Witnesses sought for Keith and Tom Poynton car crash

Keith Poynton worked for Briggs of Burton

Police are appealing for witnesses to a car crash which injured a cricketer and killed his father.

Keith Poynton, 57, died when the Ferrari Spider he was driving hit a tree in Derbyshire on Friday.

His 24-year-old son Tom, a wicketkeeper for Derbyshire County Cricket Club, is now back with his family after being taken to hospital.

Sheena Poynton tweeted to say she was "overwhelmed by all the support & love for my lovely husband Keith".

In a message on a Derbyshire cricket blog, Keith's son Adam Poynton wrote: "It's so hard to thank everybody who has sent us messages of support but they really do help us try to come to terms with this tragic situation.

Keith Poynton leaves behind sons Adam and Tom Poynton

"It's quite unbelievable how many lives my father touched with his kindness and caring nature. He will never be forgotten by those who knew him."

Simon Storey, chief executive of Derbyshire CCC, said Mr Poynton was well known to the club, as Tom Poynton had been with them since the age of 11.

He said the family would "never get over" the loss of a loving father and a husband, but were incredibly grateful for all the tributes.

"They've been totally overwhelmed by the support and the messages that they've received," he said.

The car hit a tree on Caldwell Road, Linton, Swadlincote at about 20:00 BST.

Mr Poynton, who was engineering director and a major shareholder at Briggs of Burton, died at the scene.

He started with the business two weeks before his 16th birthday, and worked there for over four decades.

People have been asked to wear "snazzy socks" in tribute

A tribute from the company said: "Keith started as an apprentice on the shop floor and was well respected by virtually everyone who knew him; he will be terribly missed by all his friends and work colleagues at Briggs.

"The depth of respect felt in engineering circles for Keith has been marked by many expressions of condolence and deep shock."

An inquest will be held after police have investigated the crash.

Derbyshire's opening County Championship match of the season at Leicestershire was postponed because of the accident, and has been provisionally rescheduled for 8 June.

Family friend Chris Fulton asked people to wear "snazzy socks" in tribute to "Kdog".

Mrs Poynton said her husband was "king of the snazzy socks" and would have loved the "fitting tribute".