Peter Wight

Peter Bernard Wight (25 June 1930 - 31 December 2015) was a Guyanese first-class cricketer who played for Somerset, Canterbury and British Guiana. Wight was a prolific run scorer at the top of the order, scoring 16,965 runs during his thirteen years at Somerset; and at the time of his death only Harold Gimblett had made more runs for the county. After playing, he became an umpire in English first-class cricket, standing in matches from 1966 to 1995. Early life His family was a mix of Scottish and Portuguese blood with good cricketing talent. His cousin, Vibart Wight had represented the West Indies twice, acting as vice-captain in the third Test against England in 1928. His elder brother Leslie Wight also went on to play Test cricket for the West Indies, while his other brothers represented British Guiana at cricket, hockey, tennis and soccer. Wight came to England at the age of 20, arriving on a cargo boat in 1951. The conditions in England came as a shock to him, with rationing and outside toilets still prevalent. He had arrived in the country with the intention of studying engineering, but his employer in Burnley refused to release him, as promised, for his motor mechanic exams. With this, he emigrated to Toronto before returning to Lancashire to work in a factory. Career