Lancashire batsman Harry Pilling dies

Harry Pilling, the former Lancashire batsman, has died at the age of 69. A right hander, he played for the county from 1962 to 1980.

Standing at 5ft 3in, Pilling never took a backward step and one of his more famous innings came in the 1970 Gillette Cup final at Lord's when he struck an unbeaten 70 to guide Lancashire home against Sussex.

It was the first of a hat-trick of titles for Lancashire and the third, in 1972, featured an iconic stand between Pilling and Clive Lloyd as the pair added 97 for the third wicket against Warwickshire.

In first-class cricket, Pilling made 15,279 runs at 32.23 with 25 hundred in his 333 matches.

Lancashire's outgoing chief executive Jim Cumbes said: "We are greatly saddened to hear about Harry's passing. He was a stalwart of the Lancashire side in the 1960s and 1970s and was a key member of the successful one-day teams from that era."

Former Lancashire players also posted messages on Twitter: "Very said to here that Harry Pilling has passed away... A Champion Lancastrian," wrote David Lloyd.