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

220 Rotherham were in fact all out for 60. In the comprehensive win over Hull on August 23, there were runs from two Crawfords, Metcalfe, Gordon Chadwick and Johnny (with 29) all chipping in to a total of 179 for eight and Hull could only muster 61 with Hallas taking six for 37 and Johnny three for 10. 1959 Johnny helped Leeds get off to a great start on May 4, with seven for 22 in a win over Castleford. This had included a six for right spell. Three wickets the following week helped them beat Harrogate. But then Leeds were to lose three matches in a row. A young Hemsworth Grammar school pupil called Geoffrey Boycott held up all the bowlers and along with Dickie Bird’s 33 enabled Barnsley to beat Leeds by four wickets despite Johnny’s three for 49 and occasional Yorkshire bowler Peter Broughton’s three for 43. Robin Feather a talented second XI bat for Yorkshire (who eventually succeeded Ted Lester as the seconds’ skipper) had joined Leeds at weekends and top scored on this day with 57. Leeds then lost to Castleford when – despite Bolus’s 43 – Leeds could only muster 83 all out and Johnny’s two for 30 was too little too late. The agony continued as Halifax beat them by 63 runs despite Johnny’s three for 50 and Clues scoring 26. Finally Sutcliffe came into some brilliant form and scored 84 as Leeds beat York at Headingley by one run. A printers’ strike which lasted a good few weeks robs us of the knowledge of results for this period but we know that Sutcliffe’s form continued and that Leeds had improved again. Having said that, even when Sutcliffe and Bolus scored a mammoth 202 opening stand gainst Hull on July 18, Hull were able to hold out for a draw. Billy Sutcliffe became the first player for ten years to score 1000 runs in a season in the Yorkshire League. He got runs at Rotherham as Leeds – still chasing the title – won by eight wickets. Johnny had taken eight for 76 in the home side’s 174 for nine declared. Yet on August 22 Scarborough achieved a draw with Leeds to take the title – which also meant Leeds were thwarted from defending their Yorkshire Council title. Sutcliffe and Gordon Chadwick scored 50s but this was after Scarborough had posted 254 for four declared with D. Douglas scoring 126 not out. 1960 This season brought a slightly stronger challenge as Scarborough again eventually won the league championship. Johnny was – as ever – regularly though not invariably in the Appendix Two: Some of Johnny Lawrence’s league career in more detail