A DEVASTATED father spoke of his continuing grief after a Wiltshire deputy coroner ruled his sports-mad teenage son’s death in a car crash was a result of misadventure.

Former Malmesbury School pupil Sam Higginbottom, of Lea, had been driving two friends to get an evening takeaway when he crashed his green Ford Focus into a tree on the B4042, near Wootton Bassett, in November 2007.

Deputy coroner Peter Hatvany said at the inquest at Trowbridge Town Hall on Tuesday that, “a certain amount of tomfoolery” had occurred in the lead-up to the accident.

The death of the 17-year-old, who had passed his driving test three months prior to the crash, was labelled ‘particularly pointless and unnecessary’ by Mr Hatvany.

After the verdict had been given, tearful dad Nigel Higginbottom said: “It doesn’t change anything. We still miss our son terribly.

“We’re just really thankful that we were allowed to share him for 17 years.”

PC Rob Ecclestone, who took the stand to read the police report, said Sam’s death was down to “inexperience coupled with excessive speed”.

The report concluded Sam, a keen player for Malmesbury Cricket Club, had been driving at 84 miles per hour in a 60 miles per hour zone.

In summing up, Mr Hatvany said the former Sutton Benger Rugby Club member had been swerving the car at high speed on purpose, causing him to take up both sides of the road.

When he saw a Peugeot 206 coming in the opposite direction, he made a sudden movement to avoid it.

Sam then lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree, causing the vehicle to overturn.

Despite the best efforts of paramedics, the teenager was pronounced dead at the scene. His two passengers, Jack Baffour and Antony Brown, were both treated for minor injuries.

Mr Hatvany said: “It seems to me that there was a certain amount of tomfoolery going on.

“This is a particularly pointless, unnecessary, tragic death caused by youthful exuberance.”

The teenager had been studying at Richard Huish College, Taunton, where he was member of the cricket academy, which is affiliated with Somerset County Cricket Club.

A former Malmesbury Cricket Club member, Sam had been voted the team's Young Player of the Season and elected vice-captain of the first team the day before the crash.