Azhar In The Mood

Kent’s Azhar Mahmood lit up the night skies at Beckenham with a scintillating 54-ball hundred against Gloucestershire to propel him to top spot in the race for this year’s Walter Lawrence Trophy, supported by Veuve Clicquot.

The 36-year-old Pakistani all-rounder, who has played in 21 Tests and 143 One-Day Internationals for his country, smote 12 fours and 3 sixes to see Kent comfortably home by 8 wickets in the Friends Life t20, South Group match on June 15.

On the same night, in the same competition, Somerset skipper Marcus Trescothick ran him close with a 57–ball century in a thumping 143-run win over Essex at Chelmsford, to put him into the runner-up position.

Now in its 77th year, the Walter Lawrence Trophy, awarded for the fastest hundred of the season, is open to all domestic county competitions as well as One-Day Internationals, Twenty20 Internationals and Test Matches in England.

Along Came Jones …
The battle for the Walter Lawrence Trophy award for the highest-scoring batsman from the six MCC Universities has reached epic proportions! Durham’s Chris Jones has scored a monumental 252 not out in the MCCU Championship match against Oxford at The Parks on April 22 to put himself into an almost unassailable position. Scored off just 271 balls, Jones’ unbeaten 252 included 40 fours and one six and is the highest score recorded so far since the Walter Lawrence Trophy award was introduced in 2006.

A Big Hit For Schools!
This season the trustees of the Walter Lawrence Trophy are delighted to announce the launch of a new award for the highest score by a school batsman against MCC.

Included in its all-embracing season of more than 450 out-matches throughout the U.K. and beyond, MCC play against over 280 schools this summer. The Walter Lawrence Trophy has put up a £250 award for the highest schools’ scorer against MCC from these matches. The winner will also receive a special medallion and an invitation, with his or her parents, to the traditional end-of-season presentation dinner in the Long Room at Lord’s.