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
I love the pic of him with MSF.
ReplyDeleteThanks. That was a spur of the moment game, too, and I ended up getting MSF's photo with loads of the team. Hoping like mad there was a pro shot taken with Maynard last week when MSF was mascot.
DeleteBeautiful.
ReplyDeleteRIP Tom.
Thanks. Can't believe he's gone.
DeleteLovely pics. Always seemed such a quiet, down to earth guy whenever I saw him interviewed. Terribly, terribly sad.
ReplyDeleteThank you. He was such a nice bloke when we saw him around the Oval. Just heartbreaking.
DeleteGreat piece of honest writing, great pics of MSF with Tom. Hope you and MSF are OK. Still find it hard to believe we won't be seeing him play again.
ReplyDeleteI'm still hoping we got an official one done last Wednesday when MSF was mascot. I can't remember. Just wiped out by this, can't really take it in at all.
DeleteBeautiful blog. The photo of him and MSF is something your son will look back on in the future with love and happy memories, despite the sad news. We should not weep for those who died but for those who never seized the chance to live. Tom had a fabulous life and while it was ended tragically early, he left a mark on those who saw him. MSF should be happy that he got to meet him.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'm glad we have those memories and we are happy to have met Tom... but it doesn't take away the sadness that he's gone. Only time can ease that.
DeleteVery sad. Lovely post with the photos.
ReplyDeleteThere was a similar loss of a young player at Sussex some years ago now on a pre-season tour. I for one can't forget Umer Rashid even now.
I found the piece written by Lawrence Booth today to sum up my feelings on both deaths. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-2161535/Tom-Maynard-death-A-sudden-descent-painful-brutal-world-reality--The-Top-Spin.html
Thank you. Still really gutted. I've read Lawrence's piece, as well as several others. So many people have done great articles on Tom - lovely cricket-Twitter family.
DeleteHi Rowan
ReplyDeletewhat a moving blog and pictures.
A sad business, Tom's death.A great loss.
Excuse me for writing directly in the comments about another matter. I wasn't quite sure how else to reach you.
I have just published a cricket novel, an ebook, and I wonder if you would like to review it? What's new about it is that it's about a man who doesn't like cricket who falls in love with a woman cricketer, and she tells him to resurrect a defunct cricket team. He is coached in this by a Sikh cricketer.
I can gift it to you , complete with synopsis and material for an author interview if you like.
please let me know
thanks
Stuart Larner
--
read my new cricket novel:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guile-and-Spin-ebook/dp/B008FBZPHE/
http://stuartlarner.blogspot.co.uk/
oh i like this blog! :)
ReplyDeletepretty cool pictures you shared here, I remember the first time I went to cover a cricket game as part of my job as a pay per head writer, the stadium was crowded and the atmosphere was awesome
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