THE day after England’s victory in the Bombay Test could scarcely have been a happier one for their players and followers, except for one notable cricketing family that is. For Thursday was the fourth anniversary of Ben Hollioake’s death in a car crash in Perth at the age of 24. Had fate been kinder, the precocious talent first capped by England at 19, who never got the chance to realise his full potential, might even have been playing at the Wankhede Stadium.

On every anniversary of Ben’s birthday, November 11, the entire Hollioake family, all now resident in Perth, congregate to celebrate his life. On every anniversary of his death they meet again, but this time to mourn his passing.

All those who attended Ben’s memorial service at Southwark Cathedral in July 2002 will remember the raw emotion of Adam Hollioake’s address. Adam, who enjoyed one of those particularly close fraternal relationships with his brother, opened up his heart for all to see inside. It was intensely moving.

Adam’s priorities changed, part of the reason why he retired early from the game in 2004. Since then, although you sense that behind his bright-eyed gaze and strong smile the pain will never be far away, he has successfully rebuilt his life.

Perth’s easy lifestyle and Mediterranean climate are a soothing balm, his joint property development business with his father is booming and Sherrin, his wife, is expecting their second child in July. Not for one second has Hollioake regretted his decision to quit county cricket at the age of 32.

“It took me a month to recover from that tsunami game at the Oval last July,” he said with a laugh. “Life is good in Perth — who would want to swap it for all that training? I hated the training in my last season, when I was physically knackered. And if I didn’t do it, I wasn’t the same player as I wasn’t particularly talented.”

Not that he has allowed himself the beginnings of a middle-aged spread. He looked formidably fit and it was soon evident why. On three days a week he spar boxes and for another three he practises his new obsession, a form of Brazilian martial arts.

When Hollioake was asked if he could pinpoint a key difference between now and his time with England, his reply was immediate. “Fear of failure and of losing our place was such a big preoccupation then,” he said. “Duncan Fletcher and in particular Michael Vaughan have lifted that from half a dozen of the team. If that can be done for 11 players, they could achieve so much. When Keith Medlycott was Surrey coach, he ensured we didn’t have that fear and that was a key reason we won so many trophies.”

At this point, Rehan Alikhan, Hollioake’s former team-mate at Surrey, wandered into the restaurant where we were eating to join us. The two have forged a strong friendship, reinforced by the fact that their Australian wives are close. They are also fellow entrepreneurs, Alikhan owning the fashionable La Tropicana restaurant on Cottesloe Beach, Perth.

The openness that made Hollioake such a successful leader with Surrey, and also earned him the England one-day captaincy, is still strong. As Alikhan pointed out, he does not care for the cult of celebrity and treats everyone the same. Old friends frequently fly out from England to see him. This winter, Mark Ealham and his wife came out to stay, as did Nadeem Shahid, a former Surrey team-mate, and his wife. Hollioake was Shahid’s best man last year and generously gave him two return flights to Perth as a wedding present.

Although life has moved on for Adam, thoughts of Ben are never far away. He still works on behalf of the CHASE Ben Hollioake Fund, a Guildford-based charity that supports life-limited children, those that are not expected to live beyond 19. It is also one of Andrew Flintoff’s designated beneficiaries in this his benefit year.

Catherine Loveless, the fund’s manager, hopes that by the start of the 2007 season, a new centre for the children, named after Ben, will be opened near the Oval. In the London Marathon next month, eight runners, including Jonathan Robinson, Ben’s former team-mate at Surrey who is now MCC’s marketing manager, are taking part on behalf of Chase, wearing cricket whites and pads.

“We hope to raise about £10,000,” Loveless said. “The interest is huge now that Freddie is helping us. But what strikes me is how Ben is so fondly remembered. Sometimes it overwhelms me.” His spirit lives on, memories of him so strong for so many.

• Any potential sponsors of the runners can log on to: www.justgiving.com/chasecricketrunners