They walked, they cried, they comforted.
Thousands of mourners made the sombre 1.5km procession through the streets of Macksville following Phillip Hughes' funeral in his home town on Wednesday afternoon.
Former teammates David Warner, Brett Lee and Shane Watson led the way behind the hearse in steamy conditions on the NSW mid-north coast.
Many of Australia's top cricketers, their partners and swags of locals were reduced to tears as they made their way from the Macksville Recreation Centre to the wake at the town's ex-serviceman's club.
The town, which normally has a population of 2,500, had its number double with some estimates putting the procession crowd around the 5,000 figure.
NSW Origin coach Laurie Daley and Hughes' childhood friend and NRL superstar Greg Inglis chatted along the way while cricket greats Shane Warne and Brian Lara had a catch up.
Among the crowd of black suits was a stoic Sean Abbott, who bowled the fatal delivery that struck Hughes in the head at the SCG last week.
He wore sun glasses and was supported by his girlfriend Brier Neill during the long walk with the procession route marked by green and gold ribbons.
The march along Wallace Street ended at the Pacific Highway with pubs in Macksville packed as mourners reflected on the sudden loss of a local hero gone too soon.
Share
