‘We travelled the world’: Fast lifestyles of Warnie’s mates

Spin king Shane Warne was tight with people from all walks of life, but the mates he was with in Thailand had one thing in common.

They love a punt, and they love a laugh.

Shane Warne’s poker playing buddies on his boys’ trip to Thailand were long-term friends who bonded over gambling at some of the world’s best casinos and luxury resorts.

Tom Hall, Gareth Edwards, and Fred Witherow were among Warne’s close friends.

The spin king was tight with people from all walks of life, but these mates loved playing cards.

Shane Warne and Tom Hall (centre), who was with him in Thailand. Picture: Instagram

Warne’s business associate and friend, Andrew Neophitou, who produced a recent Amazon documentary on his life, was also at the Samujana Villas when he died.

Hall is a multi-millionaire publisher who owns the respected Sportingnews.com and lives somewhere between the Philippines, Hong Kong and the United States.

Edwards has links to betting company 888, which sponsored Warne during some of his poker tournaments.

He was also chief marketing officer at the five-star villas where the group were staying after they flew in from Melbourne on Thursday evening last week.

They were all isolating in their villa until the return of negative Covid-19 tests, a requirement for entry into Thailand.

Gareth Edwards, chief marketing officer at the five-star villas where the friends were staying, was a long-time friend of Shane Warne.

Warne had been to the gym, eaten some Vegemite toast and had a massage on Friday, before he settled in to watch the cricket.

They had not left the villas, which have infinity pools and breathtaking views.

Warne was watching the cricket by himself until he was found dead at 5.15pm when he was late to meet up with his friends for a prearranged drink.

Warne and Edwards were friends for at least a decade.

They posed for a picture at a poker tournament in 2013 where they were both playing on the same table.

Andrew Neophitou, on left, Shane Warne’s long-time business associate and friend. Picture: AFP

Edwards joked they should have a side bet for a bottle of “Grange” because it would last longer than their game.

The gambling guru has lived a fast-paced life – he’s also shared selfies with Mike Tyson.

Edwards joined 888 in 2007 and was the company’s director until he quit in 2013.

Witherow was known in gambling circles as the money man.

He runs a lending company called MyAssetPay, which provides low document loans for posh punters.

“MyAssetPay fills a gap in the market by lending against non-traditional collateral and thereby giving asset holders the ability to unlock and leverage the equity in assets that have previously not had a suitable solution,” Witherow wrote in June last year.

“Owners of wine, bullion, art, collectibles, Bitcoin, and other assets that traditional lenders will not value will now have an alternative pathway to liquidity as well as the opportunity to leverage these assets.”

The luxury Samujana villas in Koh Samui where the friends were holidaying.

Hall paid tribute to Warne in a statement on the SportingNews – the website he owns – after his death.

“I met Shane some 15 years ago at a charity poker tournament and I don’t know exactly why, but we bonded and became firm friends and travelled all over the world together,” Hall said.

“Our families met and would spend some great times together. The WhatsApp bi-directional piss-taking never stopped.”

Hall also revealed that Warne’s last meal was vegemite toast, posting a picture of a jar at the pool at the Samujana Villas on Monday.

He said that Warne was desperate to watch Australia play Pakistan on the television while they were awaiting their negative Covid-19 tests.

“The first question is “How can we watch Australia v Pakistan test here in Thailand; the game’s about to start?”,” Hall said on their arrival in Thailand.

“Cricket, AFL, golf and his family were the main passions in his life and Warnie and cricket were never far apart. He was laughing and was himself.”

Neophitou was Warne’s long time business associate and friend.

He was praised for performing CPR on Warne – a desperate but ultimately in vain attempt at trying to save his life.

It remains unclear exactly when Warne had his heart attack and how long it had been before he was found at 5.15pm local time on Friday.

Neophitou was his day-to-day manager and would organise the drawing up of his contracts.

He was a key player in the Amazon documentary released about Warne this year.

Friends say he is devastated by Warne’s loss.

Originally published as ‘We travelled the world’: Fast lifestyles of Warnie’s mates