A player dreams of centuries and five-wicket hauls on their County Championship debut but Jeremy ‘The King’ Lawlor admits his turned into a nightmare.
The all-rounder opened the batting against Kent in his first match for his boyhood club and scored a pair – now over three years later he is ready to write a new chapter in his career.
With nine first-class matches, three half-centuries and seven wickets under his belt, Lawlor has recovered from that early setback.
And with Glamorgan set to enter a new era after the departure of head coach Robert Croft following a disappointing 2018, the 23-year-old is ready to take his chance.
“Now it feels like a fresh start and I feel like a remodelled version of myself,” he said
“I was pleased that I could make my first-class debut in my first season as a professional and to break in as an opening batsman. Even though it was a long way from how I wanted it to go, I was still very proud.
“The whole experience taught me that there are different levels both mentally and physically and I think the hardest part for me was that I got dropped the very next game, so I didn’t have a chance to redeem myself.”
Playing for Glamorgan runs in the Lawlor family with Jeremy’s father Peter making one appearance for the club in 1981.
But the junior Lawlor seems to save his best performances for when he is playing against his own teammates.
The right-hander scored two first-class 50s against Glamorgan during his time as a student and played at Cardiff MCC University – while his right-arm seam makes him a tricky opponent with the ball.
“Before, I was an opening batsman who would bowl a little bit of off spin whereas now I am a middle order batsman who bowls seam,” he added.
“I think in the last game I played I acted as a fourth seamer and batted at seven so it has been a complete U-turn.”
Known around Glamorgan as ‘The King’, Lawlor acquired his nickname from former teammate Will Bragg as a reference to the iconic WWE commentator Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler.
And, despite his subdued start to life at Glamorgan, Lawlor has enjoyed every minute of his time with the club ever since they handed him a professional contract on the same day he received his A-Level results from Monmouth School.
“If you play cricket in Wales and you are Welsh, Glamorgan is the pinnacle really,” he recalled.
“I probably still have Glamorgan shirts at home from when I was kid and I remember going to sit in the stands.”
Lawlor is under contract until the end of the forthcoming season and is optimistic that his versatility and new-found playing style can earn him a place in the team.
He said: “Being able to bat and bowl gives you that opportunity to have two bites at the cherry and I hope being versatile and injury free will be a big positive for the future.”
