may that in 1884 he played two, super!) innings of 211 and (not out) 92 for Hants v. Kent, thus narrowly escaping the feat of two ‘centuries” in the same maten: this 211 was the highest of that year in county cricket, and was hit in three hours' on the Southampton ground. In 1887, however ,he eclipsed this performance by making a great score of 323 not out for Hants v. Norfolk. It was the biggest of that (county) season, and still remains the fifth highest effort in important cricket. Going on from strength to strengtn, he in 1890 amassed ISO runs in six innings, for his couniy, average 31.3. In the ensuing season, lie and Mr. J. A. Turner may be said to have won the match-.“ Bar v. Army” (Mr. Lacey „is a barrister by profession), at Lord’s, between them. In n total of 393 by the. “men o’'law,” he was run out after hitting up 163, and Mr. Turner (80) adding 169 in partnership. The latter took thirteen wickets for 120 runs, and the military could only raise 143 and 127.

Mr. Lacey also played a lot' of cricket for that most exclusive of “wandering clubs” I. Zingari. in addition to being a polished and punishing batsman, he was a magnificent fieldsman. In this latter connection he fielded a good deal to the tricky bowling of W. G. Grace in M.C.C. fix. tures, and the late Mr. C. K. Francis —London magistrate and keenest of cricketers; —wrote: “1 have been reminded by F E. Lacey that in one innings he caught three off ‘W.G.’ at long-leg .though he did not tell me at what cost. But he did tell me that on one occasion W. G. 'shifted him nearly fifty yards to the exact spot for the long-leg catch hit straight in. to his hands.”

These were a few leading episodes in the brilliant playing career of the M C.C.’s versatile secretary,, who for nearly thirty years has 'charmed and impressed all by his unvaried courtesy, urbanity ,and loyalty to the finest of all clubs and the greatest of all games.