PRESIDENT of the Lucas Cricket Club, Oneil Cruickshank, said that one of the main purposes of the annual Lucas Week is to ensure that the legacy of the club remains in the minds of members and supporters.

Speaking at Thursday’s lecture held in honour of batting legend George Headley at Lucas CC’s Preston Road base, the club president said: “Sometime in 2009 as we looked to get the George Headley 100th year celebration on, we began as club members to see the real history of the club.

We realised we are not just an institution that is famous or was in the habit of playing cricket. We are far more than that, it is almost like the history of Jamaica is the history of Lucas CC, so we wanted to ensure that that legacy and history would always be fresh in the minds of our youngsters.”

Lucas Week, which kicked off last Sunday with a church service, ran from May 25 to 31. On Monday and Tuesday there was a cricket clinic for Under-13 players, while on Friday, Headley’s birthday was celebrated.

Lucas Week also incorporated citizens of the surrounding Rollington Town community. Delroy Morgan, the former outstanding Jamaica opener, was recognised during this year’s third instalment of Lucas Week.

West Indies opener Christopher Gayle and former regional all-rounder Gareth Breese are two other prominent players to pass through Lucas CC in recent years.

Meanwhile, it was a history lesson for the young student cricketers and past players, when former Lucas player and lecturer speaker Dr Julian Cresser went down memory lane with a history lessons on Lucas CC. He also spoke of the greatness of the late Headley, the former West Indies and Jamaica cricketer.

“Most of my life’s academic work has been tied up in researching the history of cricket in Jamaica and I have done a bit of research on Lucas, so it is really a pleasure and an honour for me to be here today to speak about my work and to do my part in commemorating somebody who has made a massive contribution to cricket in Jamaica and the West Indies,” Cresser pointed out.

Headley scored 2,190 runs at an average 60.83 in 22 Tests for the West Indies and is said to have joined Lucas in the 1920s.

Lucas, one of the oldest cricket clubs in Jamaica, was the first to welcome black players as members.