LYDNEY Rugby Club scrum-half Sam Arnott has been cleared of punching a rival in the face and breaking his jaw during a match more than two years ago.

After a three day trial at Gloucester Crown Court this week a jury of five women and seven men took less than an hour to find 25 year old Mr Arnott not guilty of unlawfully wounding Weston Super Mare blindside flanker Shaun Eaton on January 25, 2014.

Leaving court, relieved Mr Arnott said "I’ll make a statement in due course but not at the moment - I’ve had two years of trauma."

He was hugged and congratulated by club officials and friends who had attended court to support him.

The judge, Recorder Rufus Taylor, granted him a defendant’s costs order.

It had been alleged by the prosecution that Mr Arnott hit Mr Eaton in retaliation for a ’dump tackle’ about eight to10 minutes into the match between the Severnsiders and Weston at Regentsholme.

Mr Eaton suffered a jaw fracture which needed pinning and plating under general anaesthetic and he also had to have a wisdom tooth removed.