Umer Rashid was the life and soul of the party, as this picture taken days before his tragic death reveals.

The photograph shows 26-year-old Umer enjoying a laugh and a drink with his Sussex County Cricket Club team-mates last Tuesday. The following Monday he was dead.

The team was enjoying a pre-season tour on the sun-kissed island of Grenada in the Caribbean.

The players were made to work hard during the training camp but this was one evening when they were allowed to let their hair down.

Businessman Glenn Potter, who accompanied the tour party to Grenada with his wife Julie, said: "Umer was the person who would always start the singing off in the evening. He was the one you would always want around if you wanted some fun.

"He had everything going for him. It was the start of a new season and he was buzzing.

"On the Tuesday, it was the team dinner and the coach Peter Moores invited myself and Julie along.

"It was a very good night. We had a meal at the Beach House restaurant and then the players had a few drinks in the bar.

"There were songs, jokes being told - a typical boys' night out.

"Umer was in his usual surroundings, starting a few songs off. He was in his element."

The Potters went out with the tour party for the first week of the two-week training camp.

Mr Potter's company, Eradication and Cleaning Ltd, is this year's sponsor for the county's cricket academy and he knew all-rounder Umer well through his associations with the club.

He said: "Julie was the only woman among 28 blokes and she got spoilt really.

"Umer particularly made her feel like one of the boys.

"His nickname was Ali G because he could do a great impression and Ali G's girlfriend is called Julie as well. There was a lot of 'Me Julie' over the week."

Earlier this year, the cricket team took its traditional dip into the sea at Hove.

Mr Potter's 17-year-old daughter Ami joined the players and he said Umer was the person she was most taken by.

He said: "He liked garage music like she does and I guess as a young girl, he left an impression on her."

Mr Potter, 43, said Umer had also recently bought a house near his own home in Hangleton, Hove.

He said: "It was literally six doors up from me and we were going to have him round for a barbecue.

"One incident that summed Umer up was when the club's sponsors had a golf day.

"We were two holes in front of Umer and we heard him yelling and shouting on the first green.

"He had sunk a 40ft putt and we were all thinking he had birdied it. But in fact the putt was for a seven."

Umer died trying to save his 18-year-old brother Burhan who had got into trouble in a deep pool of water at the bottom of a waterfall in Grenada.

Mrs Potter, also 43, said: "Neither of them could swim. But it was just like Umer to go into the water to try to save his brother even though he couldn't swim."

Her husband said: "Umer was from the Lewisham area of London. I think it was a case of if you were busy with your cricket and football at school, they would not have made him take swimming lessons."

The Potters arrived back in the UK on the Friday before the tragedy. Mr Potter said he felt "numb" when he learned the news.

He said: "We stayed out there for a week. We were in one hotel with the Yorkshire players and the Sussex team stayed in another hotel. It was a lovely place and we had a great week.

"At the first game, ironically, we had a minute's silence for Ben Hollioake.

"We flew back on Thursday and arrived back on Friday morning. Umer died on Sunday and the news was released on Monday.

"My wife cried straight away when she was told and she passed the phone to me.

"I just went numb and thought it was Ben Hollioake all over again. It's very sad.

"A couple of the players on the tour were devastated about Ben Hollioake. This will definitely affect them, particularly the younger members of the side."

Umer's county colleagues flew back early from their tour yesterday.

Mr Potter said: "Sussex are a young side and I don't know how they will react.

"Hopefully, this will give the team more to play for and they will go on and win the championship for him."

His wife added: "It says a lot that as soon as it happened, they wanted to come back to Sussex and be together. They didn't want to be out there any more."

The couple have not managed to speak to anyone from the tour party since the news broke as mobile phones do not work on the island.

However, they have been in contact with the club.

Mr Potter said: "Umer's brother's girlfriend is inconsolable, apparently.

"We didn't meet her or his brother. They flew out for the second week of the tour but we had to leave because of the business."