That Peter Philpott played eight cricket Tests for Australia was not the most remarkable part of his extraordinary life.
It's the fact he lived long enough to reach the top after suffering a severe bout of rheumatic fever aged just four that is so mind blowing.
The fever left the born-and-bred Manly product with a damaged aortic valve, forcing him to spend the next 10 years of his life convalescing. By the time he was 19, no company would allow him to take out life insurance for fear they'd have to pay out sooner rather than later.
Boy, did they get that wrong. Peter - or "Percy" to most who knew him - died on Sunday aged 86 following complications from a recent fall.
A wrist spinner who retired three times before eventually debuting for Australia at 30, Philpott's stats for Manly, NSW and his country stand up against any of the greats of that time.
But it was as a coach Percy made his biggest impact, spending time with the Australian, Sri Lankan and England national teams and unlocking the mystery of spin bowling to generations of slow bowlers at all levels. He also authored several acclaimed books on cricket.
Manly cricket's godfather Mike Pawley said of his good mate: "He was a mentor, an inspiration and friend to everyone. He was admired by everyone he taught and everyone he played cricket with."
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