Former Tuggeranong Valley president Glenn Thornton at the 2010-11 ACT grade cricket awards dinner with the Konica Minolta Twenty20 trophy. Thornton died on Saturday after suffering a heart attack during a game.
Tuggeranong Valley president Bob Weight has praised the players who tried to save Glenn Thornton's life on Saturday as the club started to come to grips with the death of one of its most loyal members.
The club is already planning a permanent tribute to its former president with a gala day to be held in his honour next month and an award likely to bear his name.
Thornton - in his 50s - died of a heart attack while batting in a fourth-grade match at Chisholm.
He collapsed and his teammates performed CPR until the ambulance arrived, but he could not be revived.
His death left the cricket community shocked with news filtering through to rival teams throughout the competition.
The club was still in mourning yesterday and several games around the capital had a minute's silence to remember a respected Cricket ACT figure.
Tuggeranong lower-grade teams wore black armbands and the first-grade team will pay tribute to Thornton next weekend.
Weight - who returned to his role as president when he took over from Thornton two years ago - said Thornton's teammates did all they could to save him.
''I'm extremely proud of the guys who got to him. They realised he wasn't in good shape and immediately started to apply CPR,'' Weight said.
''The ambulance guys indicated that everything had been done that could possible be done.
''I did mention to the couple of guys who started to work … how proud I am, but obviously Glenn wasn't in a good state.''
Thornton was held in high regard in the capital's cricket community, particularly for his tireless work as a volunteer.
Weight arrived at the ground 20 minutes after Thornton collapsed.
Cricket ACT and Tuggeranong have offered counselling to the players involved in trying to resuscitate Thornton, and Weight said the death had taken a heavy toll on the club.
The Tuggeranong first-grade team postponed its match on Saturday afternoon.
Thornton's son Sam was playing in a match at ANU when news came through that his father had collapsed.
Eldest son Tom was a Tuggeranong junior before moving to South Australia to chase his cricket dreams, and daughter Katie has played for the club's women's team. The club is still deciding what will be the most fitting tribute.
Thornton was heavily involved in the growth of women's cricket at Tuggeranong and Weight suggested a memorial trophy could be named after him.
There could also be a tribute at the club's Chisholm headquarters and the annual gala day on November 4 will give players a chance to remember him.
Thornton was Tuggeranong's senior club person of the year for the 2008-09 season.
''All the cricket fraternity in Canberra … it's been heart-warming how everyone has come together,'' Weight said.
''We'll make sure everyone has the opportunity to pay their respects to Glenn. We'll be doing something at training during the week as well.
''Glenn was well regarded and liked by the players and members. He was an outstanding club person. We're not trying to determine how we can best honour that memory in an ongoing way. There will be some longstanding tribute to Glenn in the clubhouse at Chisholm.''
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