Slain Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer was totally and utterly incorruptible, his friend and sports scientist Professor Tim Noakes told Woolmer’s memorial service in Cape Town on Wednesday.
Addressing about 300 mourners in the Wynberg Boys’ High school hall, he said it had been suggested Woolmer was about to expose match-fixing. However, his spoken and written record left nothing to support this theory. The cricketing manual he had been working on with Woolmer did not mention match-fixing.
”The sole exposé in that book is Bob’s unique approach to cricket coaching,” said Noakes, who at times battled to control his tears. Woolmer’s laptop diary also contained no such reference.
The match-fixing theory was completely and utterly without substance. ”Hopefully these will be the last words on this topic,” Noakes said.
He also said Woolmer was universally admired for his warmth, sincerity and integrity. ”Only after his death has the true extent of his global influence become obvious. But we should have known it.”
Woolmer was one of only a handful of South Africans, ”for that is how I choose to remember him”, who could be acknowledged as world leaders in sport, said Noakes.
‘Surreal’
As the memorial service got under way, headmaster Keith Richardson welcomed the large crowd of mourners, saying Woolmer’s death had been ”unbelievable and surreal” and had shocked and stunned everyone who had known him.
Richardson, who had known Woolmer for 25 years and helped him run cricket-coaching programmes, described the former England all-rounder as ”one of God’s gentlemen” and one of South Africa’s proudest adopted sons.
A large poster of Woolmer decorated the lectern on the stage of the school hall where several large vases of white lilies were on display.
Ushers at the event were Wynberg pupils who last year went on a school cricket tour of Pakistan at Woolmer’s initiative, while music was provided by the school’s brass band. One of the ushers, Dalin Oliver, said they felt honoured to be part of the service because ”he opened cricket doors for us”.
Woolmer’s wife, Gill, and sons Russell and Dale were seated at the front of the hall with other close family members and VIPs, including Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool. A number of former and current cricketers, including Peter Kirsten, Paul Adams, Nicky Boje, Ali Bacher and Allan Donald, were among the mourners.
”He was a players’ coach. He was my mentor,” former fast-bowler Donald said. ”He put South Africa on the map and we’ll remember him for that.”
”He’s still the most successful coach South Africa’s ever had,” spin-bowler Adams said. ”We have lost a great soldier in the game.”
The chairperson of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Nasim Ashraf, told mourners he was speaking on behalf of the board, the government of Pakistan and its 160-million people when he paid his last respects to Woolmer. ”I can tell you we in Pakistan loved Bob,” he said. ”He truly loved the game. He lived cricket, he loved cricket and, unfortunately, he died for cricket.”
He said there was nothing that could take away the loss suffered by Woolmer’s family except to tell them ”that we in Pakistan will never forget Bob Woolmer and we always will stand by you in whatever way we can”.
Cricket commentators, including Trevor Quirk, and a large international and local media contingent were also in attendance.
The service was being led by Reverend Jerome Francis, an Anglican priest from St Margaret’s in Parow, who was himself coached by Woolmer as a boy.
Woolmer’s body remains in Jamaica, pending a coroner’s inquiry. He was found dead in his Kingston hotel on March 18, the day after Pakistan were eliminated from of the World Cup by Ireland. A team of British police officers this week arrived in Jamaica to help in the inquiry.
A memorial has already been held in Pakistan. — Sapa