Bermuda?s cricket family and the entire St.David?s community were left in a state of shock over the sudden death early yesterday morning of former top player and administrator Delby Borden.

According to sources, Borden, 44, suffered a massive heart attack at his St.David?s Road residence and was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital, leaving the community to mourn the loss of a leading role model, dedicated player, administrator and loving father.

The former middle-order batsman, once feared for his forceful strokeplay, died only hours after the ushering in of his 44th birthday and a month after his marriage to second wife Wendy.

?It?s a big loss to the club and the entire community. Delby was my vice-president and chairman of cricket and he also previously served as president of the club,? said St.David?s Cricket Club president Wilbur Pitcher.

?He ran the cricket programme at St.David?s as though it was his. He got behind the players and kept everyone in check. Delby?s passing has now left me with my hands tied trying to find a replacement.

?I can go way back to once when we played in the Schaeffer Cup finals. He was a schoolboy at Church Hill School at the time and he and Allen Richardson put on a 129-run partnership against Devonshire Recreation Club.

?We were next door neighbours and played a lot of cricket together.

?It?s pretty rough because we were just talking last night (Thursday). We talked about cricket and the upcoming cricket season and we both attended the Board?s (Bermuda Cricket Board) meeting on Tuesday night.?

Islanders coach and Bermuda national team skipper, Clay Smith, described Borden as ?irreplaceable?.

?Delby was part of the reason, if not the reason, why I went to St.David?s. And since I?ve been there not only has he been a manager but also a father figure to me,? he told .

?He is definitely going to be a big miss in St.David?s as whenever you think of cricket and St.David?s the first person who comes to mind is Delby. He basically oversaw everything down there from a cricket aspect.

?I don?t even think you can replace someone like Delby because he took a lot of his own time out to ensure the players were okay. He definitely went over and beyond the call of duty as a manager and an administrator at St.David?s. His passing has touched all of us and probably everyone else in the local cricket community.

?Delby not only did a lot of work for St.David?s but he was also manager for the national team. And so the players are grieving now over his loss and not only is he going to be a big miss to St.David?s but also to Bermuda as a whole.?

George Cannonier, another former St.David?s cricketer and current coach at St.George?s Cricket Club, noted how Borden always ?gave it his all?.

?Not only was he a keen cricketer, he also loved the game and put a lot back into it,? he said. ?I am very saddened because I just spoke with him last Sunday and he seemed to be in good spirits and I really don?t know what to say.

?I always thought Delby was before ?I always thought Delby was way ahead of his time.

?As he grew he became more mature than his age and he thrived playing cricket with older players. He even showed his maturity as an administrator at St.David?s where he held almost every position there is.

?He gave cricket his all even though he encountered a couple of hardships. For some reason Delby never made Cup Match but he was determined to get his name there. So he got behind his son (Delyone) and pushed him into Cup Match at a young age. So I guess you can say that he did sort of redeem himself there.?

Borden?s son, Delyone, recently completed cricket studies at the Nelson Mandela International Cricket Academy in South Africa along with OJ Pitcher.

?I was surprised and knocked right off because his birthday is the same day as my wife?s,? Cannonier added.

Speaking on behalf of the BCB, president Reggie Pearman offered his condolences to the Borden family. Borden managed the senior national team during last summer?s Americas Championships held on local soil.

?Our prayers go out to the entire family and we are all saddened to hear the news,? said Pearman. ?We are saddened by his loss and he is going to be a big loss to cricket from an administrative standpoint and even from a personal standpoint because he and I go back quite a long way.

?We were just in a meeting last Tuesday night and Delby seemed upbeat about the upcoming season. So naturally we are all saddened by his passing and our condolences go to his wife and family.?