FORMER Drakes Huddersfield League cricketer David Smyth has died aged 28 after a battle with cancer.

The South African all-rounder played for Scholes for two seasons and was a member of their Twenty/20 Trophy winning side in 2007.

He signed at Chapelgate after a short spell at Cumberworth, who were then in the Huddersfield Central League, and was very popular at the club.

For the last few years he played for Stainsby Hall CC in Derbyshire, where they flew the South African flag at half mast following his sudden death.

Teammates gave a guard of honour with raised bats at his funeral, with a traditional requiem mass held in the English Martyrs’ Church in Alvaston.

That was the same church where he married his wife Megan, from Hepworth, and it was bedecked with South African cricket shirts bearing his name for the service. Around 400 friends, family and teammates attended.

The Rev Father Mark Brentnall, who had married David and Megan, read the eulogy on behalf of the family.

Megan wrote: “David was, still is and always will be my husband.

“He will always be my world, my best friend, my entire life and my inspiration.

“I loved his smile, his eyes, voice, laugh and his warmth.

“I am the luckiest girl in the entire world to have fallen in love with David and had his love. So many people adored him but none of them will have known him as I did.

“I remember the night we met so clearly. I went home that night and told my mum that I had met the most amazing guy.

“I have written in my diary that David was very good looking, sweet, kind, friendly, funny and a very happy person.”

He worked as a personal trainer at Virgin Active in Derby.

In his native country he had played for the CBC Old Boys and attended Grey College in Bloemfontein, where he graduated in sports science.

He played at Stainsby Hall with his younger brother, Matthew, 25.

He played 134 league and cup games for Stainsby’s first team in Division One of the County League over six years.

He scored 2,909 runs at an average of 27.70 and took 256 wickets at an average of 19.71.

In his last game, he scored 74 not out for a win over Aston-on-Trent in the first round of the Marston’s Smooth Trophy.

Scholes Cricket Club chairman Mel Booth said: “We were all stunned and very saddened to hear Dave had passed away because he was a really popular lad at our club.

“He was a smashing young man with a lot of friends in the world of cricket, and he will be sorely missed.”