Latest news with #PeterMatthews
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
'Devastation' following death of David 'Syd' Lawrence
Friends and colleagues have spoken of their "devastation" following the death of former cricketer David "Syd" Lawrence MBE. Lawrence, the first British-born black cricketer to represent England, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2024. Advertisement Earlier this month, the 61-year-old, from Gloucester, said he was "incredibly proud" to be appointed an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours in recognition of his services to cricket. Mark Alleyne, head coach at Gloucestershire County Cricket Club (GCCC) said: "When you come to moments like this, as sad as it is, at least we know one thing that he lived a very full and colourful life." MND is a rare, degenerative condition that affects the brain and nerves. There is no cure. Peter Matthews is the chair of GCCC [BBC] Peter Matthews, chair of GCCC, said a minute's silence was held at the start of Sunday's home match against Derbyshire to commemorate the "desperately sad" passing of Lawrence. Advertisement "Because of the nature of [MND], you know it's going to happen at some stage, but it's still a shock," Mr Matthews said. He credited Lawrence's "wonderful legacy" both on and off the field. "He always gave everything. He was a brilliant cricketer. "He broke down barriers, he was so obviously himself, he exuded confidence, but obviously he was a really genuine man alongside that confidence. "He was a wonderful president. While of course his body was failing him, the tragedy in some respects of motor neurone disease is that the brain doesn't fail you, so he was always there to give ideas and provide insight to me as a relatively new chair," Mr Matthews added. Neil Priscott described Lawrence as an "icon" [BBC] Neil Priscott, chief executive officer of GCCC, described Lawrence's work with the club as "transformational". Advertisement "He brought in life, that energy and that infectious spirit. He brought that in his presidency in day one. "He wanted us to reach out to communities far and wide, push ourselves, do more, find the next generation of talent and that infectiousness sort of carried everyone with him. "Syd's been an icon for this club on the field and off it. "We absolutely want to continue that legacy and do that in his honour." David Graveney was Lawrence's first captain [BBC] David Graveney, vice chairman of GCCC, was Lawrence's first captain. At the start of Lawrence's career, Mr Graveney watched him develop from a county bowler to an international star. Advertisement "His legacy to the game is in many, many forms. "The fact he was the first English-born black person to play for England was a thing he was very proud of and he was the first black president of the cricket club - another thing he was really proud of. "He shows that actually it doesn't matter what your background is, if you apply yourself then the sky's the limit," Mr Graveney said. Andy Brassington first met Lawrence when he was 16 years old [BBC] Andy Brassington is a former cricketer and friend of Lawrence. He visited Lawrence on Saturday and was with him just an hour before he passed away. "It's been a terrible illness. He's taken it head on, like he does with everything Advertisement "To see him in the state he was in then, there was a lot of relief when they called me to say he'd passed on because it wasn't a good place to be for him. "He's probably in a better place now, that's for sure," Mr Brassington said. He added that the cricketing world will look after Lawrence's wife and son and will carry on his legacy. "He's been brave, he's a very proud man, his appearance is everything to him, yet he put himself in the shop window to show people how this disease can tear your body apart. "He's given hope to people. We all need heroes, we all need idols and Syd was there for so many people. Advertisement "I always say time is the greatest gift you can give anybody and Syd gave a lot of people a lot of time," said Mr Brassington. Lawrence was a former fast bowler for England and Gloucestershire [Getty Images] Lawrence established himself as a "club icon" throughout his 16-year career, becoming known for his "thunderous run-up, fearless fast bowling and ever-present energy", his family said in a statement. He played five Test Matches for England and took 625 wickets in 280 matches before his cricket career was cut short by injury in 1992. In 2022, Lawrence was appointed president of GCCC - a position he held up until his death. Throughout his final year, Lawrence appeared at many charity events to raise awareness of MND. Advertisement Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. More on this story Related Internet Links
BBC News
8 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
David 'Syd' Lawrence: 'devastation' among friends after his death
Friends and colleagues have spoken of their "devastation" following the death of former cricketer David "Syd" Lawrence MBE. Lawrence, the first British-born black cricketer to represent England, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2024. Earlier this month, the 61-year-old, from Gloucester, said he was "incredibly proud" to be appointed an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours in recognition of his services to cricket. Mark Alleyne, head coach at Gloucestershire County Cricket Club (GCCC) said: "When you come to moments like this, as sad as it is, at least we know one thing that he lived a very full and colourful life." MND is a rare, degenerative condition that affects the brain and nerves. There is no cure. Peter Matthews, chair of GCCC, said a minute's silence was held at the start of Sunday's home match against Derbyshire to commemorate the "desperately sad" passing of Lawrence."Because of the nature of [MND], you know it's going to happen at some stage, but it's still a shock," Mr Matthews credited Lawrence's "wonderful legacy" both on and off the field. "He always gave everything. He was a brilliant cricketer."He broke down barriers, he was so obviously himself, he exuded confidence, but obviously he was a really genuine man alongside that confidence."He was a wonderful president. While of course his body was failing him, the tragedy in some respects of motor neurone disease is that the brain doesn't fail you, so he was always there to give ideas and provide insight to me as a relatively new chair," Mr Matthews added. Neil Priscott, chief executive officer of GCCC, described Lawrence's work with the club as "transformational". "He brought in life, that energy and that infectious spirit. He brought that in his presidency in day one. "He wanted us to reach out to communities far and wide, push ourselves, do more, find the next generation of talent and that infectiousness sort of carried everyone with him."Syd's been an icon for this club on the field and off it. "We absolutely want to continue that legacy and do that in his honour." David Graveney, vice chairman of GCCC, was Lawrence's first captain. At the start of Lawrence's career, Mr Graveney watched him develop from a county bowler to an international star. "His legacy to the game is in many, many forms. "The fact he was the first English-born black person to play for England was a thing he was very proud of and he was the first black president of the cricket club - another thing he was really proud of. "He shows that actually it doesn't matter what your background is, if you apply yourself then the sky's the limit," Mr Graveney said. Andy Brassington is a former cricketer and friend of Lawrence. He visited Lawrence on Saturday and was with him just an hour before he passed away. "It's been a terrible illness. He's taken it head on, like he does with everything"To see him in the state he was in then, there was a lot of relief when they called me to say he'd passed on because it wasn't a good place to be for him. "He's probably in a better place now, that's for sure," Mr Brassington said. He added that the cricketing world will look after Lawrence's wife and son and will carry on his legacy. "He's been brave, he's a very proud man, his appearance is everything to him, yet he put himself in the shop window to show people how this disease can tear your body apart. "He's given hope to people. We all need heroes, we all need idols and Syd was there for so many people. "I always say time is the greatest gift you can give anybody and Syd gave a lot of people a lot of time," said Mr Brassington. Lawrence established himself as a "club icon" throughout his 16-year career, becoming known for his "thunderous run-up, fearless fast bowling and ever-present energy", his family said in a statement. He played five Test Matches for England and took 625 wickets in 280 matches before his cricket career was cut short by injury in 2022, Lawrence was appointed president of GCCC - a position he held up until his his final year, Lawrence appeared at many charity events to raise awareness of MND.
BBC News
04-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Cheltenham Cricket Festival 'may not survive' rising costs
The chair of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club has warned the future of the Cheltenham Cricket Festival will be in doubt if it doesn't stop losing fortnight-long event at the College Ground, which sees Gloucestershire move from their usual ground in Bristol up to Cheltenham, is the world's longest-running cricket festival, having started more than 150 years county said it has been losing "tens of thousands of pounds" because of rising costs and falling ticket Peter Matthews said the club "can't run the event long term at a loss". The first Cheltenham Cricket Festival was held in 1872 and at one time Gloucestershire played matches across the county. In more recent years, the club's annual trip to play at Moreton-In-Marsh ended in 1996 and financial pressures led to the Gloucester Cricket Festival coming to an end in is now the only place in Gloucestershire where the county plays matches, with the regular home games taking place in Bristol. Mr Matthews said the event in Cheltenham has faced increased financial challenges since the Covid-19 pandemic."For many years, particularly pre-Covid, when corporate hospitality was in its prime, it was making very good money for the county, but it has been a struggle in recent years."Last year's festival was particularly difficult. The weather wasn't very good and we didn't get as many spectators as we had expected. The cost of putting the festival on has also gone up in recent years," he added. 'We must be realistic' A new committee has been set up to try and boost the number of people attending this year's event, which takes place in mid July. "We've put together an action plan, we've put together a new team and we've got some great events lined up. We're very hopeful this year we will see a change in finances for the county," said Mr Matthews."But we have to be realistic, we can't run the event long term at a loss".The club, which announced last year it would be exploring options for a new stadium on the edge of Bristol, is planning to set up a 'boundary hub', with Mr Matthews saying it "recognises that for some people it's a social occasion as well as a cricket occasion".The hub will host events with the presenters of TV show Bargain Hunt, jockeys and Cheltenham Town FC players, as well as a cricket memorabilia event. The festival also provides opportunities for local organisations and charities to raise awareness and Cheltenham Town FC Community Trust will be part of this year's event, and community fundraiser Tess Warby said it's a great way for them to promote what they do."Not a lot of people know about us at the moment, but we do lots in the community. We provide programmes to help with mental health, education and inclusion."Sport brings people together at the football club. The Cheltenham cricket festival brings another community together. It's nice to work with a local organisation to help build awareness," she added."It's one of the oldest-running cricket festivals and it's fantastic to be part of such a rich heritage."Bringing two big sporting local organisations together - we should be supporting each other as businesses and charities."
