Two footballers suffer broken leg in same tackle – before waiting for hours for ambulances to arrive

In chilly conditions, they then had to wait over two hours before the first ambulance arrived - with the second ambulance taking three hours to turn up.

Clanfield midfielder Michael Viggor and Denmead striker Keiran Hammond were both seriously injured after contesting a 50/50 challenge.

The incident happened after only 11 minutes of the Hampshire Premier League fixture at Front Lawn in Havant.

Clanfield were leading 2-1 at that stage with the game having only just restarted following top scorer Hammond pulling a goal back for joint table-toppers Denmead.

Viggor, who used to play for Portsmouth-based Moneyfields until last November, suffered a double break of fibula and tibia while Hammond suffered a broken fibia. Both players were taken to QA Hospital and were underdoing surgery today.

‘It was a 50/50 challenge, both players went in fully committed - there was no malice at all,’ reported Denmead secretary Simon Strickland.

‘The biggest problem we had was keeping the players warm. It was dry and cloudy but there was a cold wind.

‘Each player had six or seven coats over them and we also moved the portable dugouts to give them some cover.’

With the game having kicked off at 3pm, the first ambulance didn’t arrive until just after 5pm.

At around the same time, the air ambulance also landed on the field adjoining the Front Lawn facility. But no sooner had it done so, it was diverted to another incident.

The second ambulance arrived just after 6pm. Hammond was taken to hospital first, followed by Viggor in the second ambulance at around 6.30pm.

Strickland praised referee Will Rumsby for his help.

‘He was absolutely outstanding,’ said the secretary.

‘He helped with the medical equipment, he offered his coat to one of the players, and he stayed there until the second ambulance had gone. He didn’t have to do that.

‘He even said he would be return his match (£45), but we said no.’

Remarkably, there have now been THREE broken legs in the last two games between the two clubs at Front Lawn. In a Supplementary Cup tie last May, Clanfield’s Will Martin - a University of Portsmouth student - sustained a broken leg.

Even more incredibly, Clanfield were also leading that game 2-1 when it was abandoned.

On that occasion, an ambulance arrived after about an hour.

‘It’s bizarre,’ said Clanfield boss Lee Blakely. ‘It was exactly the same as last year, and virtually an identical tackle.

‘I’ve never known both players end up with pretty much the same injury from the same tackle.’

Denmead would have moved to the top of the table had they avoided defeat for a 21st league game in success. As it is, the game will now be rearranged.