Race against time to write autobiography

The autobiography of former England and Gloucestershire cricketer David ‘Syd’ Lawrence has been described as one of “resilience and character”.

Written in collaboration with Dean Wilson, it was a race against time to gather the story of the 61-year-old after he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND) and faced losing his speech.

Former teammates and family joined Mr Lawrence at a book launch and charity cricket match in Downend, Bristol, on Friday.

Mr Wilson said: “We knew that he’d be losing his voice at some stage and his voice is something that was really characterful for him – it was part of who he was.”

The book, In Syd’s Voice – The Extraordinary Life of Syd Lawrence, shares the highest points of Mr Lawrence’s career and intimate moments and memories of his life.

He took 625 wickets in 280 matches during a 16-year career at Gloucestershire that ended in 1997.

In 1988, he became the first British-born black cricketer to represent England, he went on to earn five Test match caps for his country.

After retiring from cricket, Mr Lawrence became a nightclub owner and amateur bodybuilder.

He was diagnosed with MND last year and is now unable to speak or walk.

“It’s a story about resilience, actually a story about character, and he had them both,” Mr Wilson said.

“We did most of the interviews in October time last year and every day at 10am we would talk.”

Mr Lawrence was joined by his son Buster at the event who said: “It was quite an emotional moment for Dad seeing the book, he put a lot of work into it with Dean Wilson.

“Me and my dad have always been close so there’s not much I don’t know, but there’s a few stories in there that came as a surprise.

“It was a very special moment to show him the book for the first time.”

He also spoke about bringing the date of his wedding day forward to allow his father to speak at the celebration.

“It’s actually probably one of the last times Dad would speak quite clearly on his own without the assistance of machinery or anyone else,” he said.

“It was timed perfectly, it meant a lot to me and I know it meant a lot to my Dad.”

Two teams full of famous faces – all friends of Mr Lawrence – took to the pitch to raise money for him and the MND Association.

Fellow fast bowler Courtney Walsh described how he formed a formidable partnership with Mr Lawrence at the height of their careers.

“I think we sent a lot of shockwaves through the county circuit when we started bowling together,” he said.

“He knows I’m not going to let him down so I’m just going to do what he always expects me to do, but the only sad part is that he won’t be at the other end.”