Pub landlord put £100 on 11-year-old to play for England and set to win £50k
A pub landlord is ready to money in on an eye-watering £50,000 if Josh Tongue makes his cricket debut for the England Test match on Thursday. Tim Piper, 56, put £100 on the Worcestershire bowler to play for the nationwide workforce when he was simply 11 years outdated at 500/1 odds.
Now, 14 years later, Tongue has been named within the beginning XI to tackle Ireland at Lord’s.
Tim – a household pal who used to play cricket with Tongue’s dad – says the debutant “has done so well” to make the workforce.
He has planning to make use of a few of his winnings on a visit to the Caribbean, in addition to following the England squad on tour if Tongue stays within the workforce.
He mentioned: “A couple of mates phoned me and said I should watch Sky Sports because he’s playing.
“I always thought they announced it on the day but I saw that he was playing! It’s wonderful.
“His dad phoned me up last night and Josh nearly retired 12 months ago because of injury.
“He was touch and go thinking of calling it a day and 12 months later here he is playing for England.
“Of course I’m not going to play down £50k but it’s just such a wonderful story in itself.
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“When he was younger he started to get better and better, batting with pace and getting better with bowling.
“I thought it’d be silly not to bet £100 on him at 500/1 and now 14 years later here we are – it’s gone by so fast.”
Tongue was simply six when Tim noticed his potential and tried then to again the younger boy. However, Tim, who runs the Cricketers Arms pub in Redditch, was informed no.
He mentioned: “I phoned up the bookies when he was six but they didn’t take it seriously – I’m not sure why.
“He was already playing at Worcester County at the age of six.
“I used to go and see him in the garden playing with his dad when he just a year old and then when he was two or three he was playing in the nets and he knew how to bowl properly with leg-spin, top-spin and everything.
“But he got even better and by the time he was 11 I was able to place a bet on at 500/1 at Coral.”
The landlord claims that he was positive Josh simply want a “little break” to get in the England squad.
He added: “He was in the England U-19s before going on the Lions tour to Sri Lanka with the B team and I thought it wasn’t far off.
“He started this season getting Steven Smith out, arguably the best Australian batter in the world.
“I was just thinking that he needed that one little break and it’s come.”
Tim added he shall be watching the Test match in his pub on the times that he cannot make it to Lord’s.
He has promised to take Tongue and his household out for a meal after the match.