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

111 Graham Atkinson who became the youngest ever player to play for the county – against the Pakistani tourists. But progress was slow and Somerset won only two matches in the season and continued to prop up the Championship table. Quite a number of Johnny’s prodigies played for Somerset in this period – and after Johnny’s career there was over. Of these only Atkinson had outstanding success but it seems there are always at least ten talented would- bes for every star in the cricket firmament. C.L.R. James, that great West Indian literary figure and cricket writer, worked for the Manchester Guardian in 1954. He covered two matches involving Somerset, the first against Middlesex in May. He writes: “The only other batsman who stayed long [in Somerset’s disappointing first innings of 152 – besides Lomax and Wight] was Lawrence who made 36 valuable runs. He is not polished, but he is solid and drives hard when the occasion presents itself.” James commented later: “Somerset were lively in the field, particularly Lawrence who took two smart catches at short leg and made some wonderful stops at cover.” Lawrence also took two wickets in Middlesex’s first innings. Johnny Lawrence became involved in an exciting finish in that match when “with ten more needed Brocklehurst did a brave thing: he asked Lawrence to bowl ... against Titmus, who it was obvious could win the match with two boundaries off two balls. Titmus tried to hit Lawrence out of the ground, but he only lifted the ball gently two or three feet in front of the wicket and Stephenson falling forward just managed to reach it. Here the rain sent the players in for 15 anxious minutes. “When they returned Tremlett bowled again instead of Lawrence and off his bowling Lawrence caught [Leslie] Compton finely at short leg.” Middlesex then lost a ninth wicket but eventually scrambled home. A first class career with Somerset