A young Perthshire rugby player has thanked his team-mates and medical staff for saving his life after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a training session.

Hamish Bell (20) nearly died but was saved by the quick actions of those present when the drama unfolded at JJ Coupar Recreation Park in Blairgowrie last month.

And the University of Aberdeen student, who has played rugby with Blairgowrie RFC since he was 12, was keen to stress the importance of having a defibrillator at the grounds and of having trained first-aiders present.

He told our sister title the Blairgowrie Advertiser: “The last thing I remember is putting my bottle of water down and starting to play.

“I’ve been told I said I had a pain in my chest and then I had a fit, and then my heart stopped.

“They started CPR and then used the defib which is on the wall of the changing rooms.”

He said: “The team that plays together so well on the pitch came together as a team for this too.

“I also want to say a big thank you to the staff in the hospital, the nurses on Ward 21 who were all lovely and gave me a good laugh every day, the ICD device clinic and the A&E team.”

Business management student Hamish, who was presented with a signed British Lions top at the weekend, spent two and a half weeks in Ninewells Hospital in Dundee where he underwent a range of tests, including one to see if he had what Danish footballer Christian Eriksen – who also suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch just days before Hamish’s own brush with death – has.

Hamish said: “That came back negative, and I was fitted with a S-ICD [Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator] which monitors my heart rate and rhythm and shocks the heart if it detects any abnormalities.

“They describe it as like a guardian angel or an ambulance crew in your chest – whenever you need it, it’s there.”

Despite his life-saving operation, Hamish has been told that he is no longer able to play rugby.

He said: “It’s gutting, but there are always things I can do to support the club and stay involved.”

And he wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone at the club for all they have done for him.

He said: “It is important to recognise the role the whole club played in this, and how vital having a defib on site was.

“The doctors said that there was a 95 per cent chance someone in my situation wouldn’t make it without that intervention so that shows you how important it is.

“I think every sports venue should have a defib on site.

“You would not expect a 20-year-old like me who has never had any health issues before and was fit and active to have experienced this, and it just shows it can happen to anyone.

“Getting the shirt was a nice surprise too, they had to cut my Lions top off me when they used the defib, and it is just awesome that it is signed as well.

“The club also managed to arrange for the three Scottish members of the Lions, Stuart Hogg, Hamish Watson and Zander Fagerson, to send me a video message when I was in hospital which gave me a real boost too.

“Thanks in particular though to Dave Malloch, Mike Grant, Phil Maxwell and Sarah Rattray for everything they did for me on the
pitch.”