Sussex football was in shock after a player collapsed and died 17 minutes into a match.

Spectators watched in horror when Ringmer's Herve King, 27, suddenly collapsed in their match against Three Bridges.

Paramedics spent 40 minutes trying to resuscitate the midfielder on the pitch at The Caburn in Ringmer.

The Sussex County League division one game had barely begun and neither team had scored when the player fell to the ground while standing on his own.

The game was immediately abandoned.

Mr King was taken to Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton where doctors continued CPR. He was pronounced dead at about 4.45pm.

The incident has stunned supporters and people at the ground where the mood was sombre even before the death was announced.

Many left the ground in floods of tears.

Team-mates followed the ambulance to hospital where doctors told them of the tragic news.

Club bar man John Harris said: "It's mystified everyone. He went down and didn't move again. As far as I know nothing like this has ever happened before at the club.

"You just don't expect to see a young person collapse and not move."

Ringmer Football Club chairman Richard Soan said: "Everybody is absolutely devastated.

"We managed to get paramedics here within seven minutes of him collapsing. They were brilliant.

"They gave him CPR right to the hospital where a team of medics worked on him."

Peter Bentley, chairman of the Sussex County League, called the death a "major tragedy".

He said: "As a player and administrator for this club since 1974 I have never known anything like this happen. My sympathy goes out to all involved. The people watching the game, colleagues and close friends, family and dependants.

"The hard thing will be for his family. He went off to play football this morning and the next thing they know is he's dead. That's soul-destroying.

"It's difficult to be able to put into words. We sympathise with everyone involved."

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