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

63 Lawrence’s playing art and his love of being competitive As an all-rounder more famed for his bowling he seems to have had many ‘duels’ with other well-known players where he often came out on top and was rarely outplayed. In his one and only first class match versus Australia – for Somerset – he was bowled for nought by that great fast bowler Ray Lindwall in 1953 but revenge was sweet as Lindwall, certainly a useful lower-order batsman, was to fall in this match to Johnny’s wiles. There were several opponents – some of star quality – with whom he would be involved in reciprocal dismissals: Johnny Wardle of Yorkshire (with renewed rivalry when they were to meet again in the Minor Counties Championship), John Langridge of Sussex and Jim Laker – that great off-spinner who had taken eight for two in a Test trial against Australia at Bradford and who went on to take a world-record 19 Aussie wickets in a Test match at Manchester. We will note the reciprocal dismissal with Laker in Johnny’s benefit match. In later years for Lincolnshire – in the 1960s when second elevens of first class counties still played in the Minor Counties Championship, he played against Peter Kippax of Yorkshire seconds, young pretender for the Yorkshire leg spin all-rounder crown – who had been his team mate at Leeds CC and it is remarkable how often these two got each other out .... perhaps Johnny’s eyes lit up when a bowler like Kippax threatened to bowl almost seemingly as slowly as he himself. And Johnny should be seen as a batsman with an attacking instinct who was often playing out of character particularly in his latter years at Somerset but usually would be wanting to have a go. Gordon Chadwick was surprised however when Johnny, his team mate for Leeds now playing against him for Lincolnshire versus Yorkshire IIs came down the wicket and missed a ball from Kippax and presented him with a gratefully-accepted stumping. He told me that Johnny was usually judicious on those occasions when he did come down the wicket.