Lawson gets down to business at Leeds/Bradford UCCE

25 September 2009

The domestic season in the UK might be coming to an end, but Andrew Lawson’s first month as Head Coach of Leeds/Bradford MCC University Centre of Cricketing Excellence will be a very busy one.

Now in his third week of a month-long handover period with former coach Richard Horner, Lawson will need to ensure he visits the four academic institutions in the set-up (Bradford College, University of Bradford, Leeds Metropolitan University and the University of Leeds) and in so doing meet the returning second, third and fourth year students hoping to retain their place in the UCCE squad. Crucially, he will also begin his recruitment process for the year ahead - requiring a number of ‘fresher fairs’ to attend and an even greater number of follow-up calls to potential players. All this and he’ll need to organise the fitness programme for the months ahead, as each cricketer’s general condition will be monitored throughout the winter - there being no ‘winter off’ for these aspiring professional players.

Lawson has arrived at Leeds/Bradford MCC University following a cricketing journey that has taken in many roles and numerous locations. Schooled in Johannesburg, Lawson went on to study Sports Management at university, and well knows the importance of having a further education:

“A lot of keen sportsmen and women are quick to overlook their studies, but what anyone embarking on a career in professional sport should ask themselves is, when your time is up, what have you got to go back to?

“Cricket can be a cruel game, it is hard to get to the top and you can have a short shelf life. In the MCC Universities scheme, young cricketers can hugely develop their game whilst furthering their education, giving them greater options for later on in life.”

It is the opportunity to work with aspiring professionals within academia that prompted Andrew to apply for the job:

“At Leeds / Bradford MCC University, I’ll be dealing with very promising cricketers who are trying to make their way in the game, pursuing their dream of a professional contract but ensuring they have options by getting a degree behind them. This will take hard work, discipline and planning, which is a perfect fit for my coaching philosophy and what you need to achieve at the highest level.”

Leeds / Bradford MCC University has been achieving top cricketing grades for a couple of seasons now. When the University Centre of Cricketing Excellence scheme first started in 2000 – under the auspices of the England and Wales Cricket Board – Leeds/Bradford was not a powerhouse of the university game. In recent years however, and certainly since MCC took over its role as sole administrator and benefactor in September 2004, this situation has radically changed. With two concurrent appearances in the MCC Universities Challenge Final at Lord’s (topping the table in 2009), they are the form team of the six MCC Universities. The Centre is also located in an area which is brimming with cricketing talent, with around 20% of all cricket played in England taking place in the county of Yorkshire.

Lawson, however, is not fazed by taking over a successful side:

“I’ve got some big shoes to fill. It’s an institution and a group of players who are professional and want to do well. Great credit to Richard for getting Leeds / Bradford into winning ways and it’s up to me to tap into this hotbed of talent in the area and persuade young and academic cricketers to apply to a Leeds/Bradford institution.”

Lawson has had a successful and varied career in cricket. Turning professional as a left-handed opening batsman in 1990, he played over 60 first-class games for both Border and Eastern Province in his native South Africa, hitting four centuries in the process. His playing peak came in 1995 when he was selected for the South Africa President’s XI to play against the touring Australians and the following year when he played for MCC against South Africa ‘A’ in England.

Showing an early interest in helping to produce other cricketers, Lawson’s coaching career in schools and clubs developed alongside his playing one in both South Africa and the UK. In fact, until he moved full-time to Perthshire in June 2004, as a Sports Development Officer, Lawson had only seen one winter in fourteen years! Working year-round summers in a number of different areas of South Africa and the UK, he picked up numerous coaching certificates in the process. His subsequent base in Perthshire led to a closer involvement with the Scotland Under 19 and then full national teams, culminating in an assistant coach position with Scotland at the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup. He moves to Leeds from north of the border where, from 2007, he was employed as a Cricket Development Officer for Perth & Kinross Council. He also worked earlier this year as an assistant coach to the Netherlands team who competed so well in the ICC World Twenty20, famously beating hosts England in the tournament opener. He has been an MCC Member since 1992, and went on the Club tour to Denmark in 2000.

Andrew Lawson with the victorious Holland side that beat England in World Twenty20

After identifying potential new recruits this month, Lawson will run trials in October and will work with around 40 players until the new year, when the squad will be trimmed and fitness programmes will be intensified. The Leeds/Bradford UCCE team will then embark on a pre-season tour ahead of fixtures against first-class counties and another tilt at the MCC Universities Challenge Final. Lawson will hope a few of his charges are signed as professionals in the process.

To the new Head Coach, the twin aims of team and individual success are not mutually exclusive:

“I am excited about this challenge and I want to do well here. More often than not, good individual performances go hand-in-hand with good team results. The harder they work at their individual games, the better they become at understanding their strengths and weaknesses and can therefore reach their full potential. My ultimate aim is to help guys progress to county contracts whilst continuing the growth of Leeds/Bradford MCC University as a major cricketing centre.”