Loving tribute to tragic cricket star
England cricketer Adam Hollioake paid a moving tribute today to his brother Ben at a funeral mass in Perth - and revealed that he and his seven-months pregnant wife are going to name their baby daughter after Ben and his injured girlfriend.
At the service attended by cricket stars from both England and Australia, including England captain Nasser Hussain and former England and Surrey skipper Alec Stewart, 30-year-old Adam said words could not explain what he was feeling about the loss of his baby brother, known in the family as Benni Boy.
"I can't imagine Ben as anything other than youthful, strong, handsome, athletic and noble. He was a beautiful work of art. He enjoyed life and he loved life to the full," he said.
Later Adam told the congregation: "I'm so glad I told my brother I loved him many times in the past year. I know we loved each other a million times more than we could ever let on to anyone."
And, in a message to his brother, Adam said: "It's OK Benni, I'll get with you again one day, I promise you. I'm always here for you, Ben, I always have been ... I love you, Benni Boy."
In one of the most surprising moments of the service he said he and his wife Sherryn would name their baby, expected to be a daughter, after the couple, combining the names of Ben and Janaya Scholten to call her Benaya.
He also said the entire Hollioake family were praying for the recovery of Ben's 23-year-old girlfriend, who is still in intensive care at Royal Perth Hospital.
Pledging to spend the rest of his life caring for Janaya, he said: "I want us to pray for Janaya and her family. Pray she makes a full recovery. I know Ben would have wanted us to do that first, such was his love for her and his caring attitude."
Some 250 people packed into Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church to hear tributes to 24-year-old Hollioake, who died in a car crash early on Saturday when his Porsche hit a wall. They included a dozen members of the Surrey team who flew to Australia for the funeral.
Alec Stewart said: "Ben was a very special friend of ours, not just a Surrey team-mate. I'm not ashamed to admit I cried my eyes out today. I'll miss him."
