‘Devastation’ among friends after his death

Friends and colleagues have spoken of their “devastation” following the death of former cricketer David “Syd” Lawrence MBE.

Lawrence, the first British-born black cricketer to represent England, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2024.

Earlier this month, the 61-year-old, from Gloucester, said he was “incredibly proud” to be appointed an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours in recognition of his services to cricket.

Mark Alleyne, head coach at Gloucestershire County Cricket Club (GCCC) said: “When you come to moments like this, as sad as it is, at least we know one thing that he lived a very full and colourful life.”

MND is a rare, degenerative condition that affects the brain and nerves.

There is no cure.

Peter Matthews, chair of GCCC, said a minute’s silence was held at the start of Sunday’s home match against Derbyshire to commemorate the “desperately sad” passing of Lawrence.

“Because of the nature of [MND], you know it’s going to happen at some stage, but it’s still a shock,” Mr Matthews said.

He credited Lawrence’s “wonderful legacy” both on and off the field.

“He always gave everything. He was a brilliant cricketer.

“He broke down barriers, he was so obviously himself, he exuded confidence, but obviously he was a really genuine man alongside that confidence.

“He was a wonderful president. While of course his body was failing him, the tragedy in some respects of motor neurone disease is that the brain doesn’t fail you, so he was always there to give ideas and provide insight to me as a relatively new chair,” Mr Matthews added.

Neil Priscott, chief executive officer of GCCC, described Lawrence’s work with the club as “transformational”.

“He brought in life, that energy and that infectious spirit. He brought that in his presidency in day one.

“He wanted us to reach out to communities far and wide, push ourselves, do more, find the next generation of talent and that infectiousness sort of carried everyone with him.

“Syd’s been an icon for this club on the field and off it.

“We absolutely want to continue that legacy and do that in his honour.”

David Graveney, vice chairman of GCCC, was Lawrence’s first captain.

At the start of Lawrence’s career, Mr Graveney watched him develop from a county bowler to an international star.

“His legacy to the game is in many, many forms.

“The fact he was the first English-born black person to play for England was a thing he was very proud of and he was the first black president of the cricket club – another thing he was really proud of.

“He shows that actually it doesn’t matter what your background is, if you apply yourself then the sky’s the limit,” Mr Graveney said.

Andy Brassington is a former cricketer and friend of Lawrence.

He visited Lawrence on Saturday and was with him just an hour before he passed away.

“It’s been a terrible illness. He’s taken it head on, like he does with everything

“To see him in the state he was in then, there was a lot of relief when they called me to say he’d passed on because it wasn’t a good place to be for him.

“He’s probably in a better place now, that’s for sure,” Mr Brassington said.

He added that the cricketing world will look after Lawrence’s wife and son and will carry on his legacy.

“He’s been brave, he’s a very proud man, his appearance is everything to him, yet he put himself in the shop window to show people how this disease can tear your body apart.

“He’s given hope to people. We all need heroes, we all need idols and Syd was there for so many people.

“I always say time is the greatest gift you can give anybody and Syd gave a lot of people a lot of time,” said Mr Brassington.

Lawrence established himself as a “club icon” throughout his 16-year career, becoming known for his “thunderous run-up, fearless fast bowling and ever-present energy”, his family said in a statement.

He played five Test Matches for England and took 625 wickets in 280 matches before his cricket career was cut short by injury in 1992.

In 2022, Lawrence was appointed president of GCCC – a position he held up until his death.

Throughout his final year, Lawrence appeared at many charity events to raise awareness of MND.