AN ice hockey player struck an opponent in the face with a stick and punched him in the head during a match at Blackburn Arena, a court has heard.

In the first criminal case of its kind , Robert Nathan Brownbill is accused of launching the "unprovoked" attack on an opposing player in October 2002.

Brownbill, who was 18 at the time , was in the Altrincham Tigers Under 19s side when the incident is alleged to have happened, just minutes from the end of a derby match against Blackburn Hawks Under 19s.

His alleged victim - 19-year-old Richard Hulme, of Blackpool, who was playing for Blackburn - had his two front teeth knocked out and suffered a small fracture to a bone in his upper gum, Preston Crown Court was told.

At an earlier hearing, Blackburn magistrates heard there had been no convictions arising from similar incidents anywhere in the world.

Mr Martin Hackett, prosecuting, said that Brownbill, of Swinton, "deliberately and without provocation" hit Hulme in the face with his stick. He said the fight had broken out among two other players during a 'face-off' after a goal had been scored.

Mr Hackett said that when Mr Hulme fell on to the ice, Brownbill began punching him in the head. He told the court: "We accept ice hockey is a rough game, we accept it is a game not for the faint-hearted and we accept that in the game confrontations will occur.

"But we what we do say about the game is of ice hockey is that the game has rules. We say the defendant, not only broke the rules but his actions were a criminal offence."

Mr Hulme told the court that during the 'face-off' he had felt a blow to his mouth, although he couldn't say where it had come from, that he had fallen down. Someone then started hitting him . His teeth, which had fallen on to the ice, were later put back in by a dental nurse in the crowd, the court was told

Under cross-examination from defence barrister Barry Grennan, Mr Hulme admitted matches between the two rival teams could get "a bit rough." He said even though he hadn't seen what hit him in the face he had "assumed" it was a hockey stick. He also denied his safety helmet had not been in "good order" and said he had only noticed two cracks just before it was taken away for examination by the police in August 2003.

Brownbill denies assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The court heard he told police he acted in self defence. He said he had seen Mr Hulme coming towards him and thought he was going to hit him.

Proceeding