Tony Pigott was a professional journeyman who was good enough (and crucially close) to help England in their only Test match, when he did better than most. To do this he even postponed his wedding (unfortunately later doomed to failure).He provided excellent service to Sussex and later to Surrey on the field. The book contains some telling commentary on his playing contemporaries and it is in its honesty that it scores above similar books I have read over many years.
Perhaps his greatest service to Sussex was when he tried to get them back on equal footing and did so in a way that saw them become county champions, albeit after his somewhat acrimonious departure.
His comments on the challenges he faced as CEO of the club are refreshingly honest, including an ‘inept’ marketing officer and the groundsman’s wife fleeing and robbing the club shop.
His life has been far from easy, with stories of divorce, custody battles for his son and battling esophageal cancer treatment. He talks about the challenges of injuries during his cricket career and at times the book is far from easy to read.
It’s also not one of the longer books I’ve read, but there’s a lot packed into its 143 pages, including a useful statistics section.
I have long been of the opinion that many of the best cricket books are not necessarily about the biggest names.
This one, written with Andy Murtagh, reinforces that statement and is worth reading for anyone.
Lester and the Beach Chair Revolution: The Life and Times of Tony Pigott was written by Tony Pigott with Andrew Murtagh and published by Fairfield Books
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