'Forever young' Phillip Hughes' funeral underway

The funeral of fallen cricketer Phillip Hughes has started with the song 'Forever Young' as mourners silently filed in to Macksville Recreational Centre.

Among the tearful procession, Australian captain Michael Clarke fought back tears as pallbearers carried Hughes' coffin into the venue.

In a moving eulogy to his cousin, Nino Ramunno described Hughes as "one of a kind" and a good Italian boy utterly devoted to his mother.

In closing, Mr Ramunno said his family took great comfort knowing their "son, brother, colleague and friend" had touched so many lives.

"He who lives in the hearts of so many never dies," he said.

The hall at Macksville High School, where Hughes studied, is packed out with friends, family, cricketing luminaries and political leaders including Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

Family friend Samantha Trodden led the assembly in a prayer for Hughes' loved ones, and thanked the medical staff at St Vincents Hospital for their efforts to save the fatally wounded man.

Macksville's grieving residents earlier lined the streets to see Hughes' coffin carried through the town before his funeral.

Hughes' coffin was taken out of its hearse and carried solemnly to the funeral at the Macksville High School sports hall.

Australian captain Michael Clarke was joined by Indian skipper Virat Kohli as the cricketing world pays its respects to the fallen batsman.

Hughes, 25, was playing for South Australia in a Sheffield Shield match against NSW when he was struck in the head by a ball from paceman Sean Abbott.

Hughes collapsed on the field and was taken to St Vincent's hospital, where he died last Thursday.

Abbott has also arrived in Macksville to pay his respects, after returning to training for the first time yesterday.

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