Bilal Shafayat opens lead for Walter Lawrence Trophy

Bilal Shafayat, England's Under-19 captain, has taken an early lead in the 2003 Walter Lawrence Trophy stakes.

The 18-year-old all-rounder has made an early bid for the £5000 prize by scoring a 73-ball hundred for Nottinghamshire against Durham UCCE at Trent Bridge on Sunday April 13 - just two days into the start of the first-class season! Dismissed for 105, his 78-minute ton included four sixes and 15 fours.

The giant Will Jefferson (he's almost 6ft 10in tall), led the field for barely a day with his historic hundred off 101 balls on Saturday when he became only the third batsman to score a century before lunch on the opening day of the first-class season. His 101-ball hundred for Essex against Cambridge UCCE at Fenner's followed those by Glamorgan's Arnold Dyson against Kent in 1937 and by Chris Broad for Gloucestershire against Oxford University in 1980. It was the earliest this feat had been achieved but not the earliest a first-class hundred had been scored. That record belongs to Somerset's Michael Burns who narrowly beat Michael Atherton to the mark on 7 April 2000.

The Walter Lawrence Trophy was first awarded in 1934. Last year's winner was Matthew Fleming with a century off 66 balls against the Sri Lankans at Canterbury. Matthew received a cheque for the sum of £5000 from Aon, supporters of the Trophy, at a ceremonial dinner in the Long Room at Lord's last year.

The Walter Lawrence Trophy is awarded to the batsman who scores the fastest century off the fewest balls received in all first-class cricket each season.