FOOTBALL ACCIDENT AT OMBERSLEY. Mr. W. B. Hulme, held an enquiry at the Infirmary, Worcester, on Thursday, touching the death of George Hancox (21). A match was being played at Ombersley, on Saturday last, between the Ombersley Victoria Football Club and the Worcester Olympic, under the auspices of the Worcester and District League.
During the play, deceased, who was playing for the Ombersley club, received a kick in the stomach, and had to leave the field. Getting worse, he was taken to the Worcester Infirmary, where an operation was performed, but he died on Tuesday. The father of the deceased said his son told him he had had a knee kick in the stomach and that the man who gave it to him had tried to kick him twice before. Deceased also said that the man who injured him was one of the backs who came from the other side of the field to do it.
When it occurred there were four or five men in the rush.— Mr. W. B. Pettitt, house surgeon at the Infirmary, said that deceased told him that he was struck in the stomach by a man’s knee. Deceased did not mention any player as giving him the injuries, nor did he make the slightest accusation against any man. Deceased gave witness to understand that the injuries were inflicted accidentally. After deceased was taken to the infirmary an operation was performed. On opening him just a portion of the small bowel was found to be torn right across, and all the contents of the bowels were loose in his abdomen. There , was a condition of acute peritonitis. That was a hopeless condition. Deceased died on Tuesday morning. The blow which caused the injuries must have been an extremely violent one.— Faederick Norman said the game was a very rough one. He had heard a man named Thomas Bayliss say that the injuries were intentionally inflicted, but this statement had been contradicted. —The Coroner ordered that the address of Bayliss should be taken down.—After some other evidence, the jury returned a verdict of “Accidental death.”
Bromsgrove & Droitwich Messenger – Saturday 04 January 1896
News From The Past 