Reece gets KP signed bat after accident
SCHOOLBOY cricketer Reece Topley was back at school today - the proud owner of a signed Kevin Pietersen bat.
Nick Garnham
SCHOOLBOY cricketer Reece Topley was back at school today - the proud owner of a signed Kevin Pietersen bat.
Reece was taken to hospital and had nine stitches inserted in his left ear after being struck by a fierce drive by England's star batsman while bowling at him in the nets on Monday.
The accident happened after the 15-year-old, who is a pupil at the Royal Hospital School at Holbrook, near Ipswich was invited to bowl at England's batsmen as part of their preparation for the ICC World Twenty20 Tournament that starts in this country on Friday.
Reece was detained in Leicester Royal Infirmary overnight on Monday and underwent hearing tests before being discharged and picking up the bat from Loughborough University, where he had been bowling at Pietersen before being hit.
Pietersen promised to give Reece the bat as a memento and the 6ft 6in left-arm bowler picked was thrilled to receive his souvenir before returning to Suffolk following his release from hospital on Tuesday.
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The words “To Reece sorry about the ear big man you should of caught it. Best wishes Kevin Pietersen” and an accompanying smiley face have been written on the bat.
His dad, former Essex cricket Don Topley, said: “The hearing tests showed that his hearing is slightly below par for a boy of his age, which is probably down to the trauma he suffered.
“He will have further tests once the swelling has gone down and the stitches have been taken out,” added Topley, who is director of sporting development and master in charge of cricket at RHS.
Reece will play cricket for the first time since the incident on Friday when RHS face Felsted in the ECB Twenty20 Cup at Holbrook.
