Lives in Cricket No 52 - Schooled in Cricket (2nd edition)

102 on the Tuesday which so nearly eked out an unlikely win for Somerset. Despite Johnny’s useful all-round contributions and those of Bertie Buse, this was a bad year for Somerset. Wisden commented: “Lack of pace bowling and inability to strengthen weak spots in the team by the introduction of fresh blood brought serious repercussions for Somerset. After a disastrous year they finished bottom of the table for the first time.” They did manage to win two matches. Somerset had spurned an opportunity to sign Len Coldwell, for example, a future Worcestershire and England quick bowler and top county performer and simply left a gap in their professional personnel by dispensing with the services of the ageing Hazell and the promising but inconsistent batting of Les Angel. Angel was eventually re- engaged to play on a match basis. The enforced retirement of Horace Hazell marked the end of his spin partnership with Johnny though latterly Ellis Robinson had also been present. In a later Christmas card to the Lawrences, Horace fondly remembered the great times and fun they had together and how they had played for the ‘Love of the Game’. 1953 Johnny’s bowling return in 1953 was similar to the previous season, with 70 wickets at 31.77, and the weakness in Somerset’s batting rather than any advance in Lawrence’s skills led to him being used further up the batting order than in other seasons; even, for a period, opening the innings alongside the long-standing opener Gimblett. He passed 1,000 runs for the season again, though he averaged marginally less than 20 runs an innings. Somerset did manage to beat Middlesex at Lord’s but in a brief roller-coaster period immediately lost in one day to Lancashire at Bath in a match which was disastrous for its beneficiary, Bertie Buse. Then there was the win described earlier against Kent and defeat to Leicestershire in the A first class career with Somerset