Cricket brawl leaves man in intensive care

The worrying increase in the amount of violence in club cricket was highlighted by a brawl during a game at the weekend which left one man in intensive care after he was assaulted with a stump.

The attack happened on Sunday at Bilsborough, near Preston in Lancashire. Witnesses say the trouble began when drinkers left a bar and started jeering players in a match on the nearby pitch. The incident quickly escalated and a mass fight broke out which involved more than a dozen people.

"It would appear that what started out as banter between players and spectators ended up as something more serious," a police spokesman explained. "Up to 18 people were involved on the cricket field at any one time. There was a large fight and one man ended up with serious injuries."

The injured man was taken to a local hospital where his condition was described as "serious but stable".

Police are appealing to anyone who saw the assault to come forward.