A TEENAGE driver died after an accident on a road near Wootton Bassett just three months after passing his test, an inquest heard.

Former Malmesbury School pupil Sam Higginbottom, from Lea, had been driving two friends to get an takeaway when he crashed his green Ford Focus into a tree on the B4042 near Highgate Farm, between Wootton Bassett and Brinkworth, at 7.30pm on November 17, 2007.

The 17-year-old, who was a promising cricketer, was pronounced dead at the scene by the emergency services.

His two passengers, Jack Baffour and Antony Brown, both 17, were taken to the Great Western Hospital with minor injuries.

After the misadventure verdict was reached at the inquest into his death on Tuesday, his father Nigel 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.”

Deputy coroner Peter Hatvany said a certain amount of “tomfoolery” had occurred in the lead-up to the accident.

The death of the teenager was described as “particularly pointless and unnecessary” by Mr Hatvany.

He said Sam, a 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.

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

“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 was elected vice-captain of the first team the day before the crash.

In a touching tribute, when boxer Joe Hughes won his first senior fight he immediately dedicated it to school friend Sam.