A QUICK-thinking pair have been praised for helping save the life of a friend who collapsed after he was hit by a cricket ball.

Alex Gray and John Humphrey, both from Lenham, near Maidstone, received a community award from the Kent Ambulance NHS Trust in Chatham.

They carried out life-saving CPR on their friend Jim Lawrence, from Maidstone, after he was hit by the ball, causing a build up of blood around his brain. Rain had halted play during the match at Lenham when the incident happened.

Mr Gray, a Maidstone Prison officer, said: “We were just about to go back out and I was standing behind Jim when he fell back towards me.

“He’s a bit of a joker so I thought at first he might be messing around. We laid him on the ground and put him in the recovery position and asked someone to call an ambulance. Then his breathing got slower and his heart stopped.”

The pair carried out mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions until the air ambulance arrived to take Mr Lawrence to Maidstone Hospital.

“It was only about 15 minutes until the emergency crews arrived but it felt like 15 years,” added Mr Gray. “It was the best sound when he took a deep breath of air himself.

“Jim has just come out of rehab and physically he is perfect but his memory has gone slightly.”

Mr Humphrey added: “It isn’t until afterwards that the adrenaline and shock overcomes you – it was when I got home that the shock came out.”

The two men received their awards alongside members of Kent Ambulance Trust, in front of an audience, which included Mr Lawrence.