Scott Mason dies of heart failure

Scott Mason, the Tasmanian batsman, has died from a heart failure in the Royal Hobart Hospital at Hobart.

Mason, 28, who played 28 first-class games and eight limited-over matches for Tasmania, has missed the entire 2004-05 season owing to his heart condition. But he had been given approval to resume light training and was hoping to return to the first-class scene later this year. After facing a few balls in the net session at the Bellerive Oval on Thursday he had to be rushed to hospital.

Jamie Cox, his team-mate and opening partner, paid tribute by saying, "Just such a likeable guy, and an inspiration, and I guess you could say tragically but ironically he was one of the heartbeats of our team. There aren't enough words to say enough about this little mate, he was a beauty."