Pipes has passed away, aged 56, due to ill health. Very sad news.
Pipes has passed away, aged 56, due to ill health. Very sad news.
If that’s true, it’s really tragic. He was easily the best Bears keeper I’ve seen.
A troubled soul and gone too young.
Bloody hell. What a shock, not sure what he has been doing all these years but that is shocking. Outside of Tests, the best keeper I have seen by a mile. Alan Donald really rated him and said he was a real inspiration behind the stumps, getting up the noses of opposition and taking catches that most keepers wouldn't get near.
One of my favourite players growing up, absolutely loved him, always had time for the Junior Bears and would stop and have a chat and a laugh. RIP Pipes. So sad.
Strangely, I cannot see anything online about Keith Piper passing away. Where has this come from and why is it not on the BBC Cricket site.
Charlie Dagnall confirmed it on X.
Yes, sadly I saw a Facebook post by Richard Stemp confirming it.
Still nothing on the BBC site which hasn't changed since the Stokes incident.
So many unbelievable catches behind the stumps. Sad to read this today. Thank you Pipes for so much enjoyment you provided.
Remember being at Canterbury on a dull, drizzly Saturday, September afternoon in 1995 when we wrapped up a win to secure the CC. AD steaming in at full pelt and Keith taking some absolute screamers to bowl them out in a session. What a keeper he was.
In my time watching the Bears we've had some truly great batsmen and some truly great bowlers. With all due respect to Tim Ambrose and Deryck Murray, I don't think we've had a truly great wicket-keeper. Piper was perhaps the closest we've come and the fact that he was so highly rated by those with whom he played speaks volumes. Sad for him to go so young.
Former Leicestershire and England wicketkeeper, Paul Nixon, almost certainly gets it right when he says:: “Pipes was Warwickshire’s finest, the most naturally gifted WK I ever played against & toured with."
Such sad news about Keith, an underrated keeper (except to us Bears fans) who will always be remembered for being our keeper during 1994's treble winning season, and for being at the other end when Brian Lara made his astonishing 501 against Durham. A sad loss, RIP Keith.
I always thought that he never got into the England side because of his batting, the same reason they dropped Bob Taylor in 1981 and replaced him with Alan Knott because Gooch, Boycott, Brearley and Gower were not making runs up the order so you blame your 'keeper. I thought he was better than Russell who was picked as much on his eccentricity as his keeping and even when Stewart took over from Russell, he was equally as good as him but where Piper was better was that he took catches that some 'keepers wouldn't have got a glove to. Just because Piper didn't play international cricket, didn't stop him being world-class, a blinding catch is still a blinding catch whether it's at a Test or in a CC game.
Sad news,
Cracking keeper who was underrated outside of Edgbaston. 56 is no age.