Former Valley player Wes Nichols died from melanoma on February 26.

At the time, the Singletonian was living in the United Kingdom.

Nichols, married to English girl Michelle for five years, was 36 when he passed away.

While his funeral was held in Windsor, a memorial service will take place at All Saints Anglican Church on Friday at 3.30pm.

It will be followed by a barbecue and drinks at the Singleton Golf Club.

Nichols is well-known in local cricket circles, and his sibling Brendan still represents Valley in the Singleton competition.

“As Wes would put it, he was just an all-round top bloke,” his brother wrote in the eulogy.

“He and I were five years apart in age and shared a lot of common interests but none more so than cricket.

“Cricket was Wes’ true passion.

“I will always carry the memories of countless days doing battle with him in the backyard at our parents’ house as kids.

“Most days after school we would drop our bags at the door and be straight out into the backyard to play cricket.

“Everyone who knows Wes would understand that these games were not just something to do to pass the time.

“He would push in off 20 steps and have no hesitation of sending in plenty of short balls.

“These, of course, were always followed with his favourite backyard sledge at the time ‘I am the best cricketer in this family’.

“Mum and dad would often pull Wes up, ‘settle down Wes, he is five years younger than you’.

“To which he would reply in his typical audacious Wes fashion ‘this is how he’s gunna learn’.”

Brendan said Wes never did things half-hearted and he left a lot of people better off because of this.

“I remember how Wes and I would constantly argue over the fact he had transformed into, as Wes would put it, a quality batting all-rounder since being in Windsor.

“The first time I arrived overseas to visit Wes, and before we had even cracked a beer, he sat a manila folder on my lap and said ‘look what the daddy’s done’.

“It contained a number of newspaper cut-outs of his top performances playing for Windsor.

“We can all find comfort in the fact Wes finished his journey in Windsor an extremely happy man.

“He met and married the woman of his dreams, made many life-long friends, excelled in his career and loved playing cricket for a club that became like his family.”