Laurence Thursting

Laurence Denis Thursting (9 September 1915 – 15 November 2001) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Leicestershire from 1938 to 1947.[1] He was born at Lambeth in London and died at Leicester, Leicestershire.

Laurence Thursting

Personal information
Full name	Laurence Denis Thursting
Born	(1915-09-09)9 September 1915 Lambeth, London, England
Died	15 November 2001(2001-11-15) (aged 86) Leicester, Leicestershire
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Left-arm orthodox spin
Role	Batsman
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1938–47	Leicestershire
First-class debut	14 May 1938 Leicestershire v Hampshire
Last First-class	8 August 1947 Leicestershire v Yorkshire
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 29 Runs scored 882 Batting average 25.20 100s/50s –/4 Top score 94 Balls bowled 960 Wickets 13 Bowling average 50.76 5 wickets in innings – 10 wickets in match – Best bowling 3/34 Catches/stumpings 10/–
Source: CricketArchive, 19 July 2013

Thursting was a right-handed batsman and a slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler. He played in a trial match for Surrey in 1932.[2] By 1934, he was playing for Marylebone Cricket Club as one of the professionals employed as ground staff by the club.

He was recruited by Leicestershire in 1938 from the ground-staff at Lord's primarily as a bowler, but had little success at that.[3] Instead he developed very quickly as a right-handed opening batsman, with opportunities opening up because of injuries to Francis Prentice and then Stewie Dempster's regular unavailability. His high point and his highest score came in the match against Warwickshire when his 94, made in four and a quarter hours, helped Leicestershire to save the game after they had to follow on.[4] In the season, he scored 625 runs at an average of 27.17.[5]

From this promising beginning, Thursting's first-class cricket career never really developed. In 1939, though Leicestershire were a poor team and finished bottom of the County Championship, the batting line-up stabilised without Thursting and he played only eight games, batting mostly at No 8, though he managed two fifties from that position.[5] He returned for a single match in 1947 without success.

References

1. "Player Profile: Laurence Thursting". www.cricketarchive.com. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
2. "Surrey Trial Match". The Times (46117). London. 26 April 1932. p. 6.
3. "Leicestershire in 1938". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (1939 ed.). Wisden. p. 421.
4. "Scorecard: Warwickshire v Leicestershire". www.cricketarchive.com. 2 July 1938. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
5. "First-class Batting and Fielding in each season by Laurence Thursting". www.cricketarchive.com. Retrieved 19 July 2013.