Jersey Reds: Hartpury medics praised after match cut short due to fan illness

Harvey Biljon has led Jersey Reds to 11 wins in 16 games this season

Jersey Reds boss Harvey Biljon has praised the work of medical teams who came to the aid of a supporter who was taken ill during his side's 40-31 Championship win at Hartpury.

The game was cancelled with seven minutes to go after a fan collapsed with the result at the time standing.

"I've got to commend how quickly the medical teams responded," Biljon told BBC Radio Jersey.

"In less than 30 seconds the doctors, the medics were looking after him.

"From a Jersey perspective we didn't want to travel out here again, we would rather have had a delay and played on, so it's just bringing all of that together and the way all parties just came together to get to the right outcome was excellent."

Hartpury tweeted that the spectator "was taken to hospital conscious".

The bonus-point win lifts Jersey up to second place in the Championship, although third-placed Ealing have two games in hand and are two points off the islanders and one more point behind leaders Doncaster.

Scott van Breda, Lewis Wynne and Harry Doolan scored first-half tries for the islanders as they went into the break with the scores tied at 19-all.

Charlie Foley and Ben Foley went over early in the second half to give the hosts a 31-19 lead, but Will Brown, Eoghan Clarke and Jordan Holgate went over to secure a third successive win for the Reds.

"That 10 or 15 minutes after Hartpury went ahead was some very good play from us and you could see how when we're on song and we all come together we look a pretty dangerous team," Biljon said.

"I definitely think there's momentum, I think it's the way the players are prepared by the coaches throughout the week, I think it's the way we train and the confidence that we've won the last few games, but knowing that when we stick to task we get reward."