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

112 James also covered Somerset’s match with Lancashire at Bath in June. Lancashire’s comprehensive win in this match did meet some resistance from Les Angell but also Johnny: “… indeed Lawrence … rising to all his inches and cutting a lifting ball from Statham over the heads of the slips for four.” But after lunch Berry (who hadn’t bowled in the morning) quickly captured this strategic wicket (Angell) and thus largely destroyed Somerset’s hopes and Statham summarily ‘destroyed’ the rest of the side (including taking the wicket of Lawrence). 1955 Another of Johnny’s prodigies from the cricket school was to debut for Somerset in this year. Lewis Pickles had been stationed in the services near to Taunton. His career at county level was to develop the following season. This was another unhappy year for Somerset and it was not until mid-July that Somerset finally were to win a home match.. The team spirit of the day and Johnny’s contribution is encapsulated by the memory of the then young Somerset bowler Ken Biddulph talking to Stephen Chalke, in Runs in the Memory . “I made my debut in ’55,” Ken recalls: “Against Worcestershire. It was our first win at Taunton for a season and a half. We won before lunch on the third day, and it started to rain. Johnny Lawrence was standing in as captain, and we drove around the town in his Land Rover. Every time we came up to a bunch of people, Johnny would lean out of the window and shout ‘Who won the game?’ And we’d all sing in chorus ,‘ZUMMERZET’.” This victorious Somerset side sports an Australian, a Pakistani and a West Indian, a Lancastrian, a Durhamite and Ken from Essex, but ‘Zummerzet’ they happily sing. The Pakistani was Yawar Saeed who later was to manage his country. The young West Indian was that prolific batsman Peter Wight who was later to set up his own coaching school in Bath and was also a first-class umpire. The A first class career with Somerset