David 'Syd' Lawrence dies aged 61 as tributes paid to cricket trailblazer after MND battle

Former England fast bowler David ‘Syd’ Lawrence has died aged 61, just 12 months after he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Seldom, if ever, has a player who won just five Test caps left such an imprint on the game and all those who met him.

Lawrence was a gloriously ebullient character, forever “rocking and rumbling” through life’s rapids and generating genuine pace from his busy, bustling approach to the crease. Although those five caps generated only 18 wickets, he enjoyed the distinction of being the last man to dismiss Sir Viv Richards - his boyhood idol - in Test cricket back in 1991.

Barely six months later, his left knee effectively disintegrated in delivery stride as a Test against New Zealand, petering out towards a draw in Wellington, was suddenly decorated by a harrowing crack as his patella exploded and Lawrence’s traumatic screams of pain reverberated around the Basin Reserve.

Spectators said the sound of his knee splitting was "like a pistol shot” and Lawrence was eventually carried from the field on a stretcher, comforted by team mate Ian Botham. Despite two come-back attempts for his county, including the first after 13 months of punishing rehabilitation, when the same knee cracked again during a gym session, he was forced to retire from the sport at the age of 29.

Ultimately, the legacy of his terrible injury was too much even for his supreme optimism.

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Lawrence reinvented himself as a bodybuilder and nightclub owner in Bristol, but he was already blessed with a formidable physique.

Early in his career, playing for Gloucestershire’s Second XI as a raw prospect, one of his team-mates left a banana skin outside his hotel room door - a racist trope from less enlightened times - and he vowed never to be the stooge of cheap comedians again.

The first British-born black player to represent England vowed to work so hard in the gym that nobody would ever mess with him again.

It was former England opener and Gloucestershire team-mate Chris Broad who bestowed the nickname ‘Syd’ on Lawrence, after the famous band leader, and he loved it.

But it was a perverse allocation of outrageous fortune that he should be diagnosed with such a terrible wasting disease - the same condition that claimed rugby league hero Rob Burrow - in June 2024.

How could such a super-fit specimen who exuded health and fitness be selected by insidious forces to suffer such a dreadful fate?

Lawrence bore the symptoms of rapid physical decline with immense dignity, and his friends in the cricket fraternity were thrilled when he was awarded the MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours earlier this month.

A statement from Lawrence’s family said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dave Lawrence MBE following his brave battle with motor neurone disease. '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.

“A proud Gloucestershire man, Syd took on every challenge with everything he could and his final contest with MND was no different. His willingness to encourage and think of others right up to the end was typical of the man he was.

“As president of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, Syd took on the role with incredible pride and passion and loved every minute of it.

“Syd’s wife Gaynor and son Buster thank everyone for the kindness and support that has been shown to them and the family so far and would ask that they are now given some time and space to grieve in private.”

After Lawrence detailed his experiences of racism during his playing career, Gloucestershire issued an unreserved apology in September 2021 and six months later he became the county’s first black president.

The county side posted on X: “Gloucestershire are devastated to learn of the passing of former player and club president, David ‘Syd’ Lawrence MBE, aged 61.

“Everyone at Gloucestershire would like to send their best wishes to David’s family during this terribly sad time.”

Only last week, Lawrence received an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for his outstanding services to cricket, while he had been working to raise money and awareness of his condition.

He said: “It is an incredibly proud moment. It is not something that I ever thought would sit after my name, but I am absolutely delighted that it will do so for however long I am here and will be a part of my legacy when I am gone.”

Lawrence’s MND diagnosis hastened his autobiography as he worried he would lose the ability to speak. Titled ‘In Syd’s Voice’, written with the help of Dean Wilson, the book was published this month.