Ball ban call over boy’s broken nose

Kobi Lawton

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A MOTHER is calling for a game ball to be banned from schools after her son suffered a broken nose in a PE lesson.

Kobi Lawton (13) was playing softball, a game similar to rounders, when the ball struck him to the face.

And while the game is called softball, the ball itself is like a baseball, although not quite as hard.

Kobi, who goes to Waterhead Academy, in Huddersfield Road, was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital where it was confirmed he had suffered a broken nose.

Claire Lawton, Kobi’s mother, is now calling for softballs to be banned from being used at the school.

She said: “I was called into the school because Kobi had been involved in an accident. When I saw him I knew straight away it was broken. His nose was a mess. I was not expecting his injuries to be so bad.

“My main issue now is that these balls should not be allowed in schools. It could have killed my son.

“If the ball had hit him in the temple this could have been a lot more serious.

“He is recovering okay but gets on-and-off headaches still.

Procedures

“It should not take my son to break his nose for something to be done about this.”

Waterhead Academy principal Colette Macklin has confirmed the incident and said Kobi was fielding on first base when the boy on second base threw the ball to him while attempting to run out the batter.

Mrs Macklin said the boy shouted Kobi’s name as he threw but Kobi was struck in the face as he turned.

Mrs Macklin added: “As far as we are concerned they were playing a game and it was a genuine accident and we are really sorry that the boy in question has been injured.

“We will look at the safety procedures in place and view whether the balls are safe to use or not. If there have been a number of similar incidents then we may review whether it is appropriate to continue to use them.

“Sometimes when we do view incidents like this we decide to change our procedures and other times we don’t. It is something the PE department are currently looking at. It is all about getting the right balance.

“These things happen and parents worry about their children and it is perfectly normal. It is our job to keep children safe and make sure parents are happy.”

Kobi was back in school this week.

email: alexcarey@oldham-chronicle.co.uk