Coral punter lands £50,000 on Josh Tongue England debut

Josh Tongue bet talk of the town

A far-sighted cricket fan from Redditch will land a £50,000 payout on Thursday morning when cricketer Josh Tongue makes his Test debut for England against Ireland at Lord’s.

Tim Piper, a pub landlord, placed a bet with bookmaker Coral in 2009 that the then 11-years-old Tongue would one day represent his country at the highest level, and 14 years on, he will collect £50,100 from the firm, having placed £100 at odds of 500-1.

Piper said: “I tried to place the bet when Josh was six years old, but the bookies didn’t want to know, but five years later, I contacted Coral, and they offered me 500-1, which is when I placed the £100 bet.

Our newest Test cricketer! 🧢

Congratulations, Josh Tongue 👏#ENGvIRE pic.twitter.com/jOTO6xItzV

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 30, 2023

“I played for Redditch Cricket Club with Josh’s dad, Phil, in the 1990s, and could see his talent at an early age, and since then I’ve been following his career closely. He’s overcome plenty of injuries, which makes his achievement all the more remarkable, and I’m so proud of him, regardless of the money I’ve won, and we’ll have a proper celebration when he’s walked out at Lord’s this week.”

Coral’s David Stevens commented: “Tim’s letter requesting the odds on Josh playing Test cricket actually ended up on my desk back in 2009, and while we have laid plenty of these type of bets over the years, rarely do they have such a happy outcome. I’m delighted to have been there at the start of the dream, and at the conclusion, and look forward to dropping in at Tim’s pub for a celebratory pint!”