QUICK thinking teammates saved the life of an 83-year-old Aunt Sally player who suffered a heart attack while playing in the league finals. 

The Parent and Child competition had to be abandoned after Tony Bradford from The Black Prince pub team collapsed at the Kassam Stadium.

He and his son Rob Bradford had been playing against Carl and Rob Edgington, also from the Woodstock pub, in the popular Oxfordshire game.

Oxford and District Aunt Sally League fixtures secretary, Andy Beal, was part of the group who sprang into action to help save the pensioner and was the first to realise something was wrong.

He said: "I was standing behind him taking down the scores and I noticed Tony was just stood there for seven or eight seconds with his final stick left to throw.

"I've seen someone have a heart attack before and I recognised the signs so I called for his son Rob and the pair of us managed to catch him as he was falling down. I started doing CPR when I realised his heart had stopped."

He added: "It was strange, I've known Tony for 30 years but I felt like I just went into automatic mode. I think all the training makes you able to do it and you don't have to think."

League member Ron Squires, 68, who took over doing CPR from Mr Beal while he called for an ambulance, said: "We must have been doing it for about ten minutes between us, which doesn't sound like a long time but is really hard work. Another person gave mouth to mouth and everyone was fantastic."

The grandfather of two added: "Those first ten minutes are the most crucial because it's all about making sure oxygen is still getting to the brain."

Paramedics worked for an hour to stabilise Mr Bradford. 
He is now recovering in hospital and was due to have a pacemaker fitted yesterday. 

His son, Rob, on behalf of the family, thanked all those players who had helped save his father as well as the paramedics and hospital staff.

Mr Squires, from Yarnton, said the incident highlighted the importance of people being trained in first aid and CPR, saying: "Everybody should get this training because it is so important that if something like this happens there are people ready and able to act.

"Just one hour of training could save someone's life. It's like riding a bike and you never forget."

He added: "When I heard he was doing well in hospital I cried knowing what we had done had helped him."

Following Mr Bradford's collapse members decided to call off the remaining games and presentation of trophies.

These will now take place at The Gladiators Club on November 3 at 8pm.

A full report of finals night on page 70.