Bowler sufers brain injury from brain snap bowler
The Sydney Morning Herald
Josh Leeson
February 9,2015
In hospital: Peter Lalor. Photo: Peter Stoop
A Newcastle City and Suburban cricketer is in hospital after being struck over the head with a bat by a rival player on Saturday.
Jewells Tavern Beavers captain Peter Lalor counts himself lucky to be alive after the incident left him with nine stitches and a concussionand possible brain damage.
Lalor was bowling against a Merewether B5s batsman at Jesmond's Heaton Park when the pair collided during a quick single, three balls after Lalor had hit the batsman with a bouncer.
Big bash: Peter Lalor had stitches.
Lalor fell to the ground after the collision, then was struck on the top of the head with the batsman's bat.
"It was a shock to everyone," Lalor said. "It must have been a brain snap."
The game was abandoned and Lalor was taken by ambulance to hospital bleeding from his head.
CT scans later cleared him of serious damage and the 33-year-old is expected to be released from hospital on Monday.
Police are investigating the incident and Lalor said he would likely press charges on Tuesday.
Lalor has been with the Jewells Tavern club for the past eight seasons but has played first-grade district cricket for Waratah-Mayfield alongside the likes of Murray Christie, Sam Gilmour and Ashley Weekes.
Lalor was thankful for the actions of his teammates.
"All our blokes were fantastic," Lalor said. "My best mate rang the ambulance straight away and we have a nurse in our team and a chemist and they ran over and supported me.
"The rest kept the others away, so it was handled very well.
"I'm very lucky, because it could have gone a lot worse. I might not have been talking to you right now."
The Merewether B5 team play under the Merewether district club banner, but the C&S teams are administered separately.
Merewether president Ken Beckett said he had not received detailed information but was "appalled" to hear of the incident.
"The association will handle this, I'm sure, and we will co-operate with the association at whatever level we have to," Beckett said.
C&S administrator Wesley Inglis said he had been notified of the incident and was awaiting a report from the clubs on Monday. Photo: Peter Stoop