Pakistanis Hold Memorial Service For Woolmer

Tuesday April 3rd, 2007

Lahore, Pakistan (CMC) - A memorial service, with a congregation of about 300, was held for Bob Woolmer at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in the city on Sunday, April 1st, exactly two weeks after the Pakistan coach was murdered in Jamaica.

Pakistan's cricketers, including captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, attended the hour-long service for the 58-year- old coach.
"No one can ever really understand the void in the team he has left. He was a top-class coach and an even better human being," Inzamam told the congregation.

Candle lights burnt and floral wreaths were placed by a large portrait of Woolmer, smiling and wearing the Pakistan team T-shirt.
One of the wreaths was laid by the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Naseem Ashraf, on behalf of the country's president Pervez Musharraf.

Woolmer, coach of Pakistan since 2004, was found unconscious in his hotel room on Sunday March 18, the morning after Pakistan suffered a shock defeat to little-rated Ireland and failed to advance to the second round of the Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007.

He died later in hospital and police in Jamaica announced four days later that they were treating his death as murder by strangulation.  Ashraf, described Woolmer as a great man.  "He fought and stood by his troops," he said.  Another memorial service will be held on Wednesday in Cape Town in South Africa, where Woolmer lived with his family.