A referee abandoned a Sunday morning football match after an incident left Biddestone player Tom Lye, 21, with a broken jaw and a man was arrested.

Referee Luke Rudman stopped the Chippenham and District Sunday League game between  Biddestone White Horse and North Star A after 57 minutes.

Moments before the incident, at Biddestone Sports Ground in Yatton Lane, Dan King had scored for Biddestone with a free kick. North Star were winning 5-3 when the match was stopped.

Great Western Ambulance Service received a call at 11.55am saying a man in his 20s at the football ground had a possible fractured jaw. The man was said to be conscious and the service was later told that Mr Lye’s parents had taken him to hospital. He was later released.

Mr Lye, who lives in Calne,  is expected to have more X-rays next week. His elder brother, Scott, plays for Chippenham Town.

Frank Harvey, secretary of Chippenham & District Sunday Football League, said: “I’ve been involved in the league since 1986 and I don’t remember the police being called to one of our games before. I’m not saying that nobody ever gets sent off, but I’ve never had anything like that.”

North Star secretary Tina Barnes said: “We can only apologise. The team is mortified by what happened.”

Mr Harvey said the incident had been taken out of the league’s hands. He said: “Wiltshire FA will deal with the incident on the pitch, they’re responsible for discipline during the game, and the police will deal with it too so we’ll just wait for the result.”

Police said a 21-year-old Chippenham man was arrested in connection with an assault causing actual bodily harm. He has been released on police bail.

The two teams are due to face one another again on Sunday.