William Lawton (4 June 1920 – 14 August 2008) was an English

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

er. Lawton was a right-handed

batsman In cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball, ball with a cricket bat, bat to score runs (cricket), runs and prevent the dismissal (cricket), loss of one's wicket. Any player who is currently batting is, since Septembe ...

who bowled right-arm

medium pace Fast bowling (also referred to as pace bowling) is one of two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket, the other being spin bowling. Practitioners of pace bowling are usually known as ''fast'' bowlers, ''quicks'', or ''pacemen''. T ...

. He was born in

Ashton-under-Lyne Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 45,198 at the 2011 census. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, in the foothills of the Pennines, east of Manche ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

. Having played for the Lancashire Second XI since 1946, he made his first-class debut for the senior

team in 1948 against the touring

Australians Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizens, nationals and individuals associated with the country of Australia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or ethno-cultural. For most Australians, several (or all) ...

. Lawton did not take a wicket in this match, and was dismissed for a

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...

Bill Johnston Bill or Billy Johnston may refer to: * Bill Johnston (cricketer) (1922–2007), Australian cricketer * Bill Johnston (golfer) (1925–2021), American golfer and golf course architect * Bill Johnston (tennis) William Marquitz "Little Bill" John ...

in Lancashire's first-innings. His second and final first-class match came in the same season against

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

. In Lancashire's first-innings, Lawton scored three runs before being dismissed by Basil Robinson. His only first-class wicket came in Oxford's first-innings when he took the wicket of Philip Whitcombe. He later played for Cumberland, making his debut for the county in its first Minor Counties Championship match in 1955 against the Yorkshire Second XI. He played eight Minor Counties Championship matches for Cumberland. He also played football for a while for

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic be ...

during the 1940s and

Colwyn Bay Colwyn Bay ( cy, Bae Colwyn) is a town, community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. Eight neighbouring communities are incorpo ...

during the 1950s. He played as a

wing-half A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. Lawton was married to the actress

Dora Bryan Dora May Broadbent, (7 February 1923 – 23 July 2014), known as Dora Bryan, was a British actress of stage, film and television.Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham ...

during World War II. They were married in Werneth St Thomas, Oldham in 1954. He once co-owned Clarges Hotel on the Brighton seafront with his wife, which was used as an exterior location in the films ''Carry On Girls'' and ''Carry on at Your Convenience''. He and his wife were forced to sell the bulk of the building as a result of bankruptcy, but they retained a flat with a sea view on the first floor for many years. Lawton died in Brighton on 14 August 2008 following a battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was survived by his wife, with whom he had three children.

References

External links

Bill Lawton
at ESPNcricinfo
Bill Lawton
at CricketArchive {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawton, Bill 1920 births 2008 deaths 20th-century British businesspeople British hoteliers Colwyn Bay F.C. players English cricketers Cricketers from Ashton-under-Lyne Cumberland cricketers Lancashire cricketers English footballers Footballers from Ashton-under-Lyne Association football midfielders Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Deaths from dementia in England