The local cricket community has been left to mourn the death of former top all-rounder Sheridan Raynor at the weekend.Raynor, 78, died in the early hours of Saturday morning at King Edward Hospital where he had spent the final months of his life.The ex-Somerset Cup Match skipper, Southampton Rangers and Bermuda player slipped into a coma after suffering a stroke nearly a year ago and never regained consciousness.The Bermuda Sports Hall of Famer leaves behind a legacy as truly one of the finest cricketers the Island has ever produced whose accomplishments may never be equalled, let alone surpassed.In 1961, Raynor stroked a polished 126 against visiting Cricketers Club of London at Devonshire Recreation Club to become the first Bermudian batsman to score a century against fist-class opposition. He then went on to score an unbeaten 133 against the same touring side from England five years later at Somerset Cricket Club where he also became the first Cup Match player to score a century on a turf batting strip in 1974.Raynor was also the first batsman to amass 1,000 runs in the Western Counties competition and the first Southampton Rangers player to play for and captain Somerset in Cup Match.In 1969, Raynor shared in an unbeaten 253-run opening partnership with Dennis Wainwright playing for Bermuda against an English Counties XI on a tour of England. Raynor remained unbeaten on 114 while Wainwright carried his bat for 129 runs.“Sheridan was a real cricketer on and off the field and it was a joy playing with or against him,” Wainwright fondly recalled. “He always had a very high competitive spirit and if you played with him you really felt your game was complete because was he was that all-round player most teams love to have as a fielder, batsmen and a bowler.“He was a very knowledgeable cricketer who was always learning and thinking of new ways of doing things, which made his game very exciting. He was fearless in his quiet, gentle spirit and when it came to batting, no bowler intimidated him as he proved on numerous occasions both home and abroad.“We were both opening batsmen and I had the pleasure of playing with him both home and abroad against visiting teams opening the innings with him. Sheridan never showed any anger and he would express himself without losing control, and that’s one of the things I admired about him.”Hall of Fame bowler, Clarence Parfitt, said: “Sheridan was a great all-rounder and a brilliant batsman and one of the toughest I think I have seen in Bermuda.“I don’t think anybody can undervalue how good Sheridan really was and if my memory is correct I believe at one stage he was looked at to possibly go on trials with the West Indies years and years ago.“He was a gentleman and an oustanding cricketer and was always willing to help people. Sheridan is going to be a big loss to Bermuda cricket and the youngsters could have learned a lot from him.”Former St George’s Cup Match star Lloyd James added: “Sheridan was what I would describe as a quiet giant. He never boasted or bragged but he was a fighter and a very keen sportsman.”Ex-Southampton Rangers and Somerset Cup Match skipper John Tucker described his late mentor as a “legend”.“He was always one of my idols and taught me a lot of things when I was coming along playing for Rangers,” he said. “Simply put, Sheridan was a legend and he is going to be sadly missed in the Southampton Rangers community.”