* The late, great Lester Piggott was more sociable than some of his obituaries suggested.
The historian Lady Antonia Fraser remembers bumping into him with her late husband Harold Pinter. Lady Antonia says, ‘On our way to holiday in Mauritius – a long flight – Harold and I found ourselves on the same plane as Lester Piggott. We made cautious friends (I was a fan).
‘Then, bliss, we were at the same hotel! Several dinners were had together over the next few weeks – all merry and interesting. He was perfectly polite, if not wildly chatty – pleasant company.’
When they left, Lady Antonia asked Harold, ‘Well, what did you think of Lester Piggott?’
‘Great man. If only he played cricket, ’ Pinter told her, referring to his (other) passion in life.
One rumour about Lester did turn out to be true. Lady Antonia adds, ‘Harold always paid the bill for dinner – but he enjoyed that and possibly the great man didn’t.’
* The Old Un longs to change
