A YOUNG Merseyside cricketer was fighting for his life following a car accident while travelling between matches.

Chris Tipper, 20, is believed to have had his spleen and a kidney removed following the late-night smash.

His parents and brother were understood to be maintaining a vigil at the bedside of one of Merseyside’s rising sporting stars.

Tipper, who plays for Northern, based in Crosby, was on the way to a match in Worcester, where he was playing for Lancashire County Cricket Club second XI, when he was involved in a collision just before 11pm on Sunday night.

Tipper and the other driver, a woman in her 20s, were assisted by a pair of good Samaritans at the roadside until paramedics arrived.

The promising batsman was on the M42 south of Birmingham. He was taken by ambulance to the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch where last night his condition was described as critical.

On Sunday, the student atMyerscough College, in Lancashire, had been playing for Northern in an English Cricket Board National Club Championship quarter final match against South Northumberland in Gosforth, near Newcastle.

Tipper was the leading scorer for his side, putting 60 runs on to the team’s total. However, the Merseysiders lost the match.

The young man, originally from Hyde, in Greater Manchester, had recently signed a 12-month scholarship with Lancashire after playing an important part in the second XI's success last season when they reached the finals of two competitions.

Last night, his parents were too up set to make any comment.

Teammates were also understood to have travelled to see their friend, who last season played for Cheshire.

A spokesman for Northern told the Daily Post: “We wish Chris all the very best for a speedy recovery.”

A spokesman from Lancashire also said the club’s thoughts were with the player and his family.