IT was confirmed last week that former Otley Cricket Club captain and opening batsman, Sam Smith, was tragically killed whilst on business in Boston, USA.
Smith played much of his early cricket at Illingworth, following in the footsteps of his father and prolific run scorer, Keith. The records show that he made an unbeaten century against Green Lane in 1997.
He joined Otley back in 2003, as a hard hitting opening batsman. Sam became Otley's 1XI captain the following season.
It’s fair to say that Smith played a huge part in Otley's success for the 11 seasons he played and a lot of credit for their more recent success must go to him for the foundations he laid during his playing years.
In 2014, back and knee injuries caused a premature retirement from the game but not before some successful seasons at Cross Green. A number 1XI centuries along with a couple of 2XI league titles were his standout highlights.
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