THE English Ice Hockey Association will hold a disciplinary hearing into the case of a teenage player convicted of assaulting a rival.

Robert Brownbill, 19, was found guilty of common assault after he continued to hit Richard Hulme in the head after he fell to the ice at Blackburn Ice Arena.

But he was cleared by a jury of hitting his victim in the face with his stick during the derby match in October 2002. Today board members of the association said further action would be taken.

The case, the first of its kind in the UK, prompted concern about the potential dangers of ill-discipline on the ice and whether the game's governing body did enough to prevent violence. It could also lead to a lengthy ban for the disgraced player.

But in passing sentence, Judge Christopher Cornwall said: "This case, I hope, will make it abundantly clear that it is not only against the rules of ice hockey to strike a player when he is down on the ice but more importantly it is against the law."

Neville Moralee, financial director, said: "Certainly what happened is against the rules of the game.

"Punching someone is against the rules so there is no need to change the rules in light of this as what happened was against the rules. The disciplinary committee will clearly have stayed their hand during the legal proceedings but I would assume it will now be reviewed by the committee, who will take whatever action they deem necessary."

Brownbill's, from Swinton, whose conviction followed a four-day trial at Preston Crown Court, had been playing his first match for Altrincham Tigers Under 19s against Blackburn Hawks Under 19s at the time of the assault.

The court was told Brownbill had hit Mr Hulme - a Blackburn player who lives in Blackpool - in the face with his hockey stick after fighting had broken out between two other opposing players during a face-off just minutes from the end of the game.

Mr Hulme, he said, had fallen to the ice and Brownbill had then struck him on the head.