In July 2023, Bitteswell Cricket Club’s ground was fittingly dedicated to the memory of Peter Smith, following his sudden and untimely passing one year earlier. Well-known and respected across the Leicestershire club cricket community and more widely through Leicestershire Seniors, Big Pete, as he was commonly known, was synonymous with the club and its values for almost 60 years.
A tall, lithe and swift bowler in his pomp, he later used his experience and accuracy in the autumn of his career to remain a reliable wicket taker and was still being selected for the 1st XI, on merit, into his 60s.
His ability to entice batsmen to hit straight to recently and carefully positioned fielders or for well set batsmen to miss his ‘straight one’ was uncanny. Sadly, no records exist to know how many wickets he took but it would run into thousands. The ground is annexed to the farm he owned and worked and when the new farmhouse was built there in 2007, Pete and his wife, Anna, moved from the village. The farm was renamed Green Wicket Farm and the ground effectively became his new back garden. With limited and often out of date equipment, his enthusiasm, knowledge and passion for his craft ensured Bitteswell CC members and their guests, enjoyed playing on excellent pitches and outfields for years and years.
He knew the square and the weather like the back of his hand and how to produce the best possible pitches in all conditions. He brought seemingly obsolete equipment back into service and sometimes ‘generously’ acquired an essential replacement from nowhere.
He loved the club, the ground and everything associated with cricket. He played hard but with fairness and good humour, always with a smile on his face and a glint in his eye.
The passion and spirit in which he played coupled with the care and skill of his ground work are all characteristics that we are now determined to preserve and uphold.