Umar Mahmood: Teen who appeared in Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams BBC show dies after horror crash

Umar Mahmood, 18, died in hospital after being seriously injured in the crash which involved his own Audi A3 Sport. The teenage driver veered off the road on Chain Caul Way, between Leeward Road and Nile Close, in Preston on Tuesday evening (September 10).

Officers said that they believed the car was heading in the direction of Lea when it left the carriageway and collided with trees by the roadside.

The fatal crash resulted in not only the death of Mahmood, but also of a 16-year-old back seat passenger who has been named as Adam Bodi. A third teenager, a 17-year-old boy, was taken to hospital where he remains for treatment.

Mr Mahmood had starred in the BBC show alongside cricket legend Flintoff in 2022. The teenager was filmed being trained by the sportsman for the TV show, which took teenagers from Flintoff’s hometown of Preston and created a new cricket team.

Penwortham Priory Academy paid tribute to their pupil, Mahmood, in a post on social media. The school said: “We are again saddened as a school to hear the news that Umar Mahmood, who was in the same accident as Adam, and who left Priory 2 years ago, has also passed away. Umar was a bright, studious and well-loved member of our school community.

“He had a passion for Geography as well as his cricket, playing for Priory’s school team and appearing in the BBC One documentary ‘Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams’. It was a privilege for us here at Priory to know Umar. He was a young man who was always considerate to those around him and who showed ambition and kindness in all that he did.

“It is of course with great sadness that we hear this news. We give our sincere condolences to all of Umar’s family and friends on behalf of the school, at what will be a very difficult time. They too, are in our thoughts and prayers today.”

Police are still appealing for witnesses and CCTV from the scene to help in their investigation of the crash. Sgt Paul McCurrie, of Lancashire Police’s Road Policing Unit, said: “This was a collision with tragic circumstances.

“Two young people have died, and I wish to extend my sympathy to their families, loved ones and friends. We are investigating how the collision happened, and we continue to ask for anyone who witnessed it to contact us. Also, if anyone was driving in the Chain Caul Lane area around the time of the collision and has dash cam footage, or they have CCTV footage from the area, please get in touch.”

To provide information, you can contact 101, quoting log 1538 of 10th September 2024, or [email protected].