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Village cricketers save life of bowler who suffered cardiac arrest on cricket pitch

19 September 2024

Village cricketers from Gloucestershire teamed up to save the life of a player who suffered a cardiac arrest during a game of Sunday league cricket.

On 12th May this year, 68-year-old Phil Steers had just finished bowling the tenth over for Kingsholm CC in a friendly match vs Corse Lawn CC when he began to feel unwell and decided to leave the field of play.

Moments later, Phil became slumped in his chair outside the pavilion, in Sandhurst, unaware that he was in fact suffering from a potentially fatal cardiac arrest. It’s only thanks to the actions of those around him, both teammates and opposition players, that kept Phil not just alive, but already targeting a return to the cricket field just four months later in time for next season.

In a true act of kindness and bravery, Corse Lawn’s Shabir Kashoo together with Kingsholm’s Donna Cayless and Mark Didcote, took it in turns to administer CPR to Phil, whose heart had stopped twice with ambulances on-route. Operating in a relay for a painstaking 20 minutes, Shabir, Donna and Mark managed to restart Phil’s heart and keep it beating long enough for paramedics to arrive and stabilise his heartbeat.

The actions of Shabir, who did the majority of the CPR alongside Donna and Mark, were even more significant given the fact the nearest defibrillator, kept at the village hall next, failed when called upon.

Once stabilised by paramedics, Phil was transported to the nearby Gloucestershire Royal Hospital where surgeons fitted him with a permanent Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). Having spent two-and-a-half weeks in hospital and now undergoing regular cardiac rehabilitation, Phil is well on the way to making a full recovery.

Donna Cayless, left, pictured with Phil Steers, centre, and Gloucestershire Interim CEO, Neil Priscott, right

Speaking of his gratitude towards everyone who stepped in to help save his life on 12th May, Phil said he will be forever thankful.

Phil said: “It’s just incredible what people were able to do for me on that day. I’m just very, very lucky that three people on that day knew exactly what to do. I’ve been trained in first aid but there’s a big difference to doing the course compared to when someone is dead in front of you.

“How do you repay that sort of act? You can’t really can you. So I’m really grateful to them for everything they did to help me on that day.

“I was aiming to be back playing this month but I’ve been told I need to wait a little longer, so I’m aiming for a return to nets in January and then would like to be fit enough to play in the same fixture in May next year which would be really nice.”

Care worker, Shabir, who plays Tewkesbury CC on Saturday and Corse Lawn CC on a Sunday, led the lifesaving efforts thanks to the knowledge and training he has received through his line of work.

He said he acted instinctively when he noticed Phil was unwell and needed help. While he administered CPR, four ambulances and the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity attended the scene before Phil was eventually rushed to hospital by road.

Recalling what happened, Shabir said: “We were only about 20 minutes into the match and Phil was bowling, but out of nowhere he said he didn’t feel too well and couldn’t finish the over.

“We stopped the game and I rushed to the side to see how Phil was and all of a sudden, he fell down.

“When he was lying on the ground, Donna started the CPR before I took over. I just kept going and going and going and didn’t stop. I don’t know where I found the energy from.

“When the paramedics eventually arrived, they said to me what I did saved his life.

“As soon as I found out Phil was going to be ok, I felt great. I was delighted and very proud of myself.”

In recognition of their lifesaving efforts on the 12th May, Shabir, Donna, Mark as well as Tim Ross-Smith, Operations Officer at Great Western Air Ambulance Charity, joined Phil Steers at a presentation on the outfield at the Seat Unique Stadium on Thursday during Gloucestershire's Vitality County Championship match against Sussex.

Neil Priscott, left, pictured with Shabir Kashoo, right.

Chris Munden, Operations Manager at Gloucestershire Cricket Foundation, left, picture with Donna Cayless, centre and Mark Didcote, right

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