THE quick actions of rugby players at a match in Pewsey, in which a referee collapsed, have been credited with saving his life.

Referee Tim Wynn, 52, suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed minutes into Saturday’s fixture between Pewsey Vale and Swindon.

The emergency happened just after 2.15pm at the Angela Yeates Memorial Community Sports Ground in Wilcot Road.

Pewsey Vale full back Frank Poulson, the club’s first aider, was the first person to assist Mr Wynn.

When he could not find a pulse, he cleared the referee’s airways and began CPR, assisted by players from both teams.

They included Army personnel Phil Hobbs, Andy Hearn and Ryan Morgan, together with firefighters Toni Bloomfield and Simon Addins.

Mr Bloomfield’s wife, Marci, rang for medical assistance and passed on instructions from the ambulance service to the players as they performed CPR for more than 15 minutes, until the paramedics arrived.

Players also used one of the village’s defibrillators, located near to the scrap yard, to keep the retired police officer alive.

Mick Haynes, Pewsey’s first team coach, said: “When he first went down, I thought he had twisted his ankle, because it was a bit muddy, but some of the guys went over and it became clear quite quickly that it was a lot more serious than that.

“I’m in the Army, so it was a bit like a man task; you give them something to do and they just get on with it.

“A lot of the guys are in the Army, so they’re used to dealing with things like this, so he was very lucky, really.”

Mr Wynn, of Lytchett Matravers, Poole, was taken to Bristol Royal Infirmary by the air ambulance in eight minutes.

He was later said to be awake in hospital and his condition was improving, but still critical.

Wiltshire Air Ambulance paramedic Steve Riddle said: “They did a sterling job. There was a fire responder and a teacher, who had done some first aid training, and military medics all at the scene and they organised for one of the local defibrillators to be brought over, so that it could be used before we arrived.

“They were the ones that really saved his life and gave us something to work with on arrival.”