It was an emotional day for Gregory Hughes as the father carries the casket of his 25-year-old son who was accidentally killed by another player as he was struck in the back of the neck by a ball during a cricket game in Sydney, Australia. The funeral of Philip Hughes who died on the 27th of November took place on December 3rd and was attended by over 1,000 people including friends, family, the Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, as well as several other national and sporting dignitaries. The event was broadcast live on Australian TV. Philip Hughes died three days before he could celebrate his 26th birthday.
Phillip Joel Hughes was a Test cricketer. In a tearful tribute to his teammate, Michael Clarke said: “I keep looking for him,” said Clarke. “I know it’s crazy but I expect any minute to take a call from him or to see his face pop around the corner.
“Is this what we call the spirit? If so then his spirit is still with me and I hope it never leaves.
“I walked to the middle of the SCG on Thursday night … those same blades of grass beneath my feet where he and I and so many of his mates here today had built partnerships, taken chances and lived out the dreams we painted in our heads as boys.”
“I stood there at the wicket, I kneeled down and touched the grass. I swear he was with me, picking me up to my feet to check if I was ok, telling me we we just needed to ‘dig in, get through to tea’, telling me off for that loose shot I played, chatting about what movie we might watch that night, and then passing on a useless fact about cows.”
Clark went further to say many other things about Philip – as he struggled with his emotion while giving his speech and paying his last respect to a brother, friend and teammate.
Elton John’s “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” was played as Philip Hughes’s casket was carried out at the end of the funeral.
Photo Credit: Getty.
[author ]Noretta Loum[/author]
