A much loved Porthleven cricketer died after he was hit by a cricket ball which triggered an existing heart condition, an inquest heard yesterday.

Derek Newman, 45, of Roskilling, Gwealdues, Helston, was struck by a cricket ball while taking a catch close to the boundary during a match against St Just in Porthleven on July 21.

Following Mr Newman's death, tributes poured into the Packet from family, friends and colleagues at the South Western Ambulance Service where he was a paramedic, describing him as a "true gent" and "real nice guy."

The inquest heard a written statement from GP Dr J P Garman, of Helston Medical Centre, who said that Mr Newman had shown no symptoms of heart disease and that there was never anything to suggest that he was at risk of a sudden cardiac related death.

Dr Garman added that Mr Newman was a smoker of eight cigarettes a day but he had been attending stop smoking clinics and had shown that he was willing to kick the habit.

Darren Parish, captain of the Porthleven first team, was fielding close to Mr Newman by the boundary at the time of the incident.

He said: "It was around 6.15pm and St Just were batting and I would say they were about half way through their innings. The batsman was hitting the ball well so I adjusted the fielding and put more fielders on the boundary.

"Del was at the position of long on and I was the next closest player to him. The batsman struck the ball high into the air in the general direction of Del. I was watching the ball and as it began to fall to the ground Del moved into a position to catch.

"Most cricketers catch the ball in a standing position but Del was almost kneeling on one knee to take the catch. I glanced at the wicket to see where the batsman was and then looked back towards Del. I hoped he would catch it but I was preparing to field the ball if he didn't.

"I was looking at Del from the side and then the ball came down and I saw it strike him but I did not see where it hit him and it shot out in front of him.

"I went to field the ball and said don't worry about it Del.' He then fell to the ground and I thought he was just exasperated by not making the catch but then his arm dropped down and I could tell there was something wrong.

"He had clenched his teeth and was making a noise as if he was trying to catch his breath. I thought he might have swallowed his tongue so I opened his mouth and his tongue was there."

Mr Parish said that then people began to run over to where Mr Newman was and players who had received medical training began to administer CPR. He added that he had spoken to other players on the field that day and they seemed to think the ball had hit Mr Newman on the chest, adding that there did not appear to be anything wrong with Mr Newman prior to the beginning of the match.

Keith Higgs, who worked with Mr Newman for the South Western Ambulance Service in Helston for 18 years, was one of the first on the scene.

He said: "I was off duty at home when Dean Bray, a long term friend, burst in and said come quickly, Del has had an accident and he is not breathing'.

"When I arrived there was a group of people around Del and he was in the recovery position. I shook him to try and get a response and then noticed there was a pool of vomit beside him. He was trying to breath so I gave him mouth to mouth and CPR."

Mr Higgs described how a defibrillator was also used on Mr Newman and how heart drugs and CPR were administered until the ambulance arrived and continued all the way to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.

He added: "In my opinion everything possible that could have been done was done but I believe his prognosis was very poor."

Dr Robert Marshall, consultant pathologist at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, said that he had found a bruise on Mr Newman's chest that was around 5cm wide.

He said: "The heart was of a normal size but there was a small area of haemorrhaging and his coronary arteries were generally in a good condition but one was severely narrowed, almost blocked. Other than that there was very little to find."

Dr Marshall said that the cause of death was heart disease and that Mr Newman could have collapsed and died at anytime.

He said: "It seems too coincidental to say that heart disease happened to occur at the same precise moment when he was struck by the cricket ball.

"It is well recognised that a blow to the chest can cause death by causing a disruption to the heartbeat.

"This has been studied widely in the USA with regards to baseball players who are often struck in the chest.

"I play cricket myself and I don't think fielding where he was fielding, I would be surprised if the ball was travelling with enough force to cause death in someone with a healthy heart. It was a blow that someone might have survived but it fell on a heart that was diseased."

Dr Marshall added that in his opinion the cause of death was a combination of a blow to the chest and the existing heart disease.

Coroner Dr Emma Carlyon confirmed that Mr Newman was later pronounced dead at the Royal Cornwall Hospital on July 21 after being struck by a cricket ball and recorded a verdict of death caused by heart disease which was exacerbated by a blow to the chest.

Mr Newman leaves behind his wife Sarah and daughter Lamorna, who did not attend the inquest but were represented by Mr Newman's sister-in-law and three close friends.