Sam Shares Top Billing!

Kent’s Sam Billings has joined Middlesex’s Dan Christian at the top of the leader board for this year’s Walter Lawrence Trophy, with both men having scored 46-ball hundreds.

Billings, a product of Loughborough MCCU, made his dashing 70-minute century in the Royal London One-Day Cup match against Somerset at Taunton on July 31. Coming in at number seven, the 23-year-old, Pembury-born wicket-keeper spanked 12 fours and 4 sixes in his hundred, going to finish unbeaten on 135, made off 58 balls.

Sydney-born Christian, who joined Middlesex this season, hit 9 fours and 8 sixes in his century against Kent in the NatWest T20 Blast game at Canterbury. The 31-year-old all-rounder has represented three State sides in Australia, as well as playing in 19 One-Day Internationals and 15 T20 Internationals for his country.

Now in its 80th 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.


Somerset v Kent scorecard
Sam Billings’ career statistics

VIDEO:Somerset v Kent, Royal London One-Day Cup, 31July14

Kent v Middlesex scorecard
Dan Christian’s career statistics

VIDEO:Kent Spitfires v Middlesex Panthers, NatWest T20 Blast, 6June14

Sciver’s A Striver

England all-rounder Natalie Sciver has knocked her captain, Charlotte Edwards, off top spot in pursuit of this season’s Walter Lawrence Women’s Award. The 21-year-old hit 154 off 151 balls for Surrey Women against Nottinghamshire Women in the Royal London Women’s One-Day Cup game at Reed’s School Ground, Cobham on July 20th. Her score, which included 22 fours and 1 six, represented almost 64 per cent of her team’s total as Surrey held on to win by 7 runs.

Natalie, who was born in Tokyo and grew up in Poland between the ages of 6 and 9, has represented England at Test, One-Day International and T20 International level and is regarded as a big hitter with a bright future.

Rob Wraps Up Another Durham Win

The Walter Lawrence MCC Universities Award winner for 2014 is Durham’s opening batsman Rob Gibson. His innings of 118, the highest against one of the other five MCCUs or against one of the first-class counties, was achieved on the final day of the 2-day Championship, against Cardiff MCCU at Usk CC on June 13.

Replying to Cardiff’s impressive total of 423-7, the 20-year-old right-hander shared an opening stand of 167 with captain Cameron Steel and then 61 with Chaitanya Bishnoi before being adjudged lbw. Gibson’s 118, scored off 217 balls and including 15 fours, provided a platform for Durham to draw the game and finish on 348 for 8.

Born in Emsworth and educated at Portsmouth Grammar School, Gibson also bowls leg-breaks and played regularly for Hampshire Second XI last season.

A sports degree student, Gibson is the third Durham MCCU player in four seasons to win the prestigious Award, following in the footsteps of 2011 winner Somerset’s Chris Jones and last season’s recipient Ivo Hobson. He will receive a special silver medallion and prize of £500 at the Walter Lawrence Trophy presentation dinner in The Long Room at Lord’s in November.

The quartet of Walter Lawrence Trophy awards, supported by Veuve Clicquot, encompass four distinct areas of the game: the Walter Lawrence Trophy, for the fastest century of the season; the 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; The Walter Lawrence Women’s Award for the batsman who makes the highest individual score in a season from the Royal London Women’s One-Day Cup, the ECB Women’s County T20 Cup and all England Women’s matches played on home soil, and, finally, the Walter Lawrence Schools Award for the highest score by a school batsman against MCC.