England's players held a private service in Auckland today to celebrate the life of Ben Hollioake following his death in a car crash. Every member of England's squad, except Nasser Hussain, who was returning from Perth after attending Hollioake's memorial service, was present at the ceremony, which was held at the picturesque Michael Joseph Savage Memorial Gardens at Bastion Point near Auckland harbour.

The service was conducted by operations manager Phil Neale, who read a tribute and prayer to Hollioake as the players stood in a circle, all dressed in their off-field uniform of black polo shirts and khaki trousers. Mark Butcher, a team mate with Surrey, performed an emotional rendition of Bob Marley's Redemption Song to complete the service, which was held at the same time as the cremation in Perth.

"It was a sombre occasion but very dignified," England media manager Andrew Walpole said. "The weather was wonderful and the setting was lovely. It was very fitting."

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