75th Anniversary

The Walter Lawrence Trophy, in its 75th year, will once again be rewarding the scorer of the fastest hundred of the season. As last year, it will be open to all domestic county competitions: centuries scored in the Friends Provident Trophy (50-over format), the Pro40 League (40-over format), and Twenty20 Cup (20-over format), as well as One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals, will all be eligible alongside those scored in the first-class English season.

The winner will be presented with the Trophy and a cheque for £5,000 at a special end-of-season lunch in the Long Room at Lord’s. Last year, Essex’s Graham Napier triumphed with a sensational 44-ball century in a Twenty-20 Cup match against Sussex at Chelmsford. Napier, whose hundred included nine sixes and nine fours, became the first winner of the Trophy with a limited-over innings.

There will also continue to be a Walter Lawrence Trophy award, of a silver medallion and prize of £1,000, for the highest score by a batsman from the six MCC Universities against one of the other five University Centres of Cricketing Excellence or against one of the first-class counties. Last year’s winner was Akbar Ansari, the 20-year-old Cambridge University all-rounder, who scored 193 against Oxford University in the Varsity Match at The Parks.

Lastly, we will be running our popular competition for journalists to predict the number of balls the fastest hundred is scored off, with a magnum of champagne to be won by the closest. Entries will close on April 17.