Lukas Carey has been one of several young Welsh cricketers to emerge during the late 2010s, with the seam bowler from Pontarddulais becoming a potent performer with the new ball, especially in Championship cricket with his performances rightfully attracting the attention of England talent scouts
The Carmarthen-born cricketer has progressed on the pathway from the Glamorgan Academy through Welsh age-group teams, the county’s 2nd XI and the Wales Minor County side, into the Glamorgan 1st XI, much to the delight of his grandfather Stuart who was a stalwart with the Wales team during the 1970s and 1980s, besides representing Wales in the ICC Trophy in 1979
Besides developing his penetrative new ball bowling, in tandem with Michael Hogan, the right-arm seam bowler has become a forceful lower-order batsman. He struck a maiden Championship fifty during Glamorgan’s victory over Worcestershire at New Road in 2017 before in 2019 playing a couple of forthright innings – the first of which was so nearly a match-winning one as he struck a feisty 39 against Somerset at Sophia Gardens in the Royal London One-Day Cup and shared in a tenth wicket stand of 57 with Timm van der Gugten which took Glamorgan within three runs of their target. It looked for a moment as if Lukas had struck the winning runs as he off-drove Roelof van der Merwe, but Azhar Ali at mid-off leapt up, parried the ball and after juggling on his haunches of which a circus artiste would have been proud, the Pakistani completed the catch as Somerset won a dramatic contest byjust two runs.
A couple of months later Lukas also struck a career-best 62 against Derbyshire at Swansea and shared in a rollicking ninth wicket stand with centurion Graham Wagg as the pair added 167 in just 27.2 overs. The game ended in a draw but, had the visiting captain show more urgency, Lukas’ efforts with the bat might have laid the foundations for a Championship victory.
In 2021 Lukas was a member of the Glamorgan side which won the Royal London Cup. However he made no further appearances during 2022 and was released from the county’s staff at the end of the season.
CAREY, Lukas John
Born – Carmarthen, 17th July 1997.
Best performances for Glamorgan:
In first-class cricket – 62 v Derbyshire at Swansea, 2019; 4/54 v Middlesex at Sophia Gardens, 2019.
In List A cricket – 39 v Somerset at Sophia Gardens, 2019; 2/24 v Nottinghamshire at Sophia Gardens, 2021.
In T20 cricket – 5 and 1/15 v Hampshire at The Ageas Bowl, 2019.
| M | I | NO | RUNS | AV | 100 | 50 | CT | ST | |
| First-class | 33 | 46 | 6 | 631 | 15.78 | – | 3 | 5 | – |
| List A | 28 | 15 | 9 | 175 | 29.17 | – | – | 4 | – |
| T20 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 7.00 | – | – | – | – |
| Balls | M | R | W | Av. | 5wI | 10wM | |
| First-class | 5145 | 166 | 3009 | 87 | 34.59 | – | – |
| List A | 1094 | 7 | 1107 | 24 | 46.13 | – | – |
| T20 | 138 | 0 | 209 | 4 | 52.25 | – | – |