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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francis Eden Lacey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 19 October 1859 Wareham, Dorset, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 26 May 1946 (aged 86) Sutton Veny, Wiltshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm roundarm slow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1880–1897 | Hampshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1882 | Cambridge University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1887–1896 | Marylebone Cricket Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 14 January 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sir Francis Eden Lacey (19 October 1859 — 26 May 1946) was an English cricketer, cricket administrator and barrister. Lacey played first-class cricket for Hampshire from 1880 to 1896, either side of the club losing its first-class status between 1886 and 1894; it was during this period that he captained Hampshire in 1888 and 1889. A prolific batsman for Hampshire, he scored over 2,000 runs for the county in 33 first-class appearances, which included a double century against Kent in 1884. As a roundarm slow bowler, he also took 45 wickets for Hampshire, including three five wicket hauls. He made additional appearances in first-class cricket for Cambridge University and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), amongst others. In a minor fixture against Norfolk he made 323 runs, which remains the highest individual score in second-class county cricket.
A barrister by profession, Lacey was a member of the Inner Temple who was called to the bar in 1889. It was his profession as a barrister that set him in good stead when he was appointed secretary of the MCC in 1898, setting in motion a number of reforms. He was instrumental in the formation of the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909, the forerunner of the International Cricket Council, which set in motion the global governance of the game. He remained secretary of the MCC until 1926, and following his retirement he later served as president of both Hampshire County Cricket Club and Wiltshire County Cricket Club. He was awarded a knighthood for his services to cricket in the 1926 Birthday Honours list, becoming the first person to be knighted for services to any sport.