A game of cricket taking place at Earls Colne Cricket Club in Essex was interrupted recently when an air ambulance helicopter arrived to treat a player who had injured a finger whilst trying to catch a cricket ball.

The player had managed to split the skin between his thumb and forefinger as he struggled to make a catch and complained of feeling faint soon afterwards. The club made a call for medical assistance, but were amazed when the helicopter turned up soon after. Club members were critical of the helicopters use, with Hector Preston saying:

“I know it is based nearby, but the ambulance had already arrived…I just thought that it seemed like a huge waste of money and resources – what if it had been needed elsewhere at a car crash or natural disaster?”

A spokesperson for Essex and Herts Air Ambulance said that whilst unable to comment on the specific incident, they took great care in ensuring that the helicopter is only used for the most appropriate and serious cases:

“As a charity, we receive only limited funding from central government…It costs over £500,000 a month to keep our lifesaving service operational and this comes from our supporters across Essex and Hertfordshire”.

Whilst use of the air ambulance - crewed by a pilot, co-pilot, pre-hospital care doctor and a paramedic – is carefully considered, sometimes an emergency call can turn out to be less serious than originally anticipated. It is also thought that on this occasion the crew may have been returning from a previous call out and landed at the cricket club en route back to base.