Bill Lawry
Lawry was born in the Melbourne suburb of Thornbury. He was given the names William Morris after the early Prime Minister of Australia, William Morris Hughes. His father Alfred played amateur cricket until the age of 51. Bill never saw his father play, who was aged 47 when Bill was born. Aged nine, he played competitive cricket for the first time with the Thornbury Presbyterian Church team. He spent three years there, as well as playing for Preston Technical School. When he was twelve, he entered Melbourne's district competition playing for Northcote's fourth team, working his way up to the First XI by the age of sixteen. At the time, he was apprenticed as a plumber and attending Preston Technical College. Lawry was selected for Victoria's Second XI at the age of seventeen. He made a duck against the South Australians and did not see any further action for the Seconds for the rest of the summer of 1954–55. The following season, Lawry was recalled to the Seconds and scored 183 against South Australia.
Edward Chandos Leigh
Leigh started playing cricket as a boy at Stoneleigh Abbey after his father Lord Leigh, Lord Byron's schoolmate at Harrow, established a cricket ground at his country estate at Stoneleigh Abbey in 1839 for his eldest son William Henry Leigh who was attending Harrow. In 1847 Leigh started at Harrow and was quickly identified by Bob Grimston as a future cricketer to the Harrow XI captain Henry Vernon "There, Vernon, is the young cricketer". Bob Grimston and Frederick Ponsonby were to become his lifelong friends. On 15 June 1847 his home club side Stoneleigh Club including his elder brother William Henry Leigh, Lord Burghley, Lord Guernsey and Robert Grimston played against the Harrow XI. In September 1848 Edward played for the 22 of Leamington & District v the All England XI at Wisden & Parr's Ground, Leamington. In 1849 and 1850 he was selected for the Harrow XI and in 1851 he captained the Harrow XI and scored the highest score of 42 in Harrow's win v Eton at Lords.