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Anyone who has played the game of cricket knows it is very painful being hit by a cricket ball.

Batsmen often face the prospect of having a ball hurled at them at 80 to 90 miles per hour from a distance of only 22 yards.

Similarly the unlucky person ordered by the captain to field close to the batsman is quite vulnerable to a crashing blow off the bat.

This is why batsmen and close in fielders wear helmets, pads, arm guards and of course the all important box.

However, for the two umpires on the pitch there is no protection, and whilst they are not in the firing line in the same way as a batsman, accidents can happen.

The tragic tale in July of this year of Alcwyn Jenkins highlights the dangers anyone can face in sports.

Mr Jenkins was umpiring a cricket match in Swansea, South Wales when he was hit on the head by a ball thrown by one of the fielders.

Spectator Paul Llewellyn said: “Nobody was to blame. The fielder threw the ball back to the wicket but the umpire didn’t see it.”

The players tried to resuscitate the 72 year old grandfather but he never regained consciousness and died in hospital.

Neil Hobbs a friend of Mr Jenkins said: “Umpires do get hit by the ball occasionally, but the chances of a fatality must be less than one in a million.”

Indeed fatal accidents on a cricket field are very rare but do happen, as was the case in 2005 with Tim Melville from Cheshire in England.

The poor 18 year old was struck in the heart region by a quick delivery fom the bowler, whilst batting for his club side.

Mr Melville collapsed at the wicket and in spite of the best efforts of his team mates and paramedics, he died on arrival at the hospital.

It is not just the ball that can be a danger to players, as was demonstrated in 2002 when two players collided with each other trying to catch the ball.

Dr Gordon Bryden was taken to hospital and kept in for three weeks before being allowed home.

However, his condition worsened and he was readmitted, but sadly died after suffering haemorrhaging from an abscess on his pancreas, caused by the collision.

Accidents like these can happen in any sport but are thankfully very rare, but it proves that we can be a quite vulnerable species at times.

Professional cricketers have had collisions including the great West Indian Brian Lara who dislocated his shoulder when he accidently collided with an opponent.

Australian players Steve Waugh and Jason Gillespie collided trying to catch the same ball, resulting in a broken nose for Waugh and a broken leg for Gillespie.

Former England wicket keepr Paul Downton effectively had his career curtailed when he was struck in the eye by a flying bail, whilst standing behind the stumps.

Cricket is a sport enjoyed by millions and whilst nobody goes on the pitch to deliberately hurt a fellow player, bowlers will try and intimidate batsmen with quick short pitched bowling.

The introduction of helmets was one of the best things to happen in the game, as it has probably stopped a handful of players sustaining a serious injury.

Players have lost teeth and had noses rearranged even with helmets on, whilst a broken finger is not uncommon in spite of batsmen wearing padded gloves.

Sport can be brutal at times and accidents will always happen, but these are few and far between and people will go on enjoying these games in spite of the dangers.