Vikram The Victor

Worcestershire’s Vikram Solanki, who smote a 47-ball hundred against Glamorgan on June 24, is the 2009 winner of the Walter Lawrence Trophy, awarded for the fastest century of the season. The 33-year-old Worcestershire captain’s hundred included 14 fours and 2 sixes and helped his side crush the opposition by 101 runs in the T20 match at New Road, Worcester.

Solanki, the current chairman of the Professional Cricketers Association who has played for England in 51 One-Day Internationals, in which he scored two centuries, and two T20 Internationals, becomes the second player to win the Walter Lawrence Trophy with a limited-over innings. The award, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, amended its rules last season to allow centuries from all domestic county competitions to qualify. The fastest first-class hundred was scored by Somerset’s Peter Trego, who hit a 54-ball hundred, which included 6 fours and 9 sixes, in the County Championship, Division One match against Yorkshire, at Taunton on July 30.

Solanki is the first Worcestershire batsman since Graeme Hick in 1988 to win the Trophy, which he received – along with a cheque for £5,000 – at a special lunch in The Long Room at Lord’s on October 2.

Click here for a report on the presentation lunch

Vikram Solanki
Photograph by Pete Millson

At the presentation lunch Anand Ashok received the Walter Lawrence Trophy award for the highest-scoring batsman from the six MCC Universities. His unbeaten 164, which included 20 fours, scored against Oxford University in the MCC Universities Championship match at Fenner’s on June 21, is the highest score in an innings played against one of the other five University Centres of Cricketing Excellence or against one of the first-class counties this season.

Ashok, who was born in Hyderabad, India, and is studying chemical engineering, became the fourth recipient of a silver medallion and prize of £1,000.