Mark Lawson (cricketer)
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Mark Anthony Kenneth Lawson is a highly promising young leg spinner who plays for Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
He has made a bright start to his first class career, taking 42 first class wickets up to the end of 2006 before his 21st birthday. A match winning performance of 6 for 88 at Scarborough against Middlesex, in partnership with fellow leg spinner Adil Rashid who claimed the other 4 wickets to fall in the visitors' second innings, brought him to national prominence and, coming from a county and country which has struggled to produce good leg spinners in the past he appears to have a bright future ahead of him. The failures of Ian Salisbury and Chris Schofield to make best use of their talent on the highest stage, and the inexorable rise of Monty Panesar to stardom, may see the England selectors give him plenty of time to mature in the county game.
Born on October 24, 1985 in Leeds and educated at Castle Hall College he has impressed good judges for England's Under 19 team as well as for Yorkshire. His talent was recognised early with selection for the North of England Under 14/15 and he made his second XI debut for Yorkshire in 2003, when he took the catch which secured the Second XI Championship for the Tykes. He gained experience with the Yorkshire Second XI before making his making his first-class debut against Somerset at spin friendly Scarborough in July 2004.
He toured Australia with the England Under 19 team, played against South Africa in 2003 and was a member of the squad for the Under 19 World Cup in Bangladesh in February 2004. He is given specialised coaching by Shane Warne's mentor Terry Jenner as part of the ECB’s Elite Wrist Spin Programme and played in two Tests and four one-day games on the Under 19 tour to India in 2005 and in an Under 19 one day international against Sri Lanka in England the following summer.
Standing five feet eight inches 'Sauce' bowls with flight and accuracy as well as sharp spin. When not on first class duties he plays for Gomersal in the Bradford League.
