Kingsclere rugby player Chris Clements hospitalised for 12 days after coming into contact with dog poo on pitch

A rugby player was hospitalised for 12 days battling a serious infection after coming into contact with dog poo during a match.

Chris Clements, 31, spent nearly a fortnight in hospital undergoing two courses of intravenous antibiotics after a cut on his leg became infected.

The Newbury resident, who serves in the Royal Navy, was playing in a match for Kingsclere Rugby Club at its home pitch by The Fieldgate Centre last November when another player found dog poo on his shirt.

Doctors believed it was likely that this dog excrement was the cause of the serious infection Chris suffered in the following weeks.

In early December, two weeks after the match, Chris found that a small cut on his left leg had become swollen, discoloured and incredibly painful.

“Even the duvet resting on my leg was painful,” he said.

Chris also came down with a fever and after speaking to Navy doctors at HMS Collingwood on December 2, he was placed on a course of antibiotics.

By December 6 the condition of the wound hadn’t improved. In fact, it had only gotten worse, becoming more swollen and red in colour.

He was then sent to hospital in Portsmouth for two rounds of intravenous antibiotics in order to fight the infection, and he remained there for 12 days.

Chris said: “Whilst I was in hospital I had a temperature spike and they admitted me overnight.

“A normal person’s infection markers or CRP [a protein released quickly at the start of infections] sits at about five. Mine was 179.”

He said he was feeling fine in himself during this time in hospital, but his leg was swollen and “incredibly painful”.

Just to put his weight on it to go to the bathroom caused Chris agony.

The swelling eventually began to die down leading to the creation of an abscess [a pocket of pus] which eventually burst, relieving the pressure on the wound.

Although Chris was released from hospital on December 17, his wound is still healing now and he hasn’t played rugby in months.

We spoke to him by the sports pitches next to The Fieldgate Centre where the dog poo incident happened.

He said: “Even while waiting for you guys there [by the centre], I’ve seen two people walk across here [the pitches] without a lead.

“I know it’s a big open green space but we are in the countryside. There are lots of big open green spaces.

“If you do bring you dogs here, don’t let them on to the pitch because you may think you’ve picked up all of the dog poo but even if the slightest bit is still on the grass, someone could stand on it and accidentally cut someone.

“I always come off the pitch with cuts and scrapes all over my legs.

“If just the smallest bit gets into you then it could happen again, or worse.”

This was an opinion echoed by Kingsclere RFC chairman Dilwyn Patterson.

He said: “It’s irresponsible of the dog owners to let them run on the sports pitches, particularly as not only adults play on them but children do too.

“Basically, in my opinion, if the boot was on the other foot and they ended up with dog poo on their skin, they would soon complain. People have to have a duty of care for others.”

Following the serious health incident, more stickers and signs have been placed up around the pitches warning dog owners that if they don’t pick up after their pets, they could suffer a hefty fine.

Basingstoke and Deane borough councillor and Kingsclere resident David Conquest was keen to remind people of this.

He said: “It’s always disappointing when people don’t pick up after their dogs but in this case it’s especially serious.

“The vast majority of people do the right thing but all dog owners should be aware that there is a public space protection order in effect throughout the entire borough which makes it an offence to not clean up after your dog.

“Anyone ignoring the order can be fined £100.”

Chris, who has played rugby for Kingsclere since he was 17, made his long-awaited return to the rugby pitch last Friday in a 28-24 victory against Tadley Bandits in what he called a “tight, physical game”.

When it came to playing with his wound, Chris was more nervous about whether his skills as a rugby player would be intact following his months away from the game.