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

229 opening bowlers B. Ingham and G. McLennon destroyed Undercliffe. Johnny’s six for 73 at home to Eccleshill the following week (September 7) was followed by excellent team batting with Lymbery 41, Eddy Slingsby 36, Peter Hardcastle 54 not out and D Hetherington 32. Miles Lawrence chipped in with 18 not out and this meant that Johnny was not needed to bat. This last win meant that East Bierley were now safe in the top flight. 1969 This time round, East Bierley did not record their first win till July 12 at Lightcliffe. After scoring 189 for four, they bowled Lightcliffe out for 154. Vibert Rodney took six for 51 and Johnny three for 29. The next win did not come until August 2. Up till that point there was the one win, four defeats and ten draws due to the weather. Now opener Eddy Slingsby scored 119 not out and Miles Lawrence scored 67 not out (his best of the season) to take East Bierley to 218 for two. Then the opposition Bradford mustered but 102 with Rodney taking five for 45; Johnny three for 31 and G. McLennon two for six. Johnny’s five for 27 at home to Bowling Old Lane on August 9 was not sufficient as East Bierley fell for 69 with Malcolm Naylor taking six for 24. Yet another defeat came at Hartshead Moor though East Bierley made a better fist of this one. Johnny took five for 68 and scored 22 and East Bierley would have been disappointed to lose by a mere eight runs. On September 5, Miles Lawrence (27) abetted Slingsby’s 71 to see East Bierley to 153 for six at Undercliffe. Johnny (two for 47) accompanied McLennon’s eight for 47 as East Bierley won by 14 runs. At home to Eccleshill on September 12 East Bierley secured their survival. After scoring 186 for six, the opposition were dismissed for 162: McLennon four for 32; Johnny Lawrence three for 52. Dalton 1970 At Primrose Hill in a high scoring match he was hit badly with one for 98, in a match where his unrelated colleague Stephen Lawrence scored a century for Dalton to no avail. Typically Johnny responded to this mauling by taking 11 wickets over the following Whit Bank Holiday weekend and five wickets on each of the next two Saturdays after that. Wickets kept coming and he took seven for 30 in a win over Appendix Two: Some of Johnny Lawrence’s league career in more detail