SPORTING colleagues have been paying tribute to Wayne Williams, who died suddenly at the age of 49 last Thursday.

Williams played cricket for Herefordians from 1988-96 before moving on to Hereford Nomads and then to Wellington Nomads where he was a regular over the past three seasons.

As an opening bowler, Williams regularly came out on top in the bowling averages and could also make a contribution as a batsman.

"More than handy with the bat, Wayne turned games around on a regular basis," recalled Wellington's Chris Fry. "A fierce competitor on the field and the life and soul of the party of it."

"Wayne was a husband, father, sportsman, competitor, gentleman and friend," said Phil Chalkley, a team-mate at all three of his cricket clubs. "He is a truly irreplaceable individual and will leave a tremendous hole in the lives of his friends."

Williams, who was a prison officer at Gloucester Prison, also played rugby for Luctonians. He leaves a widow, Nicky, and two sons, Jamie and Matthew, from a previous marriage.

The funeral is at St Mary's Church, Ross-on-Wye, on Wednesday, February 11 at 12.15pm with a celebration of his life at Ross-on-Wye Conservative Club afterwards. All are welcome.