A cricketer has been banned from his club after "unprecedented" on-pitch violence left a 17-year-old player needing hospital treatment.

The incident occurred during an Oxfordshire Cricket Association League Division 7 clash between the East Oxford first team and Minster Lovell 2nds, at Minster Lovell, near Witney.

Minster Lovell player Ollie Smith suffered cuts and bruises to the mouth after being punched in the face by East Oxford's Adnan Hamid.

The East Oxford Cricket Club was quick to act over the incident, banning Mr Hamid for the rest of the season and imposing a six month suspended ban, running through to the end of next season.

The attack forced both sets of players off the field, and resulted in the match being abandoned -- something which has never before happened in the league.

League secretary Mick Belcher said "I have never, in five decades of involvement in Oxfordshire cricket, heard of such an incident within our association.

"This is without doubt unprecedented for us, and the matter will be dealt with very severely, once all the facts of the incident are known."

The incident comes just four weeks after a similar dust-up in a Cherwell League Division 1 match between Shipton-under-Wychwood and Oxford Downs.

On that occasion, Oxford Downs player Tim Sutton received a one year ban for hitting Shipton's Jason Constable with the full force of his bat. Mr Constable was banned for four Cherwell League matches for his part in the incident.

Mr Hamid and Mr Smith are now facing a league investigation after the attack, which is believed to have followed comments made to Mr Hamid by Mr Smith. Players said there had been ill feeling between the two players from early in the game, after Mr Hamid was dismissed during East Oxford's innings. It came to blows after Mr Smith was dismissed in Minster Lovell's reply.

East Oxford secretary Tayab Alam said of Mr Hamid: "He won't be playing for us again."