​Friends and family of rugby player Rob Davies face an anxious wait after he broke his neck in a match.

The 36-year-old Tewkesbury RFC player was airlifted to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol after being injured playing for his club in the city at the weekend.

Yesterday, club secretary Geoff Sallis said Rob was recovering from an operation and there were high hopes that he would make a full recovery.

He said: “They’re expecting that he will make a full recovery within six to 12 months.

“He’s still in Frenchay Hospital but they will be looking to transfer him back to Cheltenham General Hospital as soon as possible.”

Rob was injured while playing for Tewkesbury’s first team at Old Colstonians on Saturday afternoon.

The experienced winger, who lives in Northway, underwent an operation on Sunday.

Mr Sallis said: “The prospects at the moment are good, but they need the swelling to go down before they will know more.

“He’s been playing for the club for a number of years. Everyone’s positive at the moment.

“There’s a very good chance of a full recovery.”

He added it was unlikely that Rob, who is married with two young children, would ever play rugby again.

He said it appeared to have been “a really unfortunate” accident that happened either when Rob was tackled or moments after a ruck.

The match Rob had been playing in was moved to another pitch to make room for the county air ambulance to land.

Mr Sallis said everyone connected to the club hoped Rob would make a complete recovery. The player, he said, worked as an engineer and his employer had also offered its full support.