Andrew Symonds memorial service and funeral to feature special poem as former skipper Ricky Ponting confirms attendance

A touching poem which Andrew Symonds first heard on voicemail in a dressing room will be recited at his funeral which will be attended by his former skipper Ricky Ponting. Ponting’s Delhi Capitals failed to make the Indian Premier League semi-finals and the early exit has allowed him to travel to Townsville for Symonds’ funeral and memorial services on Friday. He will join Adam Gilchrist and Darren Lehmann on a three man panel at the memorial service at Riverway Stadium for Symonds, who died in a car crash outside Townsville. Ian Healy will be master of ceremonies and Symonds’ boyhood mates and teammates, Jimmy Maher and Matthew Mott, will also speak. Ponting’s decision to fly north is significant for it was his faith in Symonds that helped the all-rounder blossom. “If Roy shook your hand you had his word, that’s the sort of bloke he was and that’s why I always wanted him on my team,” Ponting tweeted after his former teammate’s death. “An extraordinary player and even better human being. Can’t believe he’s gone. Thoughts are with his family at this time.” The service will conclude with Symonds’ favourite poet Rupert McCall reciting the poem You Ripper Roy which he penned after Symonds produced a breakthrough Test innings against South Africa at the MCG in 2005 with his 72 runs coming off just 54 balls featuring five fours and six sixes. “He loved his poetry Roy and would often talk to me in rhyme,’’ McCall said. “He would go fishing up north and get back and ring me around 11pm and put the phone on speaker and get me to recite a couple of poems while he and his mates sat around the fire. “It was one of his favourite tricks. It happened around midnight a few times and I would sneak out of the bedroom to recite this poetry. I think my wife thought I was having an affair. “The poem I wrote for Roy came at a time when he needed some runs and it was almost written out of relief. I rang his phone to read it to him but I knew he would be in the field and would not answer it so I left it on voicemail. “He got back to the sheds and listened to it and rang me. He said he loved it. He was sitting next to Phil Jaques and, in typical Roy style he was always thinking about other people and asked me if I could write one for Phil as well. “We stayed in touch. I think there was so many people who really felt they knew him.’’