AN 18-year-old cricketer is in hospital after suffering a brain haemorrhage during a match on Friday night.

Hashim Akhtar, from Deane, was playing for Astley Bridge CC in a Twenty20 match against Bradshaw CC when he collapsed in the toilets of the Sharples Park ground.

He was taken to Royal Bolton Hospital for emergency care, before being transferred to Salford Royal Hospital to undergo an operation to remove a blood clot in his brain. The Bolton College student is currently in an induced coma while doctors monitor his recovery.

His cousin and Astley Bridge teammate, Zakiv Avzal, said: "His family are with him at his bedside and all of our prayers go out to him.

"They won’t know until Sunday how well he is recovering but hopefully he will be able to pull through okay."

Simon Entwistle, Astley Bridge CC captain, said: “It has been a massive shock to all of us. He has been with the club for many years and is Astley Bridge through and through. We all think the world of him.”

Ray Taylor, secretary of Bolton Cricket League, added: "All of the lads in the Bolton League are thinking about Hashim and his family at this difficult time and we send them our best wishes."

A spokesman for the North West Ambulance Service confirmed: "We were called at 7.44pm to reports of a male who had collapsed.

"We deployed a rapid response vehicle and an ambulance and transferred him as a potentially life-threatening case to Royal Bolton Hospital."

Messages of support from friends and fellow cricketers have been posted on social media.