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

172 Chapter Twenty-one A few of his proteges Let us go into some more detail about just a tiny few of these proteges but ones who reached or threatened stardom. Des Barrick Des Barrick of Northamptonshire was a successful middle order batsman for his county for over a decade from 1949 – and an occasional leg spin bowler. He averaged over 30 over his first-class career. He toured India with a Commonwealth XI in 1953. He must have been one of Johnny’s first tutees at the then new school at Rothwell. He was born in Fitzwilliam – 12 miles south of Rothwell. He was a friend of Geoffrey Boycott’s uncle Algy and it was on his recommendation to Algy years later that eventually the young boy from the same mining town would go on and become Johnny Lawrence’s most famous pupil. Graham Atkinson Graham Atkinson was perhaps the best batsman of a decade not to play for his country whilst at Somerset. He came from Lofthouse a mining village very close to Rothwell. He told me: “Johnny was instrumental in me going to Somerset. My brother and I went to his indoor school when I was about 12. After a year John suggested that I was the more talented of the two and as my father had to pay for us he should concentrate on me. My father grew up with Johnny. I used to go nearly every evening. “Jack Birkenshaw lived next door but one from the school. We used to meet up and go there together. Jack started about the same time – though younger than me – and was friendly with Miles Lawrence who was about the same age