Scott’s Lightning Strike

Sussex’s Scott Styris rewrote the history books in sensational style in winning last year’s Walter Lawrence Trophy, awarded for the fastest hundred of the season, with a 37-ball century.

Styris smashed no fewer than 9 sixes and 5 fours in his unbeaten hundred against Gloucestershire in the Friends Life t20 quarter-final at Hove, making it the fastest ever century – from balls faced and non-contrived bowling – in the history of the competition. Tom Moody’s 36-ball hundred, for Warwickshire against Glamorgan at Swansea in 1990, was achieved before the rule discounting ‘joke bowling’ was introduced.

Scott Styris (left) receives the Walter Lawrence Trophy from Michael
Brooks at Taunton, overlooked by Somerset’s Harold Gimblett who
was the second winner of the Trophy in 1935.
Photograph by Alain Lockyer

The 37-year-old Australian-born Kiwi, who also won £5,000, scored 38 in one 8-ball over and advanced from 50 to 100 in 13 deliveries. Joining Sussex last year for T20 games following seasons with Middlesex, Durham and Essex, Styris also chipped in with a wicket and a run-out to propel his side into the Friends Life t20 Finals Day with a 39-run victory. He is the first Sussex batsman to win the Trophy since Martin Speight in 1992.

Scott Styris – 25/07/2012

Scott Styris – 25/07/2012

On receiving the Trophy the veteran all-rounder, who has represented New Zealand in 29 Tests, 188 One-Day Internationals and 31T20 Internationals, said: ‘I am absolutely delighted to have won the Walter Lawrence Trophy. I was told by the Sussex boys that it is something that players cherish and everybody tries to win each season. A 37-ball century was far beyond anything I expected. I have had a look at some of the other guys who have won it, players like Ian Botham and Viv Richards and, from a New Zealand perspective, Chris Cairns and Ken Rutherford, who are all good strikers of the ball, so I am very pleased to have my name on the Trophy’.

Now in its 78th year, the Walter Lawrence Trophy is open to all domestic county competitions as well as One-Day Internationals, Twenty20 Internationals and Test Matches in England.

Sussex v Gloucestershire scorecard

Scott Styris’ career statistics
Hot-Shot Charlotte

Charlotte Horton is the inaugural winner of the Walter Lawrence Women’s Award launched last season by the trustees of the Walter Lawrence Trophy, supported by Veuve Clicquot. The 26-year-old opener scored an unbeaten 177 to earn the accolade, awarded to the batsman who makes the highest individual score in a season from the ECB Women’s County Championship, the ECB Women’s County T20 Cup and all England Women’s matches played on home soil.

Scored off 157 balls, Horton hit 28 fours and 1 six in her innings for Derbyshire Women, helping her side to an 83-run victory against Northamptonshire Women in the LV Women’s County Championship, Division Three match at Derby on May 6.

Charlotte received a cheque for £1,000 as well as an engraved silver medallion at the traditional Walter Lawrence Trophy presentation dinner.
Coleman Cuts The Mustard

The 2012 winner of the Walter Lawrence MCC Universities Award was Oxford MCCU’s Freddie Coleman. The 20-year-old Scot scored 141 against Durham MCCU at The Racecourse on April 28, hitting 14 fours and 1 six in his innings, which was scored off 275 balls.
Coleman is the first Oxford player to win the Award, which is for the highest scorer in an innings played against one of the other five MCCUs or against one of the first-class counties, and the seventh recipient since its inception.

The Edinburgh-born batsman, who has represented his country at all levels and also played for Warwickshire 2nd XI last season, received a silver medallion and prize of £1,000 at the Walter Lawrence Trophy presentation dinner in The Long Room at Lord’s last October.
A Bolt From The Blue Coat!

James Halson became the second winner of the Walter Lawrence Schools Award, introduced in 2011 for the highest score by a school batsman against MCC, who play over 280 schools in their busy season of out-matches.

James scored 132, including 12 fours and 6 sixes, for Reading Blue Coat School who, chasing an MCC total of 275, fell just short by 38 runs. James, who plays for the Hampshire Academy side, won £250 and a special medallion at the traditional end-of-season Walter Lawrence Trophy presentation dinner in The Long Room at Lord’s.

This completes a quartet of Walter Lawrence Trophy awards, supported by Veuve Clicquot, which encompass four distinct areas of the game: the Walter Lawrence Trophy, for the fastest century of the season; the Walter Lawrence MCC Universities Award for the highest score by a batsman from the six MCC Universities against the first-class counties or in the MCCU Championship, and the Walter Lawrence Women’s Award, launched last season, for the highest score by a batsman.

VIDEO:Sussex Sharks v Gloucestershire Gladiators – Friends Life t20 Quarter Final 25July12