Our Tom was no 'druggie', insists Maynard Senior
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Your support makes all the difference.Almost a year after his son Tom was found dead on the tracks near Wimbledon Park Tube station, former England batsman and assistant coach Matthew Maynard has hit out at claims that the former Glamorgan and Surrey player was "a druggie".
In an interview with the former England captain Michael Vaughan to be broadcast on Monday night on BBC Radio 5, Maynard – who has just agreed a deal to coach St Lucia in the Caribbean T20 tournament – reflected on the course of events that ended with Tom's death in the early hours of 18 June last year.
An inquest later revealed that hair samples showed levels of cocaine "consistent with regular or habitual use" and a post-mortem showed the presence of ecstasy. However, Maynard told Vaughan that the media had exaggerated the extent of his son's problems.
"He has been made out to be some sort of druggie and he wasn't," he said. "That makes us angry – because that wasn't Tom. He was a good cricketer who loved the game. He made some poor decisions that night in the house and in his car.
"We'll never know what went through his mind. Obviously, he took some social drugs – but he wasn't the type of person who needed that kind of lift.
"We were absolutely amazed that drugs were involved. I find it astonishing that no one else knew."
County cricketers have been told they will be tested more regularly for recreational drugs in response to the younger Maynard's death, while Matthew Maynard and his wife, Sue, have since helped to establish the Tom Maynard Trust, which will provide funding and support to help aspiring cricketers achieve their dreams.
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