Easingwold Cricket Club must begin their defence of the Hunters York and District Senior League without captain Martin Robinson after he suffered a horrific injury in a snowboarding accident.

Robinson, who made more than 600 runs last season, broke his leg in two places which will keep him out of action until at least the end of July.

Recalling that fateful moment during a skiing holiday in Italy, Robinson told the Evening Press: "I was on some skis and got off them to borrow a friend's snowboard. That was when it happened. I just fell badly, twisted it and my shin snapped.

"It didn't hurt at the time but it did later when they were pinning it."

Robinson was airlifted to a nearby hospital before being transferred to Switzerland where he spent five days having the leg plated and screwed back together.

He is now resting back at home in Pick Hill, near Thirsk, while the rest of the team prepare for the start of the season on April 28.

His leg has been put in a plastic pot which can be removed to allow him to exercise the leg muscles and joints.

That should aid a speedier recovery, although it will still be some time before the leg will be back to full strength.

He will return to work, as manager of the Wetherby office of league sponsors Hunters Estate Agents, within the next two weeks but it is the lengthy lay-off from cricket which is causing him the most frustration.

He had been looking forward to leading Easingwold's defence of the title but must now watch from the sidelines and hope his team-mates can carry on from where they left off last year.

"I feel fine, it's just frustrating. We won the league last year and wanted to win it again this year. We've got the team to do it. I was really looking forward to this season, getting more runs and doing a lot more bowling because I couldn't do much last year," said all-rounder Robinson, whose bowling exploits were limited last year while he recovered from an hernia operation.

"Within two or three weeks I'll be able to go to the gym but it will be two months before I can start running. I'm hoping to be back playing by July but the doctor says I might need another month. It depends how it heals."

Robinson, formerly on the coaching staff at Durham CCC, picked up from a slow start last season to finish the campaign in outstanding form.

It was his superb all-round performance in the final match against Heworth that clinched Easingwold's first title for 25 years.

He rescued his side from a poor start with an unbeaten 96 then took 4-31 to prevent Heworth reaching their target.

Robinson hopes to get back into the thick of the action before the end of the season. Until then Jonathan Marwood will take over the captaincy.

Updated: 12:17 Saturday, March 10, 2001