THE LIFE of a Petersfield man who played rugby and cricket in the town and helped protect The Heath has been commemorated with a bench near the cricket pitch.

John Pike was born in Petersfield in 1935, and died in March last year aged 81.

He helped start the Friends of Petersfield Heath (FoPH) volunteer group in 1991, and was FoPH chairman from 2005 to 2015.

John was also a vice-president and trustee of Petersfield Cricket Club.

A bench dedicated to him now overlooks The Heath cricket pitch.

A family member said they were grateful for donations towards the bench from Petersfield Cricket Club and Friends of Petersfield Heath.

For his FoPH work, John was awarded a prestigious Mayor’s Award.

John was a Churcher’s College pupil and on leaving he completed his National Service in the Royal Air Force, before enjoying a career in civil engineering, building roads and bridges.

John married Vivien at St Peter’s Church in 1961, and on his retirement the couple ran the Turnpike Gallery in Dragon Street for eight years.

They have sons Ian and Richard, four grandsons and a grand-daughter.