A funeral for an international cricketer who made West Devon his home will be held in the coming days.

Peter Lever, who has died aged 84, was a fast-medium bowler for Lancashire for 17 years and for England in 17 Test matches.

An obituary for Peter was published in The Guardian.

After his successful career, Peter retired to Bratton Clovelly, where he coached at Lewdown Cricket Club. He even played for them in his 70s so that the club would not be fined for failing to produce a side of 11 men in a league match. He ended up taking two cheap wickets and struggled to get out of bed the next morning.

He was a familiar and much-loved figure in Bratton Clovelly, where he endeared himself to the locals by planting wildflowers around the village.

A spokesperson for Lewdown Cricket Club said: “We are devastated to share the news of the passing of Peter Lever. Peter, who was of course a former England International, moved to the local area and became a well loved figure among all at LCC, helping both on and off the pitch to help move the club forward. His wealth of knowledge, skill, and his incredible wit and humour left a profound effect on all those around the club.

“After taking a step back from coaching, Peter continued to support off the pitch and was a regular visitor to any game ongoing at the club, mostly with his wonderful wife Ros. Everyone at Lewdown Cricket Club sends their love and thoughts to Ros and the rest of Peter’s family, and the club will be offering support wherever possible over the coming weeks.”

Peter toured Australia twice, under the captaincy of Ray Illingworth in 1970-71 when England regained the Ashes with Lever playing in five of the six Tests, and then on the less successful expedition under Mike Denness four years later.

He was the most wholehearted of bowlers, very popular with colleagues and opponents, but he was also tough enough to battle with his employers if he felt that was justified in an era when county cricket operated with a 20th-century version of the feudal system.

After his playing days he became a much respected coach at both professional and recreational level. At Lancashire he had a fruitful relationship with the young Mike Atherton and in 1995 he was reunited with Atherton, who was the captain of England, when Illingworth, employed him as his bowling coach alongside John Edrich as the batting coach, a trio of much cricketing wisdom and experience, but from another age.

John Abrahams, retired English Cricket player, said: “Peter was like an informal mentor to me as we both lived in the Rochdale area and used to travel to and from matches together. He used to advise me on cricket and the game in general.”

Peter was born in Todmorden, Yorkshire in 1940 and passed away on March 27, 2025.

He is survived by his wife, Ros.

Peter’s funeral will be held at the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Bratton Clovelly on May 8 at 11am.