Josh Poysden suffers fractured skull during nets incident

Josh Poysden, the Yorkshire legspinner, has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after sustaining a fractured skull during a training session.

The incident occurred in the nets at Headingley on Monday, when Poysden was struck on the side of the head by a fierce shot from one of his team-mates.

He was taken for treatment at hospital, where a CT scan revealed both a fractured skull and internal bleeding. And though he is expected to make a full recovery, specialists at Leeds General Infirmary have advised that this process will taken a minimum of three months.

"I was just throwing at one of the lads and they whacked one straight back at me, in the side of the head," said Poysden. "It was probably my own fault as I wasn't bowling leggies, I was just tossing up offies and it was hit back at me.

"I didn't feel that bad to start with, after it hit me. As the rest of the afternoon went on I started to feel worse so I went off to hospital. I had a CT scan in hospital and it showed that I fractured my skull and had some internal bleeding in my head that hadn't gone on to my brain.

"I had some slight bruising on my brain and because of this I got moved to the neurology ward at Leeds General Infirmary and had observations for the next 36 hours.

"There were some concerning moments and when the results of the CT scan came through, if my condition deteriorated any more, there was a possibility of having surgery or a procedure which involved inserting a needle into my brain to check on the bleeding. I recovered well so obviously that was never explored.

"I was discharged from hospital yesterday having passed all the observations.

"The consultant told me I would suffer concussion symptoms for the next six weeks and that I need to be really careful to avoid a double impact for the next three months until it's fully healed."

The timing is especially frustrating for Poysden, who has been restricted to second-team cricket for most of the season, before finally earning a recall to the senior side for the Blast fixture against Derbyshire at Chesterfield last week.

"My season is effectively over, which is gutting, especially after a period of not being in the first team," he said. "I was looking forward to this block of T20 and being a big part of it. I'll just turn into a bit of a fan for the rest of the season and I wish Tom and the lads all the best for the rest of the season. It's exciting to see the direction we've gone in for the T20s this season. We play an exciting brand with lots of skill and hopefully we can have a decent run in the competition.

"Despite these frustrations, I feel like the injury could have been a lot worse, so I do feel lucky to hopefully be able to make a full recovery. It puts cricket into perspective.

Director of Cricket Martyn Moxon added: "I think it's hugely disappointing for Josh, and the club, that this unfortunate accident occurred. The main thing is that he makes a full recovery and is able to start next season fully fit."

"I'm gutted for the lad," said First XI Coach Andrew Gale. "He has worked hard and his season has revolved around his participation in the T20 campaign and he would have been a big asset to us.

"It's a freak accident which leaves him out for the rest of the season. Our priority is his health and him at this moment in time."