Sam Chick suffered a truly unlucky break while leading Kirtlington Golf Club’s Masters.

The 17-year-old shot a fine round of 71 to lead the 36-hole event after the opening day and was confident of clinching the crown 24 hours later.

But he then broke his right leg playing football for Bletchingdon in the Oxfordshire Senior League that afternoon and saw his hopes of golf success scuppered.

Bletchingdon defeated Oxford University Press 5-2 in the Premier Division match, but Chick did not feel like celebrating victory.

The six-handicapper, who lives in Kirtlington, said: “I had a good round of golf and was leading.

“Then the injury happened after about 60 minutes of the football match – and what makes it worse is that I think I was about to come off.

“I went for a loose ball and one of their players went to ground with me.

“I wasn’t sure if it was broken at the time – they were trying to get me to walk on it!

“I had to be helped into the changing rooms and then I was taken to A&E at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.”

Not only did Chick miss out on the round at Kirtlington a day later, his Bletchingdon teammates also achieved success in his absence by winning the Ben Turner Cup.

Chick added: “At the time I was thinking about playing golf the next day.

“I was disappointed I didn’t get to play.”

The Marlborough School, Woodstock, pupil is in plaster for six weeks, so the cast will stay on for his AS Level exams.

But Chick, who was Kirtlington’s junior captain last year, is trying to keep positive.

And if the Kirtlington resident had not been unlucky enough, he revealed: “It happened only two days after my birthday.”

There was a slight silver lining for the Chick family, however, as Sam’s absence allowed his dad, Andy, to finish second in the Masters.