A horrific knee injury suffered when bowling for England ended this powerfully built fast-bowler's career, just at the moment when he looked to have established himself in the Test team. On the last day of a dead Test against New Zealand at Wellington, Lawrence fractured his left kneecap as he was about to bowl and fell horribly, his chilling cries of pain echoing around the stadium. Spectators said the sound of his knee splitting was like a pistol shot. His Test career was over, his first-class career as good as, though he did attempt a comeback with Gloucestershire in 1997. A very popular and wholehearted competitor, Dave Lawrence was capable of bowling both with extreme pace and with extreme inaccuracy, often simultaneously. However, by 1991 he seemed to gained a degree of control, and would certainly have played more Test matches had injury not struck.
Martin Williamson