THE man who died in a crash between a private ambulance and a double-decker bus was Michael South, a builder from the York area, The Press has learned.

Colleagues and friends of Mr South at Huby Cricket Club, where he played for several years, say they were shocked by the news of his death.

He is believed to have been driving a private ambulance, which had been stolen from a West Yorkshire-based company, when it collided with a bus on the A64 near the Flaxton turn-off on Friday evening. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Darren Howell, chairman of Huby Cricket Club and captain of the second team, said he had known Mr South for many years.

He said: “He won second team player of the year award in February. He was a solid team member for a long time, and used to feature in the first team for many years. He was one of the main players and will be sadly missed. He was a batsman, a bowler and probably the leading run scorer last year and one of the leading wicket-takers.

“The whole thing is a shock to us all really. It was a shock and surprise and the thoughts of the whole club are with Mike’s family and those who were injured in the incident. It came as a bolt from the blue. We had a club dinner in February, and he seemed normal, seemed fine.”

Ken Piercy, club secretary, said: “He was a very decent quiet lad, couldn’t have wished for a better lad on your team. He was well-liked among the lads on the team and the opposition he played against. He was quiet, and every time he’d talk about something it was cricket or football. He will be missed. Especially by me, because he was a friend.”

A police spokesman said formal identification of the dead man was expected later this week. He said the bus driver suffered leg injuries in the collision and “remains in a serious but stable condition” in hospital.

He said officers were not in pursuit of the ambulance at the time of the crash, but had been alerted to its theft. There were 16 passengers on the bus, five of whom were taken to hospital for treatment for minor injuries.

The private ambulance had been stolen from ERS Medical – a Leeds-based company which transports patients to medical facilities around the region – but it is still unclear where the vehicle had been taken from.

A spokesman for ERS Medical said an internal investigation had been launched into how the vehicle came to be stolen.

He said: “We can confirm that one of our vehicles was involved in an incident on the A64 on Friday, April 10.

“We are working closely with all the agencies and helping them with their ongoing enquiries. Our thoughts are with all those concerned.”