Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is sad to learn of the death of former player Peter Lee at the age of 80.
Northamptonshire-born in the village of Arthingworth, fast bowler ‘Leapy’ Lee began his professional career at Wantage Road although he enjoyed his greatest success in the game after joining Lancashire in 1972. Four years later he was named one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year – sharing the honour with his former team-mate David Steele – as the only English bowler to claim 100 first-class wickets in the 1975 season.
Lee made his Second XI debut for Northamptonshire under the captaincy of Dennis Brookes in 1966, signed professional terms in 1967 and proved an immediate success in the ‘stiffs’ – his bowling figures of 8-25 against Essex at Chelmsford that year remain a club record nearly 60 years later. But he wasn’t given a proper run in the County’s first team until 1969, when he picked up 36 Championship wickets for Roger Prideaux’s side.
The arrival of Sarfraz Nawaz the following summer dealt his prospects a blow, and although he bowled well in 1971 (helping, perhaps significantly, to skittle Lancashire for 41 in a Second XI match in May) it would prove his final year at Northampton prior to his ‘second coming’ for the Red Rose.
Jack Mercer, Northamptonshire’s long-time coach and scorer, had advised the young seamer to ‘keep fit, keep straight and keep an eye on Brian Statham’ if he wanted to prosper in the county game – and he duly relocated to Statham’s old stamping ground at Old Trafford, hastened by the County’s decision to bring in pacemen John Dye and Bob Cottam from Kent and Hampshire respectively for the 1972 season.
It proved an inspired move. In 1973 he claimed 101 first-class wickets, followed by 112 in 1975, 66 in 1976 and 73 in 1977. He was twice named the PCA Players’ Player of the Year – always a coveted accolade for any professional cricketer. He appeared for Lancashire against Northamptonshire in the Gillette Cup final at Lord’s in September 1976 and removed both Man-of-the-Match Peter Willey and Geoff Cook, although fortunately for the County his efforts weren’t enough to deny Mushtaq’s men victory. In the early stages of his Lancashire career, he continued to net during the winter at Wantage Road.
A serious shoulder injury in 1978 marked the beginning of the end for Lee in the first-class game; he was released by Lancashire in 1982, and after a season with Durham in the Minor Counties Championship he turned out in league cricket, eventually coming back to Northamptonshire where he represented clubs including Earls Barton, Cogenhoe and Hamilton Taverners. He remained a handful with the new ball, as many opposing batsmen will recall – sometimes painfully.
In 2024 he was inducted into Lancashire’s Hall of Fame, along with Michael Atherton and his former team-mate Frank Hayes; the speech recognising his achievements was made by his ex-Lancashire captain, David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd.
Lee’s record across all first-class cricket shows 599 wickets at 25.60 in 202 matches, plus another 230 at 22.53 in one-day matches.
NCCC offers sincerest condolences to Peter’s family and friends.
Words written by Club Archivist Andrew Radd