James Pipe dreamed of being a county cricketer, and got his wish in 1998 when he signed for Worcestershire. He had to wait a long time to establish himself at New Road, but when Steven Rhodes finally retired in 2004 Pipe had his chance. He was unlucky that his promotion coincided with the emergence of the exceptionally talented Steven Davies, and Pipe, anticipating he would once more be playing second-fiddle, moved to Derbyshire for the 2006 season.   The move proved a good one as he was the only 'keeper on the staff and put in some impressive performances with the bat to go with his 50 dismissals in 14 matches. The most exhilarating was a 79-ball 84 to help defeat Somerset. He improved further in 2007, registering his first two hundreds for the county and finishing with an average of  36.06.   He is a hugely popular member of the squad, is constantly in the gym and is also working towards becoming a qualified phsysiotherapist.
Alan Curr November 2007

• Bell's form boosts Warwickshire (Jun 30, 2008)
  
• Vincent ton adds up for Lancashire (Jun 23, 2008)
  
• Mushtaq and Lehmann star (May 10, 2006)
  
• Seven wickets on comeback for Hoggard (Sep 3, 2003)
  
• Back to cricket at the Rose Bowl after concerts (Sep 3, 2003)
  

View the full list of 6 related articles

Jul 0, 2008 A chart detailing the order of merit of England's eligible wicketkeepers, from The Wisden Cricketer magazine © The Wisden Cricketer

Jun 29, 2007 Garnett Kruger blows James Pipe's stumps away © Getty Images

Apr 30, 2007 James Pipe, 2007 player portrait © Getty Images

View the full list of 5 related images