Spectator dies at second XI match

A second XI fixture between Warwickshire and Leicestershire was abandoned on compassionate grounds after just 16 overs, when a spectator collapsed and died of a suspected heart attack at Dorridge's Broadcare ground near Solihull.

Warwickshire's acting captain, Dougie Brown, a qualified first-aider, was called into the crowd to help Colin Harding, 59, from Leicester, but not even the prompt arrival of the paramedics could save him, and he was pronounced dead on arrival at Solihull Hospital.

"It's something that you hope that you never have to do and it's not something I want to repeat," said Brown, who learned his first-aid while qualifying as a teacher in the early-1990s. "I tried my best to get his heart going again while the physio gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

"There were a couple of occasions when we thought we had got him breathing again, but we couldn't keep it going. It does put everything else into perspective but I would hope that, if it was my dad in a similar position, someone would have tried their best to save him."

The incident occurred near to where the Warwickshire players were sat, and the umpires John Holder and Keith Little were given permission by the ECB to abandon the game soon afterwards. "It was the only sensible course of action," said Warwickshire's wicketkeeper, Keith Piper. "I was far too upset to even think about playing cricket. I don't think any of us could focus after that."