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

95 known as a footballer with Taunton Town but had played cricket for Somerset in the 1920s. 1950 It seems that a mixture of concentrating on his bowling and either a happy-go-lucky approach to his batting or simply poor form may have been responsible for his poor batting performances in the previous two seasons. This was to change radically when he found himself increasingly cast in a more senior role from 1950 onward. Wisden in 1951 noted “ Lawrence, the little Yorkshireman, enjoyed his best season with the county [in 1950] and failed by only 19 runs in all matches to gain the cricketer’s double [one thousand runs and 100 wickets in a season] for the first time. As a leg-break and googly bowler he was invaluable ...” He had bettered his bowling performance and his wickets tally of the previous season. Against Worcestershire at A first class career with Somerset August 30, 1949. Somerset cricketers play football. Back: Roy Genders, Roy Smith, Eric Hill, Arthur Wellard, Maurice Tremlett, Harold Stephenson. Front: Harold Gimblett, Fred Lee (hidden), Horace Hazell (shaking hands with Taunton Town manager), Stuart Rogers, Johnny Lawrence.