Latest news with #PeterLever
Otago Daily Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Obituary: Peter Lever, cricketer
For a generation of New Zealand cricket fans, England fast bowler Peter Lever will be remembered for a single ball, a bouncer which Ewen Chatfield deflected on to his own head, a blow which almost killed the test debutant in a 1975 match. Lever was horrified by what had happened, but Chatfield assured him the accident was not his fault. Although born in Yorkshire, Lever played county cricket for Lancashire. He made his test debut in 1970 and also played in 10 ODIs, including the first-ever such match, in 1971. He took 46 test wickets at an average of 36.8: his career-best figures of 6-38 came in an Ashes test in Melbourne in 1975. Lever retired from first class cricket in 1976, later becoming a country cricket coach and an assistant test selector. Peter Lever died on March 27 aged 84. — APL/agencies
The Guardian
27-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘First to arrive and last to leave' – remembering England bowler Peter Lever
Peter Lever's life changed one day in the nets at Todmorden, his local cricket club. He was in the team as a batter who kept wicket, and bowled the occasional off-break. Trinidad's Sylvester Oliver, the club's professional, wanted to practise with someone bowling at him with a bit of pace. With none of the club's seamers present, Lever had a go. 'I managed to knock his castle down a few times,' he recalled, 'and from then on off-breaks and keeping wicket were out so far as I was concerned.' Lever, who has died aged 84 after a short illness, was 19 at the time; within a year he had signed for Lancashire. That it was Lever who happened to be in the nets at the time was probably no coincidence: the Australian spinner Neil Dansie, who played for Todmorden as a professional in 1955 and 1956, remembered him being 'first to arrive and last to leave. I said with that dedication and enthusiasm this boy is destined to go far in the game. Fifteen years later there he was, getting off the plane to represent England in Australia.' His first game for Lancashire came against Cambridge University in June 1960: he took no wickets, caught no catches, did not bat and suffered a serious nosebleed. It was a poor start to a fine career, and he stayed at the club until 1976, taking 796 first-class wickets, before returning in the early 1980s as coach. (He made an unexpected and brief comeback in a one-day game against Somerset in 1983: 'All the seamers had gone down injured so [manager Jack] Bond says to me: 'You're last man standing, you're going to have to play.' I said: 'Are you taking the piss? I haven't marked a run-up for seven years.'') He was known as a hard worker, renowned for the length of his run-up (there was a shorter version, which he called 'the Sunday League run', for when he was knackered). 'I never had any false ideas about myself,' he said. 'I was just another county bowler, and if they wanted someone to do the donkey work I was more than happy to do it. you can't expect to get to the top otherwise. If you want anything in this life you've got to be prepared to wait as well as work at it.' He made his England debut against a Rest of the World XI at the Oval in 1970, and finished his first innings as an international bowler with figures of seven for 83 – they would have remained his best in Tests had the game not later been declassified. 'I was really nervous before I went on the field, practically shaking,' he said. 'Then it dawned on me: I can't lose here. If I bowl well, I'm on the boat to Australia. If I don't, at least I've had a little taste of it.' He was indeed on the boat to Australia, and his second debut came that December in Perth, by which time he had turned 30. His selection ahead of the pacier alternative of a 21-year-old Bob Willis was a surprise and widely criticised in the British media: the London Evening News described it as 'a clanger' that 'can please only England's opponents'. But he played five of the seven Tests as England won the series 2-0 (as well as in the 40-over game in Melbourne, hastily arranged after the Test there was abandoned, that has gone down as the first ever ODI), and 17 in all across the following five years. He is most remembered for a single delivery, the bouncer that struck New Zealand's debutant No 11, Ewen Chatfield, on the temple as England tried to finish off the first Test in Auckland in 1975. Chatfield collapsed, unconscious. He had swallowed his tongue and fractured his skull. Lever sunk to his knees weeping as England's physiotherapist, Bernard Thomas, tried to resuscitate him. 'I honestly thought I had killed him,' he said. 'I felt sick and ashamed and all I could think was that I wanted to retire.' Chatfield recovered to play another 42 Tests; Lever played only two more.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ex-England Ashes bowler Peter Lever dies aged 84
Peter Lever, an England quick who was part of their triumphant 1970-71 Ashes triumph in Australia, has died at the age of 84. Lancashire spearhead Lever played 17 Tests and 10 ODIs for his country - including the historic inaugural one-day international in 1971 - and made his official Test debut as part of the Ray Illingworth-led side that won He returned for the series in Australia in 1975, when he claimed career-best figures of 6-38 at the MCG. We are deeply saddened by the news that Peter Lever has passed away, aged was inducted into our Hall of Fame last year after playing 301 First-Class matches between 1960 and 1976 - taking 796 thoughts are with his family and friends.🌹 #RedRoseTogether — Lancashire Cricket Men (@lancscricket) March 27, 2025 In the pre-helmet era, Lever struck New Zealand's Ewen Chatfield on the head with a bouncer during a Test in Auckland, with only emergency medical treatment saving the tailender's life after his heart briefly stopped. Lever was also a prolific figure for Lancashire during a long and fruitful domestic career, finishing with over 1000 professional wickets. Lancashire posted the news on X, writing: "We are deeply saddened by the news that Peter Lever has passed away, aged 84. "Peter was inducted into our Hall of Fame last year after playing 301 First-Class matches between 1960 and 1976 - taking 796 wickets. Our thoughts are with his family and friends." Lever's wife Ros told the BBC: "It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness that Peter Lever has passed away peacefully today. A beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. "An enormous thank you to everyone that has been caring and considerate in supporting Peter through these difficult recent times." Jonathan Agnew, the former England bowler, hailed Lever's influence, reflecting on how he always wanted to become a paceman after watching Lever bowl. "He had a massive influence on my cricketing life. They say you should never meet your heroes. I'm so lucky that I got to know mine," Agnew told the BBC.
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Former Lancashire and England bowler Lever dies
Former Lancashire and England fast bowler Peter Lever has died at the age of 84 following a short was part of the England team that won the Ashes in Australia in 1970-71 under captain Raymond Illingworth, the tour in which he made his Test the same trip, Lever also played in the very first one-day international, a hastily arranged 40-over match between England and Australia when the third Test in Melbourne was washed actually first played for England earlier in 1970, against a Rest of World XI, matches that were eventually stripped of Test Lever took 41 wickets in 17 Tests and 11 more in 10 one-day played for Lancashire between 1960 and 1976, claiming almost 800 wickets in 301 first-class wife Ros said: "It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness that Peter Lever has passed away peacefully today. A beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather."An enormous thank you to everyone that has been caring and considerate in supporting Peter through these difficult recent times." 'He had a huge influence on my cricketing life' BBC chief cricket commentator Jonathan AgnewWhen I was aged 11, my dad took me to a Gillette Cup final at Lord's between Lancashire and Kent, and I saw a fast bowler running in from the Nursery End. I'd never seen anything like it. I turned to my dad and said: "That's who I want to be." It was Peter was something about the way he bowled. The energy, the run-up. It lit a spark under me and, from that moment on, I was Peter Lever. My dad wanted me to be an off-spinner, like him, but there was no chance after I'd seen Peter bowl. I copied his action and he was everywhere in my life as I grew I was about 15 I went to stay with my grandmother in Cheshire and paid to have some coaching in the Lancashire nets at Old Trafford. Because I was reasonably quick, I got promoted to bowl to the first team. I was so nervous. Peter was in the net next door. It was like a dream come true.I followed him religiously. For a fast bowler, he was an incredibly gentle 1965, when South Africa visited England and played against Lancashire in a tour match, Peter refused to play against them because of in the first Test against New Zealand in Auckland in 1975, he had the horrendous experience of hitting the home number 11 Ewen Chatfield with a bouncer. Chatfield almost died. It nearly destroyed Peter.A few years later, in a famous game between Derbyshire and Lancashire at Buxton, it snowed and left the pitch as something of a lottery. Peter refused to bowl because he thought it was too bond forged between his former England captain Raymond Illingworth and Peter continued after their playing days. When Raymond was in charge of the England team as the supremo head coach and selector, he made Peter the bowling moved with his wife Ros to Devon, immersing himself in the local community. He coached at Lewdown Cricket Club and planted wild flowers around the 2017, Andrew Strauss arranged a 'Club England' dinner at Lord's for everyone, men and women, who had ever played for England. I was asked to host the evening and accepted only on the condition I could sit next to Peter. We were all given special caps to recognise our time playing for England. I presented Peter's to him and he presented mine to me. It was a lovely had a massive influence on my cricketing life. They say you should never meet your heroes. I'm so lucky that I got to know mine.
