Former England and Gloucestershire fast bowler David ‘Syd’ Lawrence has died at the age of 61.
Lawrence, the first British-born black cricketer to represent England, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND), external last year.
He was appointed MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours earlier this month after raising money and awareness of the condition.
Lawrence played five Test matches for England and took 625 wickets in 280 matches during a 16-year career at Gloucestershire.
“‘Syd’ was an inspirational figure on and off the cricket field and no more so than to his family who were with him when he passed,” said a family statement announcing his death.
He made his first-class debut for the county in 1981, gaining the nickname Syd after the British bandleader., external
Lawrence went on to take three wickets on his Test debut against Sri Lanka at Lord’s in 1988.
A bowler capable of reaching extreme pace, Lawrence did not play again for England until 1991 when he took 14 wickets across three Tests and played his sole one-day international the same summer.
However, his career was curtailed by a serious knee injury suffered while playing for England against New Zealand the following winter.
He played four County Championship matches in a comeback in 1997 but did not play again in top-level cricket afterwards.
After retirement he became a nightclub owner and amateur bodybuilder before being named Gloucestershire’s club president in 2022.
He continued in the role after his MND diagnosis last year and has been a prominent campaigner to support those with the disease.
In an interview with BBC Breakfast in September, Lawrence said he had been inspired by former England and Leeds rugby league player Rob Burrow, who died from the illness earlier last year, and had spoken to Burrow’s friend and former team-mate Kevin Sinfield after his own diagnosis.
When Gloucestershire won the T20 Blast last year, there were emotional scenes when captain James Bracey presented Lawrence with the trophy.
Gloucestershire’s players and supporters wore pink during a ‘Pink4Syd’ day during a T20 on Friday.
Lawrence recently released an autobiography, In Syd’s Voice – The Extraordinary Life of Syd Lawrence, which shares the highest points of his career and intimate moments and memories of his life.
He leaves wife Gaynor and son Buster.
“A proud Gloucestershire man, Syd took on every challenge with everything he could and his final contest with MND was no different,” his family added.
“His willingness to encourage and think of others right up to the end was typical of the man he was.”
(BBC)
