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

177 twice at home in 1970 against Rest of the World in a series later to be downgraded from Test status. He is one of only 13 Yorkshire players to have taken over 1000 first class wickets. He was always the second best left arm spinner in that period to the phenomenal Derek Underwood of Kent who bowled his spinners at a fastish pace. If you wanted a slower left-arm spin bowler to lure players down the wicket and bowl them with the guile of changes of pace and flight and only a lesser amount of spin, you would turn to Don – but the selectors almost never did want that! Don Wilson came into cricket because of success for his native Settle – a Dales town far away from the industrial parts of Yorkshire. He famously as a youngster bowled Len Hutton, Yorkshire’s batting idol of the day, in a benefit match, long before he’d had any significant coaching. It was Hutton who suggested he attended the Yorkshire nets after this event – and the following May he was invited to do so, with Hutton having made the recommendation. Don admits on reflection that the date when he first visited Johnny Lawrence’s nets is inaccurate in his ghosted autobiography. It is given as 1957-8 and that he had been there soon after he had started going to the Yorkshire nets at Bradford and befriended Jack Birkenshaw and states that Johnny was crucially important in his development as a bowler. Johnny coached him ‘flight and guile’ and also taught him an arm ball which – as Wilson was not a great spinner of the ball – which became an important weapon in his armoury. Don learnt also from Arthur Booth at Headingley. Booth was another great encourager as well as technical guide and had more specific skills to help Don’s growing talents as he had been himself a left-arm spinner. But Johnny had taught and encouraged Don before Don had even met Arthur as Don told it to me. Don when I met him was full of praise for the sheer encouragement he received from Johnny. The nets at Rothwell had a low ceiling and the tall flighty Wilson would often bowl a ball which would hit that ceiling before it would reach A few of his proteges