Members of a cricket club are mourning the loss of a "good friend" after one of their players died suddenly aged just 42.

Raja Narayanappa suffered a heart attack on August 9 after returning home to Tarragon Road, Maidstone from a holiday to see family in India.

Better known as Vijay Kumar, he fell ill while in bed and his wife Indira Sigamani dialled 999.

He was taken to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford but died on August 12.

Close friend Vitny John has known Vijay for four years since he came over to join his wife in the UK.

He said: “I was there when he moved on from this world. It was very shocking as he was only 42.

“I’m really sad, I am losing one of my good friends. He would always ask how I was doing and make sure everything was ok.

“I would usually see him once a month and it is going to be so strange never seeing him again.”

As well as being good friends the pair were teammates for Maidstone Cricket Club (MCC).

The club is made up of 68 playing members all of Asian ethnicity.

Though not part of a league, MCC play matches at Leybourne Cricket Club where they take part in various tournaments and participate in the Last Man Stands competition.

Vitny, who is MCC’s secretary, said: “I introduced him to the club three years ago and since then he had become one of our most active players and was a good middle-order batsman.”

He said Vijay, who worked at Maidstone Hospital, had been ill before heading to India and had returned to England for treatment.

“It’s so sad and the hardest part was to call his family about his death," he added.

Friends held a ceremony at Allington Baptist Church on Monday (August 19) to say their goodbyes.

The cricket club also set up a GoFundMe to raise enough money to pay for Vijay to be returned to India to be buried.

After a week it had received more than 400 donations totalling £16,000-plus.

There is a target of £20,000 but Vitny explained the total cost for travel and a burial ceremony is about £15,000.

He said: “When we started the crowdfunding we didn’t think we’d even get £2,500.

“Now with the money we can send Vijay home to his family, his wife can accompany him and it can pay for him to be buried in a traditional way in India.”