Sam Garaway, well-known Island cricketing figure and former headteacher of St Boniface Primary School, has died aged 83.
His Ventnor third XI in the 1990s was a starting point for several top cricketers, including England star Danny Briggs, Adam Hose and Steve Snell.
Sam was born in South Wales and was blind in 1 eye since birth, making his sporting successes even more remarkable.
The patch of green outside their council house became his Lords and his Villa Park, and he turned into a notable schoolboy cricketer and footballer and played for his county at both sports.
Sam was never an academic, and his headteacher only agreed to keep him on in the sixth form if he promised to hit 50-plus goals and 500-plus runs. He delivered.
While at St Paul’s College, he played football for Cheltenham Town and had cricket trials for Gloucestershire before turning out for Gloucestershire Club and Ground XI,
He enjoyed playing for village side Willersey and once, in the same innings, took seven wickets and two catches.
He turned to teaching at St Sampson’s School in Wiltshire, was headmaster of Carhampton Primary School in Somerset and in 1985 moved to the Isle of Wight to become head of St Boniface CE Primary School in Ventnor.
Sam brought his cricketing skill to Ventnor CC, where he played alongside Jeff Hose, Steve Clutterbuck and others.
He captained Ventnor successfully for a number of seasons, winning Whitbread Cups and league titles, as well as representing the Isle of Wight.
Sam dropped down from the 1st XI to the 3rd XI at Ventnor in 1994 to work with the “nippers”.
Some of those juniors who started with Sam in the 3rd XI were Danny Briggs (Hampshire, Warwickshire, Sussex and England), Steve Snell (Gloucestershire, Somerset and current Cricket Scotland Director of Cricket), Chris Russell (Worcestershire) and Adam Hose (Somerset, Warwickshire and Worcestershire).
He also played a significant role in the development of David Griffiths (Hampshire and Kent).
Away from Ventnor CC, Sam also has a spell as the IW Cricket Board’s development officer, supporting cricket across the Island.
His son, Mark, who played for Hampshire, England and MCC YC at junior level, credits Sam for being an amazing influence, ferrying him around the country to games.
The Garaways moved to follow Mark, seeing their son become a top coach in his own right and watched with pride as Mark’s Somerset side won the T20 Blast and beat the touring Australians at Taunton.
Mark went on to join the England coaching team and Sam and wife, Val, joined him on several overseas tours.
Sam also coached the Help For Heroes cricket team based at Tidworth.
Away from cricket, Sam was also a qualified FA football coach.
Sam leaves Val, son, Mark, daughter Sian, and 6 grandchildren.
Mark said:
“I think one of his proudest things was looking at the sheer number of players who he coached back in the day and how many of them are following in his footsteps, coaching at all levels of the game, from International to the vital roles in club cricket, the same place where dad thrived as a coach. Now that’s a legacy!”
“His spiritual coaching home was on the Island, that’s where he was happiest. That’s for sure. He loved the people on the Island and they loved him.”
The funeral will take place at Taunton Crematorium at 13:20 at Taunton Crematorium, Wellington Road, Taunton, followed by a reception the Somerset CCC County Ground, St James Street, Taunton.
