Verner Luckin

Verner Luckin
Personal information
Full name
Verner Valentine Luckin
Born(1892-02-14)14 February 1892
Woking, Surrey, England
Died28 November 1931(1931-11-28) (aged 39)
High Cross, Hampshire, England
BattingLeft-handed
BowlingLeg break googly
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1910–1912Hampshire
1919Warwickshire
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 19
Runs scored 212
Batting average 15.14
100s/50s –/1
Top score 59*
Balls bowled 1,475
Wickets 24
Bowling average 35.20
5 wickets in innings –
10 wickets in match –
Best bowling 3/19
Catches/stumpings 9/–
Source: Cricinfo, 29 January 2010

Verner Valentine Luckin (14 February 1892 — 28 November 1931) was an English first-class cricketer.

Luckin was born at Woking in February 1892. Luckin was selected to trial for Hampshire in 1909, alongside Jack Moore.[1] The following season, he made his debut in first-class cricket for Hampshire against Somerset at Aldershot in the County Championship,[2] with the Hampshire Observer and Basingstoke News remarking that he "showed promising form" on debut.[3] Luckin played three further first-class matches in 1910, before making five appearances in the 1911 County Championship. He made a final appearance for Hampshire in the 1912 County Championship against Middlesex.[2] He had limited success with Hampshire, taking 13 wickets with his leg break googly bowling at an average of 39.46, with best figures of 3 for 39.[4] As a lower order batsman, he scored 17 runs at an average of 2.42.[5]

Luckin joined Moseley, of the Birmingham and District Cricket League, as their professional for the 1913 season, after they had lost the services of Percy Jeeves.[6] He additionally joined the staff at Warwickshire.[7] During the First World War, Luckin volunteered with a pals battalion in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment.[8] Following the end of the war, Luckin debuted for Warwickshire in the 1919 County Championship, making nine first-class appearances in what was his only full season with the county.[2] In this season, he took 11 wickets at an average of 30.18, with best figures of 3 for 19,[4] while his batting saw a marked improvement with him scoring 195 runs at a batting average of 27.85, recording one half century.[5]

After departing Warwickshire, he played for Ormskirk in the Liverpool and District Cricket Competition,[9] playing for the club between 1920 and 1927. In August 1927, he signed to play for Eagley in the Bolton Cricket League.[10] From there, he was appointed coach and groundsman at Huntly Cricket Club in Aberdeenshire for the 1931 season.[11] After coaching Huntly for the season, Luckin returned home to Hampshire. There he became worried with not being able to find employment as either a groundskeeper or coach, taking his own life by hanging himself from a tree in the garden of his High Cross residence on 28 November 1931; his body was discovered by his wife.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Hants C.C. nursery trials". Aldershot News. 30 April 1909. p. 7. Retrieved 23 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. ^ a b c "First-Class Matches played by Verner Luckin". CricketArchive.
  3. ^ "Cricket". Hampshire Observer and Basingstoke News. 15 June 1910. p. 3. Retrieved 23 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ a b "First-Class Bowling For Each Team by Verner Luckin". CricketArchive.
  5. ^ a b "First-Class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Verner Luckin". CricketArchive.
  6. ^ "General". Portsmouth Evening News. 19 April 1913. p. 6. Retrieved 23 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "Warwickshire County Cricket Club". Birmingham Mail. 4 April 1913. p. 3. Retrieved 23 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ Carter, Terry (2012). Birmingham Pals. Barnsley: Pen and Sword Books. p. 127. ISBN 9781783461004.
  9. ^ "Luckin leaving". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 15 November 1919. p. 6. Retrieved 23 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^ "Bee's notes on sports". Liverpool Echo. 9 August 1927. p. 10. Retrieved 23 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ "Huntly's coach". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 18 April 1931. p. 4. Retrieved 23 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ^ "Inquest at Froxfield". Liverpool Daily Post. 2 December 1931. p. 12. Retrieved 23 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.