David Lawrence (cricketer)

David Lawrence

MBE
Personal information
Full name
David Valentine Lawrence
Born(1964-01-28)28 January 1964
Gloucester, England
Died21 June 2025(2025-06-21) (aged 61)
NicknameSyd
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm fast
RoleBowler
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 5 1 185 113
Runs scored 60 1,851 292
Batting average 10.00 10.69 10.81
100s/50s 0/0 0/2 0/0
Top score 34 66 38
Balls bowled 1,089 66 26,930 5,362
Wickets 18 4 515 155
Bowling average 37.55 16.75 32.07 26.43
5 wickets in innings 1 0 21 4
10 wickets in match 0 0 1 0
Best bowling 5/106 4/67 7/47 6/20
Catches/stumpings 0/– 0/– 45/– 24/–
Source: Cricinfo, 1 January 2006

David Valentine Lawrence (28 January 1964 – 21 June 2025) was an English cricketer, who mainly played for Gloucestershire and briefly featured for England, becoming the first British-born black player to represent the country. He picked up 625 wickets in 280 matches for Gloucestershire, where he appeared in a bowling attack alongside Courtney Walsh and Kevin Curran. Lawrence later suffered a severe knee injury, on international duty, which curtailed his playing days. In 2022, he became the first black president of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2025 Birthday Honours for services to cricket.. He was popularly nicknamed "Syd" after the British bandleader of that name.