LUCTONIANS' main line-out jumper Darren Brick took to the skies for his side's match against South Leicester on Saturday.

And that was before the Midlands 1 clash had even kicked off!

The binman was working in Ludlow on Saturday morning and could not make Luctonians' 10.15am departure time.

With Brick such an important part of the Luctonians side, the Kingsland club took an emergency measure.

Team manager David James got in touch with a good friend, helicopter pilot Martin Rutty.

And Brick was picked up by helicopter at Moor Park School and flown straight on to the first team pitch at South Leicester.

He even got to South Leicester before the Luctonians team bus had arrived.

James said: "We knew that this was on the cards 10 days ago. Darren has had a few Saturdays off work and we knew he had to work. We were short of five forwards and had lost four props to injuries. We knew we had to get something organised."

Unfortunately for Luctonians, Brick's presence could not stop them crashing to a 6-5 defeat to South Leicester in a match they should have won.

Brick's flight to the game lasted just 45 minutes which was child's play for experienced pilot Rutty.

Rutty entered the record books in 1999 after a 12,000-mile helicopter flight to the other side of the world. When Rutty and fellow pilot Tim Gilbert arrived in Australia after a five and a half week journey, the pair became the first pilots in the world to complete the epic journey in a single engine piston helicopter.

Read the match report on Sport Times 6.