How Michael Robinson picked Mark Lawrenson out at cover... and followed him ever after

HUWZAT ON WEDNESDAY: "We knew each other well, and when he trudged off he called me a b******. 'It was a s*** shot,' I replied. He was a technically good opening batsman – the shot was out of character"

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Sadness, as another of my heroes passes.

When anybody famous dies at the moment, we immediately think of coronavirus.

Actually Michael Robinson, the former Liverpool striker, died of cancer. He was just 61.

He wasn’t just a high achiever at football. He became a television star, in Spain no less. That’s some achievement in an age when football pundits are widely mocked.

Among the tributes yesterday, one caught my eye.

Mark Lawrenson, his former team-mate, revealed on Twitter that Robinson was a cricketer.

“Gutted to hear of the passing of Michael Robinson (aka The Cat)… We played cricket together in our teens. He followed me to Preston North End. Then Brighton & Hove Albion, Republic of Ireland & finally Liverpool. He even bought my house off me in Hove. It’s a sad day. RIP mate.”

I was lucky enough to interview Lawrenson for The Cricketer last year. He was kind enough to talk to me again about the loss of his friend.

^{Michael Robinson died on Tuesday at the age of 61}

The cricket match he recalls was when he played for Penwortham against Blackpool 2nds, for whom Robinson was playing.

“I caught him in the covers and he was on 47,” said Lawrenson. I’d like to tell you it was a spectacular, diving catch to my left, but it was routine.

“We knew each other well, and when he trudged off he called me a b******. ‘It was a s*** shot,’ I replied. He was a technically good opening batsman – the shot was out of character.”

As shown in that tweet, Robinson kept picking Lawrenson out over and over again.

“I wondered if he was stalking me in the end,” said Lawrenson.

Robinson only played one season for Liverpool, but picked a good one, in 1983/84, when they won the league, European and League cups. He didn’t score a huge amount of goals but I do recall his brave hat-trick at West Ham.

I always had a soft spot for the underdogs.

While I loved watching Ian Botham play, I rooted for Derek Pringle to record the best bowling figures.

Where I adored Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush, I was desperate for Michael Robinson and Paul Walsh to score. I don’t know why. Being obtuse I suppose.

Lawrenson played cricket for his school, Preston Catholic College.

“I scored a century in front of a Lancashire coach,” he told me. “He invited me to a net at Old Trafford. ‘Well, you definitely have the ability,’ I was told. ‘We are interested in taking you on, but you are going to have to choose – cricket or football?” I said: ‘See ya!’”

The North-West seems like a breeding ground of quality footballer/cricketers.

The Neville brothers were distinctly handy cricketers before favouring the Old Trafford of Manchester United over Lancashire’s; Phil was as good a batsman as any who have played in the annual Bunbury festival, reliable sources tell me.

Gone are the days when you could carry on playing both into adulthood.

“Steve Ogrizovic (Liverpool reserve goalkeeper, 1977–82) was into cricket,” Lawrenson told me. “He played for Shropshire.”

Club neighbour Jurgen Klopp having a chat to president Charlie Mills pic.twitter.com/Z4nhOREOZT

— Formby Cricket Club (@formbycricket) May 14, 2016

Cricket Archive reveals that in the NatWest Trophy Ogrizovic faced Somerset, Yorkshire – he dismissed Martyn Moxon – and Warwickshire – his two wickets were Robin Dyer and Alvin Kallicharan. He also played for Minor Counties against Notts in the Benson & Hedges – he took 2 for 21 in 11 overs and removed Chris Broad and John Birch.

“Peter Reid of Everton was the other big cricket fan among the Merseyside football crowd,” said Lawrenson. “He still goes now. Bob Paisley was not into it, but Peter Robinson [Liverpool FC secretary 1965–92, chief executive 1992–2000] was. He regularly watched Lancashire, and I take the dog down to Southport and Birkdale Cricket Club, and Peter is there watching. Steve Heighway used to play for them. There have been quite a few footballers who also played professional cricket… Jim Cumbes, Chris Balderstone and so on… and Denis Compton, of course.”

Jurgen Klopp walks his dog to Formby Cricket Club.

Liverpool stay in the hotel at the Ageas Bowl, when they face Southampton, and they have watched a bit of cricket there.

One of Klopp’s predecessors, Rafael Benítez, was not a convert, however. He said about Test cricket: “How can you tell your wife you are just popping out to play a match and then not come back for five days?"