Boy recovers after being caught in propeller

IT WAS three years ago that nine years old Ali Layard fell from a hire boat on the Kennet & Avon Canal, but his father reversed the boat to pick him up and he was caught in its propeller, (Boy caught in propeller of reversing boat) suffering terrible injuries to his legs.

He was air-lifted to the South West Trauma Hospital where he spent the next four months with multiple operations to save his legs, and eventually was told he would only be able to walk with the aid of a stick, Alan Tilbury, who submitted the original story, now tells us.

Proved doctors wrong

But Ali would not accept this, and proved the doctors wrong by now actually playing in the cricket team at Sexey's School at Bruton in Somerset.

In the latest game Ali took four wickets with just five balls then completed a maiden unbeaten 50, with the school's coach, Tom Batch remarking that he is a remarkable young man, his resilience to come back from such life changing injuries is one thing but to push himself to such heights of performance is quite exceptional.