A TEENAGE ice hockey player who hit a fellow player during a derby match at Blackburn Ice Arena claimed he was acting in "self-defence", a court has heard.

Robert Brownbill, 19, is alleged to have struck Richard Hulme in the face with his hockey stick then punched him in the head when he fell to the ice during a match between Altrincham Tigers Under-19s and Blackburn Hawks Under -19s in October 2002. Preston Crown Court heard how the incident had happened just minutes from the end of the game and after a fight had broken out among two other opposing players during a face-off to restart the match.

Hulme, now 19, who played for Blackburn, lost his two front teeth, which were later replaced by a dental nurse who was in the crowd, and sustained a small fracture to his upper gum.

Brownbill, who lives in Swinton, was later charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The jury heard how Brownbill, who was 18 at the time of the incident, had been playing in his first match for the Altrincham Under-19s team.

He told the court that he believed ice hockey was a "rough and aggressive" sport and that in the four years he had been playing the game he had sustained two broken collarbones during matches.

The court heard that during the game in question Brownbill had not sustained any penalty points prior to the incident.

Brownbill said the atmosphere had been "very tense" and that there had been some taunting from the Blackburn players' bench which had concerned him.

He said the referee had dropped the puck to start the face-off when two other opposing players had started to fight.

He said he had turned round to his opposing player (Hulme) who was holding his stick in one hand. He said Hulme had dropped his shoulder and that he thought he was going to hit him.

Brownbill said he hit Hulme in the face cage of his helmet while wearing his padded gloves. He said that he had been hit in that way by other people "loads of times" and had never sustained any injury. He also agreed that he himself had hit people before in the same way and they had not been injured.

He said after he delivered the punch Hulme had fallen down and that he had hit him twice in the head because he did not want him to get back up and continue the fight.

He said that he had not been initially aware of Hulme's injuries but had found out later. He said: "I felt sorry and ashamed that I had done that to him."

(Proceeding)