David “Syd” Lawrence, the powerful fast bowler who broke ground as the first British-born Black cricketer to play Test cricket for England, has died aged 61 after a year-long fight with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Lawrence took 625 first-class wickets for Gloucestershire across 280 matches and won five Test caps and a solitary one-day international between 1988 and 1992. His best figures, 5 for 106 against West Indies at The Oval, hinted at a long international career, but a shattered kneecap on England’s 1992 tour of New Zealand ended those ambitions almost overnight.
The family announced his passing in a short statement on Saturday morning: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dave Lawrence MBE following his brave battle with Motor Neurone Disease. ‘Syd’ was an inspirational figure on and off the cricket field and no more so than to his family who were with him when he passed.”
They added: “A proud Gloucestershire man, Syd took on every challenge with everything he could and his final contest with MND was no different. His willingness to encourage and think of others right up to the end was typical of the man he was. As President of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, Syd took on the role with incredible pride and passion and loved every minute of it. Syd’s wife Gaynor and son Buster thank everyone for the kindness and support that has been shown to them and the family so far and would ask that they are now given some time and space to grieve in private.”
MND is a degenerative neurological condition that gradually stops signals from the brain reaching the muscles. While treatment can ease symptoms, there is no cure. Since being diagnosed in early 2024, Lawrence threw himself into fundraising, spearheading the club’s “Pink 4 Syd” night in last year’s Vitality Blast. The squad wore a limited-edition magenta strip, with profits going to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
His influence at Bristol never diminished. In 2022 he became Gloucestershire’s first Black president and this month was appointed MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours. Earlier in the year, the ECB named him an Honorary Life Vice-President, recognition for decades spent pushing for wider access and diversity in the sport.
One of his final public appearances came only a week ago at Downend Cricket Club, where Courtney Walsh helped launch Lawrence’s memoir “In Syd’s Voice”, written with long-time friend Dean Wilson. Those close to him say the book’s frank reflections on race, injury and reinvention felt cathartic. After retirement he ran a Bristol nightclub and later competed successfully as a bodybuilder—hardly a conventional post-cricket CV, yet typical of a man who seldom settled for ordinary.
Gloucestershire plan to celebrate his life before their next home match; players are expected to wear black armbands, and talks are under way to rename a stand at Nevil Road in his memory. Club chief executive Will Brown said simply, “Syd’s love for this place was contagious; the ground won’t feel the same without him.”
Lawrence also worked with ACE (African-Caribbean Engagement) in Bristol, mentoring young cricketers who might otherwise slip through the net. Those who benefited often spoke of his honesty—never soft-pedalling on the realities of top-level cricket, always quick with practical advice on fitness, pace-bowling technique and life outside the game.
His passing leaves a hole in the Gloucestershire dressing-room and, more broadly, in English cricket’s efforts to widen its reach. Yet the programmes he championed, and the conversations he started, endure. In that sense, the man who bowled fast and lived faster continues to set the field.
