A NINE-year-old girl is recovering in hospital after being hit on the forehead by a cricket ball.

The ball hit Georgia Vargiu with such force that it left a dent.

She was rushed to James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, where last night she was in a stable condition.

Her parents, Kevin and Colleen Vargiu, of Billingham, Teesside, spent several hours in intensive care with Georgia, but last night she was well enough to talk and sit up in bed.

Georgia was cycling with a friend while her parents watched Billingham Synthonia play Middlesbrough at Billingham's ground on Saturday afternoon.

Family friend Graeme McIvor, 40, from Billingham, said: "Georgia was cycling along the boundary and I was walking towards her.

"At that moment, the Billingham batsman caught a delivery well and hit it straight towards her. He shouted a warning and she turned to look and the ball struck her full on the forehead. I ran over to her and took off her hat and I could see the dent in her forehead. She never lost consciousness and she was talking, but she was shaking and was very pale."

Georgia was put in a neck brace and taken to hospital by ambulance and the game was abandoned.

Mr McIvor said: "The whole family has been very anxious. She had to go into theatre, but the procedure was successful and she is doing a lot better now.

"It was a freak accident - the chances of it happening are a million-to-one.

"She really was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Billingham captain Keith Martin said the team had been very concerned.

He said: "We were all very shaken up - we all ran straight over to her and she had a big dent in her head.

"The guy who hit the ball was obviously feeling terrible, but he's a bit better now he knows she is getting better. We all wish her well and a speedy recovery."

Dennis Wing, club secretary, said: "The match was stopped after the accident. We were in the 47th over, but no one wanted to carry on playing afterwards."