Albert Lawton Explained

Albert Lawton
Country:England
Fullname:Albert Edward Lawton
Birth Date:31 March 1879
Birth Place:Dukinfield, Cheshire, England
Death Place:Manchester, England
Batting:Right-handed
Bowling:Right-arm medium-slow
Role:All-rounder
Club1:Derbyshire
Club2:Lancashire
Year2:1912–1914
Type1:FC
Debutdate1:10 May
Debutyear1:1900
Debutfor1:Derbyshire
Debutagainst1:Lancashire
Lastdate1:1 July
Lastyear1:1914
Lastfor1:MCC
Lastagainst1:Cambridge Univ.
Columns:1
Column1:First-class
Matches1:182
Runs1:7,509
Bat Avg1:24.78
100S/50S1:11/35
Top Score1:168
Deliveries1:6,239
Wickets1:113
Bowl Avg1:31.92
Fivefor1:0
Tenfor1:0
Best Bowling1:4/19
Catches/Stumpings1:125/1
Date:6 February
Year:2010
Source:https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/30/30905/30905.html CricketArchive

Albert Edward Lawton (31 March 1879 – 25 December 1955) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire between 1900 and 1910 and for Lancashire between 1912 and 1914. He captained the Derbyshire team between 1902 and 1905 and also played for London County and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

Early life

Lawton was born at Dukinfield, Cheshire, the son of John Edward Lawton and his wife Ellen.[1] His father owned a cotton spinning business at Dukinfield and in 1883 Frederic Charles Arkwright brought him to Matlock, Derbyshire to revive Masson Mill to meet the growing market for sewing thread generated by the popularity of sewing machines.[2] Lawton senior built a substantial mansion Woodbank, later Cromford Court, overlooking Masson Mill.[3]

Cricket career

Lawton made his debut for Derbyshire in the 1900 season and remained with the team until 1910. He also played matches for London County from 1900 to 1903 and for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) from 1905 to 1914. Lawton captained Derbyshire between 1902 and 1905, although for part of 1904 Maynard Ashcroft held the captaincy. In 1902 he hit three of his ten first-class centuries, all at Derby. He scored 149 in two and a quarter hours against W.G. Grace's London County, 146 against Hampshire and 126 in just over two hours against Warwickshire. He scored 1,044 runs in the 1902 season with an average of 27.47.

The Lawton family left Matlock around 1910 and Lawton then played for Lancashire from 1912 to 1914. His last significant game was a one-off match for MCC in 1920. Lawton was a right hand batsman who played 314 innings in 182 first-class matches. His highest score was 168 and his average 24.78. He was a right arm slow-medium bowler who took 113 wickets with an average of 31.92. While he was captain, Derbyshire ended the season twice at 10th in the table and otherwise 12th and 14th.[4] Wisden described Lawton as "very tall" and a "prodigious hitter".[5]

Lawton died at Manchester aged 76.

Notes and References

  1. British Census 1881
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20070312130534/http://www.derwentvalleymills.org/04_his/his_001c.htm Key Sites
  3. Web site: Matlock Bath: Woodbank, later Cromford Court . 17 February 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081122163411/http://www.andrewspages.dial.pipex.com/matlock/pix/matlockbath_woodbank.htm . 22 November 2008 . dead . dmy-all .
  4. https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/30/30905/30905.html Albert Lawton
  5. http://www.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/230157.html Wisden Obituaries 1955