The coach of a fomer Wallington cricketer shot dead in an armed robbery in the Caribbean has paid tribute to him ahead of his funeral this week.

Adrian St John, 22, described as a "lovely kid" and "great guy," will be laid to rest on Saturday.

He was shot in the head after being caught up in an armed robbery in San Juan, Trinidad, on April 10.

Police said his car was targeted by two gunmen when he stopped to pick up a relative at about 8.30pm. The robbers told him to drive off but fatally fired at him as he did so.

Mr St John, who grew up in Kennington, joined the Chris Gayle Cricket Academy when it launched in Plough Lane, Wallington in 2013.

He went on to captain the team.

Donovan Miller, coach, director and co-founder of the academy, told the Sutton Guardian: “He was just a lovely kid who loved cricket.

“He was working hard to achieve his goals, and who knows what he could have been if his life wasn’t taken away from him.

“He was at the academy from the very beginning, and ever since he started he helped members and helped with coaching.

“All the members, and everyone around him really looked up to him."

The 37-year-old added: “It’s natural for me to say just how great a guy he was because that’s just the sort of person he was – amazing.

“To have his life taken away from him at such a young age is very hard to swallow.”

Mr St John developed a passion for cricket as a youngster and hoped to play for the West Indies.

Following the 22-year-old’s death, West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle, whose academy has since moved to south-east London, tweeted: “Such sad news to hear. My condolences to his family & friends. Adrian St John was the captain of the academy.”

One of two men arrested over the killing has been charged with murder, according to media in Trinidad and Tobago.

Maldon Pascall, 24, was reported to have been charged on April 15 and was due to appear in court the following Monday.

Police were analysing fingerprints to determine if the second suspect matched evidence recovered from the car Mr St John was driving when he was killed, according to the Trinidad Guardian.