Bold Strokes and a Matt Finish

The hot April weather has certainly warmed up this season’s batsmen in the LV= County Championship as, five days after Chris Read’s 76-ball hundred, Sussex’s Matt Machan has taken the lead in the chase for the Walter Lawrence Trophy with a 70-baller. The 24-year-old hit 13 fours and 4 sixes in his century against Worcestershire at Hove on April 19, before finishing on 135 , his highest first-class score.

Machan, who was born in Brighton, has a Scottish mother and qualified in 2012 to play for Scotland, whom he has represented in 22 One-day Internationals – including the recent World Cup – and 6 T20 Internationals. A product of Brighton College, Machan made his County Championship debut for Sussex in 2011 and won the county’s Young Player of The Year Award in 2013.

Now in its 81st 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.

‘Izzy’ Runs in the Family!

Isobel Joyce, the captain of Ireland Women, is the front runner in pursuit of this year’s Walter Lawrence Women’s Award. The 31-year-old all-rounder scored an unbeaten 127 in the opening round of the Royal London Women’s One-Day Cup against Worcestershire Women at Chester Road North, Kidderminster on May 3rd. Her quick-fire innings in the Division 2 match was made from 110 balls, including 20 fours, and provided the platform for a 126-run victory.

Born in Wicklow, ‘Izzy’ has represented Ireland in 1 Test, 67 One-Day Internationals and 39 T20s. She comes from a family genuinely steeped in cricket: her twin sister, Cecelia, plays along side her and her three brothers Ed, Dom and Gus have all played for Ireland. Ed, most notably, is the current captain of Sussex and has played for England and Ireland at One-Day and T20 level.

Simply the Best?

Mark Best, Loughborough MCCU’s opening batsman, has made a hefty claim for this year’s MCC Universities Award with a scintillating, unbeaten 203. The 20-year-old opener spanked 18 fours and 4 sixes in his innings, scored off just 230 balls, against Durham MCCU at The Racecourse ground, Durham, on April 29. The Nuneaton-born, psychology student has represented Warwickshire teams from U.13 level up to the 2nd XI.

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 ECB Women’s County Championship, 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.