Today I had an appointment with a lawyer to talk, among other things, about wills and sorting out the future. Something she said a couple of times was along the lines of, "Well, you're quite young but you never know when something might happen". And that was when I started crying again because those words have hit home so hard today.
Unless you've been hiding from the internet, you'll have seen the news. Surrey batsman Tom Maynard was killed early this morning in an accident on the Tube line. He was only 23. While there has been speculation about what went on, nobody will ever really know because nobody else was there. And, frankly, I don't care what happened. It won't make Tom's death any less of a tragedy. People who are willing to condemn a young man for a couple of acts of foolishness are beneath contempt. Tom was a bright young talent, a rising star for Surrey and - potentially - for England. He was also a really sweet guy, one of my Surrey boys who made going to the Oval such a thing of joy for me and MiniSurreyFan.
I spoke to Tom only last week, when MiniSurreyFan was the mascot for the t20. I saw him play yesterday against Kent. I wasn't even going to go to the game, but a good friend persuaded me to get out of the house and come. I'm so glad she did. Yesterday seems like a whole other world now.
I could write a tribute to Tom, look up all of his brilliant stats, find some quotes about him. But other people have done that already and far more coherently than I'll be able to manage through my tears. All I can say is that my heart goes out to his family - both his relatives and the Surrey squad.
And I'll miss you, Tom. I'll miss you. I want to say more, but I can't.
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Fielding close up at Whitgift. LV v Essex 19th May 2011 |
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Batting at Whitgift. LV v Essex 19th May 2011 |
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Fielding on the boundary. t20 v Gloucs 2nd June 2011 | |
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Batting at Whitgift. t20 v Sussex 4th July 2011 |
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Quick snap with MiniSurreyFan after the game. Whitgift t20 v Sussex 4th July 2011 |
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Warming up in the nets with the boys. t20 v Hants 8th July 2011 |
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Surrey v Shahid Afrid t20 v Hants 8th July 2011. Maynard off strike... |
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...and on! |
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In the slips with Captain Rory Hamilton-Brown and Gareth Batty. LV v Kent 11th July 2011 |
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Chatting with the team coming off the field. LV v Kent 11th July 2011 |
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Batting in the freezing cold. LV v Sussex 5th April 2012. Sadly the only photo I have of him from this season. | |
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The Surrey flag at half mast above the Oval. Goodbye, Tom. xx |
Tom Maynard: 25/3/1989 - 18/6/2012