When James Bracey thinks of Syd Lawrence, he recalls not wickets but a man who never stopped giving to Gloucestershire cricket. This Sunday, Gloucestershire will honour the former England fast bowler during their Metro Bank One Day Cup fixture against Nottinghamshire, wearing a commemorative kit and raising funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA).

One memory stands out: September 2024, when Gloucestershire won the T20 Blast for the first time. Lawrence, already battling motor neurone disease, presented the trophy. "To see how much it meant to him... was really emotional," Bracey tells Sky Sports. "It just showed how much he really loved the club."

Lawrence, who passed away in June 2025 aged 61, remains one of Gloucestershire's most influential figures. He became the first British-born Black cricketer to play Test cricket for England in 1988 and later the club's first Black president. Bracey, though never seeing Lawrence play, describes him as "incredibly kind-hearted" and "larger than life."

Sunday's tribute also raises awareness of motor neurone disease and the MNDA's support for patients and families. As a pioneering Black cricketer, Lawrence helped open doors for future generations. Bracey hopes supporters remember the cricketer, trailblazer, and person behind both.