Injury ends East Dorset rugby club captain's dreams of coaching career (From Bournemouth Echo)

Injury ends East Dorset rugby club captain's dreams of coaching career

6:30pm Friday 23rd July 2010 in

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JUST a few seconds on the rugby pitch has changed Darren Kendall’s life for ever.

The strapping Verwood rugby club captain, who was seriously injured after scoring a try during a Hampshire League match, now has difficulty walking and, on his worst days, is confined to a wheelchair.

Darren’s coach and two team mates rushed to his aid following the incident, resuscitating the father-of-four twice before an ambulance arrived. Paramedics spent 49 minutes stabilising Darren before taking him to hospital.

Three months later Darren’s dreams of pursing a coaching career were cruelly shattered when his doctor told him he would never play rugby again.

Speaking from his Alderholt home, the self-employed electrician told the Daily Echo: “My life has been turned upside down. Despite being 37 I was at the peak of my physical fitness, training twice a week, playing rugby every week as well as running and working out in the gym.

“I’d played for 22 years but now I can’t remember a single game. I was 15 and a half stone with a very high pain threshold; I’d kept playing in the past with a broken hand and fractured forearm but this time was different.

“After scoring I’d rolled over to get up when an opposition player ran at me and jumped on my chest with both knees.

“I remember lying on the pitch wondering how I was going to cope as the waves of pain swept over me. I was drifting in and out of consciousness. The paramedics put me on a spinal board and the next thing I knew I was in hospital with morphine being pumped into both of my arms.”

Darren was diagnosed as suffering from a rib cage sprain and discharged the following day into the care of his wife Donna, 37, who has healthcare experience.

She said: “We were expecting Darren’s condition to improve within a matter of days but that just didn’t happen. He was on a liquid diet and lost four stone in the first three weeks.”

Darren said: “I still suffer nightmares and flashbacks. I couldn’t work or drive for weeks. I’ve had various tests and been told that I may have soft tissue damage and broken ribs. But I’m still waiting for a scan to clarify the extent of my injuries. I have panic attacks and suffer from chronic fatigue; on good days I can work for a few hours but all our savings have gone and I’m not physically capable of playing with our son any more.”

The player involved in the incident was found guilty of striking with the knee by Hampshire Rugby Football Union disciplinary committee and suspended from playing for 18 weeks. He has since lodged an appeal.

A Hampshire police spokeswoman said: “One person was arrested and released. The matter is still under investigation.”