R. S. Lucas' XI cricket team in the West Indies in 1894–95

The idea for the tour was mainly that of Dr. R.B. Anderson who had lived in Tobago for 23 years. Assistance was also provided by Lord Hawke, Lord Stamford and Mr. Neville Lubbock.

The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company gave special terms for the round trip and concessions were made with regard to the telegraphic transmission of news. The tourists were to be the guests of the clubs in the different islands. The idea was to take a side about the standard of a second-class county eleven.

A party of 13 was taken:

The standard of the team can be seen from the fact that only 5 of the tourists had played any first-class cricket prior to the tour and of these Bush, Sewell and Smith-Turberville had not played a first-class match since 1886. Only Lucas and Bromley-Davenport had played recently at first-class level. Lucas had played for Middlesex since 1891 and Bromley-Davenport for Cambridge University in 1892 and 1893. Indeed, only these two players ever played a significant amount of first-class cricket in England. The standard of the matches was therefore well below that of first-class cricket in England. All the 13 played at least one first-class match on the tour.

The 13 left Southampton on the 'Medway' on January 16, 1895 and reached Barbados on January 28 playing their first match the next day.

Matches played were:

• January 29, 30 : v Barbados
• January 31, February 1 : v United Services (in Barbados), 13-a-side
• February 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 : v Barbados
• February 14, 15, 16 : v Antigua
• February 18, 19 : v St. Kitts
• February 22, 23 : v St. Lucia, 12-a-side
• February 25 : v St. Vincent, 12-a-side
• February 28, March 1 : v Queen's Park C.C. (in St. Vincent), 12-a-side
• March 4, 5 : v All Trinidad
• March 16, 18 : v Demerara
• March 19, 20 : v Demerara
• March 30, April 1 : v All Jamaica, 12-a-side
• April 2, 3 : Jamaica Born
• April 5, 6 : v West Jamaica
• April 8, 9 : v North Jamaica, 12-a-side
• April 11, 12 : v All Jamaica

First-class matches are highlighted. A further match against Grenada in March was abandoned. The matches against Jamaica and Jamaica Born are recognised as the first first-class matches to take place in Jamaica.

Of the 8 first-class matches, 4 were won, 3 lost and 1 drawn. Overall 10 matches were won, 4 lost and 2 drawn.

Dawson headed the batting averages with an average of 26 in the first-class games. Sewell was leading run scorer in the first-class games with 269 although in all matches Bush lead with 406 runs. Just two centuries were scored by the tourists both in the second match against Barbados. These were 101 by Bush and 138 by Dawson.

The bowling for the tourists was largely in the hands of Bromley-Davenport and Bush who each took over 50 wickets in the first-class matches. Sewell was next amongst the wicket-takers with 11. In all matches Bromley-Davenport and Bush each took over 100 wickets.

Most of the matches were low scoring. The one exception was the second match against Barbados. Barbados scored 517 although no-one scored a century, George Learmond top scoring with 86. Lucas's XI replied with 303 giving Barbados a first innings lead of 214. Following-on Lucas's XI then scored 396 and dismissed Barbados for 157 to win by 25 runs. Clifford Goodman who had been successful in the first 3 innings against the tourists, taking 20 wickets, took just 1/121 in the tourists' second innings.

The following averages are in the 8 first-class matches (Batting Bowling).

• R. S. Lucas' XI in the West Indies 1894-95 at CricketArchive

• James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1896, pages 39 to 56
• Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1896, pages 400 to 402

• Peter Wynne-Thomas, The Complete History of Cricket Tours at Home & Abroad, Guild, 1989