A BUSHLEY rugby coach has seen his young team triumph at national level, five months after he was left paralysed.

Mike Carolan watched Bredon Buzzards beat Widnes to win the Mosely Rugby Tournament on Sunday.

It was the second title in a week for the under-7s, six of whose players are pupils at The Downs School, Colwall. They won the Luctonians Junior Rugby Festival Championship, near Leominster, on April 27.

Both victories were a tonic for Mr Carolan, who needed a respirator to breathe after a skiing holiday in France with his son Joe, a member of the team.

It began with a tingling in his left arm which was diagnosed as a rare disease called Guillain-Barr Syndrome, a post-viral syndrome that causes the body's antibodies to attack the immune system. The cause is unknown and there is no treatment.

Within a few days, Mr Carolan was totally paralysed. He was airlifted to Cheltenham Hospital, where he stayed for seven weeks before recovering sufficiently to return home. His friends brought him videos of the Buzzards in action while he was in hospital.

"I just thought it was ideal therapy to take your mind off something," he said. "It's been an interesting start to the year, but the comeback has been tremendous."

Mike, who his hoping to return to his job as a PE teacher at Bredon School next week, paid tribute to his young players and support coach Alec Vincent.

"I'm tremendously proud really," he said. "Alec has been doing a tremendous job while I've been away."

Alistair Ramsey, headteacher at The Downs said: "I'm delighted that children from this school play such an active role in their local communities."