Celebrity
Tony Pigott dead at 67: The former England cricketer who delayed his wedding to play for his country has died
Tributes Pour In for Former England Bowler Who Postponed Wedding to Play
Tributes have been paid to former England bowler Pigott, who demonstrated ultimate commitment by postponing his wedding when he was unexpectedly called up to play for the national team.
A seam bowler for Sussex and Surrey, Pigott made his maiden first-class appearance against Surrey in 1978 in memorable style by taking a hat-trick for his first three balls. Overall, he took more than 1000 wickets in first-class and List A cricket.
Despite all these accomplishments, the highlight of his career was when he got a chance to play for England once. Pigott was a last-minute call-up as an injury replacement for the New Zealand match in Christchurch in 1984—and since it was too late to notify him, he had to postpone his wedding to be able to play.
Chris Adams, the former Sussex Captain, Acknowledges Pigott’s Influence on the Club’s Revival
Chris Pigott committed 18 years of his life to playing for Sussex and he was still a key figure of the team even after his retirement. As a board member of the club, he was the driving force behind the successful installation of floodlights at Sussex’s home ground – which made them the very first club to have floodlights.
In 1998, Chris Pigott made the decision to give Chris Adams the captaincy, a decision which Adams later acknowledged as the base upon which the club’s first-ever County Championship title in 2003 was built.
Adams went further to honor Pigott’s legacy, saying: “Tony was probably the biggest positive change-maker in the club’s entire history.”
Sussex Cricket and ECB are deeply saddened by the demise of Tony Pigott
Chris Adams kept on sharing the memories he had with Tony Pigott, especially in relation to how Pigott affected his career on a personal level. “To me, Tony was very close figure who had a very great influence on my life. Number one reason I even choose to sign with Sussex in 1998 was Tony Pigott,” Adams recalled. “An absolutely lovable, optimistic character who will be missed by a lot of people.”
Adams revealed that 2003 Sussex Championship title was probably always going to be the dedication to Pigott and the supporters who stayed loyal to the club in the tough times late 1990s.
Sussex Cricket took to social media to express their heartbreak: “With the passing of player and CEO of Sussex Cricket, Tony Pigott, our club has lost a great man.”
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) similarly issued a statement of sympathy, “The whole ECB community is very shocked at the news, and we send out our prayers to Tony’s family and close ones.”
