THE man known to a modern generation of cricketers as 'Mr Kent' or just good old 'Lucky', former England batsman Brian Luckhurst, lost his brave fight against cancer of the oesophagus on Tuesday.

His typically stoic 10-month battle ended only 24 days after his 66th birthday and though left frail and weakened, he had all but completed his proud term of office as Kent County Cricket Club’s president for 2004/05.

He died on Tuesday lunch-time at his home in Alkham, near Dover, to bring an end to an astonishing life and 51 years of service to the sport and club he loved.

Born in Sittingbourne on February 5, 1939, Mr Luckhurst’s passion for cricket started with games for Murston Primary School and then Westlands Secondary Modern School where, as an unorthodox left-arm spinner, he broke into the Gore Court first team and came to Kent’s attention aged only 13.

Though he passed the Naval Dockyard entrance exam in Chatham upon leaving school, the then Kent coach and fellow left-arm spinner Claude Lewis pressed the claims of young Luckhurst to the Kent committee of the day.

A summer contract offer was made just two months after his 15th birthday and he went on to take four for 38 on his 2nd team debut against United Hospitals on May 11, 1954.

His first-class bow followed four years later on July 16, when John Pretlove selected him to play against Worcestershire at New Road for the first of his 336 first-class appearances.

He scored 23 and 11, caught Ron Headley and had Don Kenyon caught behind for his maiden Kent wicket though with typical modesty Mr Luckhurst later described the successful delivery as a "rank long-hop".

The fledgling career was interrupted just 10-days after his debut by two years’ National Service as Gunner Luckhurst 23581413 of the Royal Artillery.

After being transferred from Wales to Gravesend Mr Luckhurst managed to find time for cricket once more, playing for the Royal Artillery in Woolwich and at Lord’s, yet the call-up had undoubtedly set-back his status at Kent.

He was married to his first wife Elaine in September 1960 and returned to Kent the following summer as a 22-year-old eager to re-ignite his career, only to suffer a depressing season of mediocre second-string appearances.

Though relieved to be awarded a new contract it proved a difficult period for the club. Kent made a poor start to the 1962 campaign leading to Mr Luckhurst’s first-team recall on the recommendation of 2nd XI coach Colin Page.

He took four for 32, scored an unbeaten 71 in a drawn game against Somerset at Gravesend and never looked back.

Though still principally regarded as a spinner and lower-order all-rounder that year’s emergence of another young left-arm spinner Derek Underwood dramatically changed the emphasis and course of Mr Luckhurst’s career.

He passed 1,000 runs for the first time in Bristol in August 1962 and elevated his batting status to such an extent that bowling would eventually become superfluous to his place in the side.

He went on to notch a Kent post-war record of 14 consecutive 1,000-run summers on his way to amassing 19,096 runs at an average of 37.96 while becoming a legendary short-leg fielder.

It was under the captaincy of Colin Cowdrey, the man Mr Luckhurst always referred to as 'The Master', that his batting style finally emerged and the opening partnership with Mike Denness blossomed.

Though fearlessly eager to get onto the front foot to drive, he was equally adept at working the ball into leg-side gaps and won renown for his near instinctive running between the wickets in tandem with Denness.

With the encouragement of his skipper Cowdrey, Mr Luckhurst used his winters to hone his batting talents on tours to South Africa, Jamaica and for a Commonwealth XI in Pakistan during the late 1960s.

Mr Luckhurst’s hard work began to pay dividends on September 10, 1970 when, just moments after Surrey dismissed him for a gritty 51 at The Oval, Kent clinched their first county championship title for 57 years.

He was arguably the proudest member of an 18-strong squad of players, 12 of whom were home-grown talents.

With Mr Luckhurst as their top-order anchorman Kent went on to dominate domestic cricket for the next decade winning two more county titles, seven one-day trophies as well as reaching four other Lord’s finals.

A call to arms for England followed in the winter of 1970/71 when Mr Luckhurst, though not his county opening partner Denness, won selection on the daunting Ashes tour to Australia.

Though he had already played five unofficial 'Tests' against a Rest of The World XI, Mr Luckhurst had been thrust into the hottest cauldron Test cricket had to offer.

Yet his bravery and tenacious batting were never found wanting and he emerged as England’s unlikely hero of a 2-0 series win.

He toured Australia again in 1974/75 but the pace bombardment of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson left Mr Luckhurst and the England side shell-shocked and heralded the end of his Test career after 21 caps.

He recovered sufficiently to pass 1,000 runs for the final time in 1975, but a broken finger at the Mote in Maidstone prompted his retirement from the first-class game in the drought summer of 1976 to become 2nd XI coach.

In his spare time Mr Luckhurst continued to play for the Old England XI and even won a shock Kent re-call in 1985 to take on the Australians for a 10th and final time.

As team manager for the fifth and final year, he put himself in the firing line at the age of 46 when making up the numbers against the tourists in a surprise swansong at Canterbury.

He married second wife Raye later that summer and, in the intervening years, took on various roles at the county club with equal gusto and enthusiasm.

He was coach, sports centre manager, the popular host of Lucky’s Bar, then marketing assistant, and yet still found time for the presidency of the Association of Kent Cricket Club’s Canterbury branch.

As suggested by the title of his biography Bootboy To President, the ultimate accolade followed in 2004 when he succeeded Shepherd Neame chairman Bobby Neame to become the 120th president of the county club in what was his 50th year of service.

Cruelly, the diagnosis of cancer followed just weeks after Mr Luckhurst took up the presidency to spark the last, great and bravest innings by one of Kent’s all-time batting legends.

Three sons from his first marriage, Tim, Simon and Matthew survive Mr Luckhurst, whose funeral details have yet to be announced.