Tom Maynard: highly talented
Surrey’s Tom Maynard, one of England’s most promising batsmen, has died at the age of 23, the county said yesterday.
Maynard, the son of former Glamorgan and England batsman Matthew Maynard, was killed after being struck by a London Underground train in the early hours yesterday morning. British Transport Police (BTP) confirmed a 23-year-old man, named locally as Maynard, had died near Wimbledon Park station in south-west London.
A BTP spokesman said: “BTP officers were called to the line near Wimbledon Park London Underground station on Monday, 18 June after a man was struck by a District line train.
“London Ambulance Service medics attended but the man, believed to be 23 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident was reported to BTP at 5.03am and is currently being treated as non-suspicious.”
Mystery surrounded the end of Maynard’s life after London’s Metropolitan Police said he’d run away when stopped while driving “erratically” on Arthur Road, near Wimbledon Park station, before being hit by the tube train. 
“At approx 0415hrs on Monday, 18 June, officers stopped a vehicle after it was seen being driven erratically in Arthur Road, SW19,” Scotland Yard said.
Maynard began his career with Glamorgan before joining Surrey at the start of last season and also played for the England Lions, the national A team. He left Glamorgan after his father was forced out as coach of the Welsh county in 2010, saying his position had become “untenable”. Maynard scored his maiden first-class hundred at Cardiff, Glamorgan’s headquarters, last year and helped Surrey win the county 40-over tournament.
A first-class record of 2,384 runs in 48 matches at 32.65 with four hundreds may seem modest but it was the way he compiled that tally which led him to be identified as an England prospect. Surrey chairman Richard Thompson said: “There is a profound sense of loss at the passing of Tom. To lose anybody at such a young age is an utterly senseless tragedy.”
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Giles Clarke added: “This is a very sad day...Tom was a player of enormous potential who had already represented England Lions and had an exciting future ahead of him.”  This was the third time in 15 years Surrey were mourning the passing of a young cricketer after both Ben Hollioake, an England all-rounder, and wicket-keeper Graham Kersey died following car crashes in Australia.  From Australia, Adam Hollioake, Ben’s brother and a former Surrey captain, tweeted: “Wot is going on at Surrey? R we cursed or something?