Obituary
John Lascelles Lucas 1929 – 2014
John Lucas died on Monday 1 November 2014
John Lucas was one of the most talented English polo players of his generation. As well as achieving wins in both The Queen’s and Gold Cups, John, on reaching a 6 goal handicap, also secured an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records as, at the time, he was the ‘highest handicapped English polo player’. Born in Hornchurch, Essex on 19 December 1929, John was the first child of Arthur and Ethel Lucas. His sister Pat was born two years later while his youngest sister Claire (later Tomlinson) arrived at the end of the Second World War, when John was 14-years-old. At the age of 11, John was forced to spend four years of the War away from London, staying at Malvern Wells prep
school throughout both term time and school holidays. He then went on to attend Marlborough College, where he was House Captain for cricket and School Captain for squash, before securing a place to study at Clare College, Cambridge. During his time at University, John achieved success in a variety of fields. After completing his degree in Estate Management and qualifying as a Chartered Surveyor, John decided to stay for a further year to study law – a decision that was largely influenced by his love of squash. Away from the books, John attained Half Blues for squash, but also for real tennis and polo, and once again he was presented with the role of Squash Captain. On leaving Cambridge, John proceeded to complete his two years of National Service with the Army Officer Cadet Training Unit. Once he had finished his training with the RAF, where he earnt his parachute wings, John went on to start his professional working life in London, working at both Jones Lang Wootton & Sons and W.Goodchilds & Co before setting up his own company, Real Estate Consultants in the late 1950s. In 1955, John married Ann Moller, also an incredibly talented sportsperson, who he had met during his time at Cambridge. John and Ann lived in Essex and between 1958 and 1965, the couple had four children, Annabel, Caroline, James and William, before enjoying travels to the Americas, Europe and India throughout the 60s and 70s. Although reluctant to start with, John had learnt to ride at a young age. The family moved to Woolmers Park in 1946 and it was at this point that his father Arthur acted on his desire to play polo. From the start of his
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polo career, John regularly played in teams alongside both his sisters and father at the family Club. Despite being one the most talented English players, John continued to work full time whilst playing; at the time it was unusual for someone to play polo professionally. Throughout his polo career, John achieved wins in all the major UK tournaments, enjoying a particularly successful 1967 season. Sent to Argentina by his father, John was given instructions to come back with 30 horses and three teammates in order to play the English high goal. John returned with Dr. Jorge Marín Moreno, Enrique Zorilla and Celestino Garrós and this Woolmers Park team went on to win The Queen’s Cup, Gold Cup and Warwickshire Cup, without losing one game. Their success resulted in a rapid change in the rules: ergo a high goal side could no longer feature three Argentine players. High goal success however was by no means a one-off accomplishment for John. From 1964 through to 1968, John won The Queen’s Cup a successive five times – a record that has not been matched to this day. John and Anne divorced, with John going on to marry Carroll Crane from Boston in the late 1980s. John and Carroll later divorced in 2009 but remained in contact until his death. John is survived by his four children and his family remain one of the most influential in today’s polo world. His sister Claire reached a handicap of five goals and his son William played the sport professionally, representing England regularly from 1987-2004 while his nephews, Luke and Mark Tomlinson are members of the current England squad.
HPA News
Latest from the HPA HPA chief executive David Woodd rounds up the news from UK polo’s headquarters Overseas Matches China A 16 goal England team will travel to China for the Snow Polo World Cup at the Metropolitan Polo Club. The tournament runs from 25th January to 8th February. The team will consist of Jack Richardson (6), Max Routledge (5), Matt Perry (5) with www.polotimes.co.uk
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Jonny Good (5) as reserve. The team will be coached by Alan Kent. New Zealand An England team will play New Zealand in a Test Match at the Kihikihi Polo Club on Saturday 7th February. The team which will be captained by James Beim (7) and will be made
up of Tom Morley (6), Max Charlton (7) and James Harper (6). The New Zealand team will be John Paul Clarkin (8)(Captain), Simon Keyte (6), Craig Wilson (6) and Tommy Wilson (7). Akuma Akuma, who are the provider of the Audi England team apparel, have agreed to continue their relationship with the HPA for the 2015 season. Akuma Polo’s innovative products are considered cutting edge both on and off the field. Specifically developed for England Polo, Akuma’s new Revolution Jersey uses the latest cut-andsew technology combined with their unique Auratex Bamboo fabric and has fast become a team favourite. Polo Times, January / February 2015
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