Johnny Thompson’s arrival at CIYMS for the 2015 season was described by one local journalist as being like ‘a breath of spring’ to the Premiership.

The leading all-rounder in the North West brought aggression with both bat and ball and took repartee to a new level and even the Umpiring fraternity found it hard to fall out with JT for long.

The 2015 NCU Challenge Cup Final saw Instonians under captain Neil Russell take on the star-studded CIYMS for whom Rassie van der Dussen scored a century before the game was called off and restarted the following day.

Rassie duly completed another century with Johnny Thompson adding a quick-fire 68 as second top scorer.

Opening the batting for Instonians was captain Neil Russell who famously had ‘never worn a helmet’!

Taking photographs at Comber, one usually takes up position in front of the Pavilion or on the bank at the ‘top’ end. But as the Instonians innings began I decided to do a lap, if only to stretch my legs.

Thus I found myself on the Castle Lane side of the ground positioned at Square Leg as Johnny was bowling to Neil. As Neil shaped to hook a short delivery I pressed the shutter and kept my finger there.

The first frame showed the ball high over Neil’s head having ricocheted off his right temple. Further on in the sequence Neil was crumpling, dazed, knocking off the bails with his bat as he fell.

As he lay there the seriousness of the situation was dawning on the fielding side. Neil rolled over and got onto his hands and knees and was dripping blood as Johnny arrived beside him.

The look of concern on Johnny’s face, the hand on the shoulder in a ‘Spirit of Cricket’ cliché moment make it one of my favourite photographs.

From a photographers point of view it was sheer luck that I was where I was, but keeping shooting the action was quite ‘professional’ for me as an ‘amateur’. And if it’s not too gruesome - a satisfyingly sharp image as zooming in on it in hi-resolution revealed the stream of blood droplets frozen in mid air.

Although he left the field with everyone thinking he was out hit wicket - he was reprieved when the delivery was ruled (belatedly) to be a no-ball for over shoulder height (which I think was the rule at that time). There was also talk about ‘serious injury - dead ball’ having been called before the stumps were broken. But that didn’t happen either!

Whatever the explanation, Neil later returned to the crease, wearing a helmet, to score 49 including a six back onto the top-pitch off Johnny but there was to be no fairytale ending as CIYMS ran out winners by 50 runs (DLS).