Wally Luckes

Who was Wally Luckes?

Walter Thomas "Wally" Luckes, born in Lambeth, London on 1 January 1901 and died at Bridgwater, Somerset on 27 October 1982, was a cricketer who played for Somerset.

Born on the first day of the 20th century, Luckes was a lower-order right-handed batsman and a sound wicketkeeper who played for Somerset for a quarter of a century. An undemonstrative player who made his reputation by conceding very few byes in large totals compiled by stronger teams, Luckes started slowly in terms of the numbers of dismissals, but developed into one of the leading keepers of his day, high in the fielding statistics tables for several seasons.

Luckes made his debut in 1924, and became Somerset's regular wicketkeeper in 1927. But after two seasons, he suffered nearly four years of ill-health, and was able to play in only a few matches in 1929 and 1930, and none at all in 1931. The high regard that Somerset had for Luckes was reflected by the fact that he was maintained on the staff during this long absence: for one of the perennially more cash-strapped counties, with one of the smaller playing staffs, this was a rare degree of commitment. Somerset used a variety of amateur and professional wicketkeepers in Luckes' absence, including Seymour Clark, the ultimate non-batsman, and Frank Lee, the opening batsman who later became a Test umpire. And Luckes was able to return for the second half of the 1932 season.