All it took was one delivery.
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A split-second, a ball that didn't bounce as high as anticipated and crashed into his helmet.
Thankfully, Josh Collinson was wearing a helmet and it was the helmet that shattered rather than the side of his head.
Up until two seasons ago, Collinson never wore a helmet while batting in the BDCA.
In the wake of Phil Hughes' tragic death in 2014, Cricket Australia recommended that all batsmen should wear a helmet while facing bowling of medium-pace or faster.
Much to the disgust of some players at the time, the BDCA implemented the recommendation as a league rule.
"I find helmets a hindrance, to be honest, and I always have,'' Collinson said on Tuesday.
"I feel as though I play the ball differently when I wear a helmet.
"I feel as though I watch the ball better when I don't wear a helmet.
"At the weekend would I have played the ball differently if I wasn't wearing a helmet? I can't say for sure. The helmet probably saved me."
The Kangaroo Flat batsman was forced to retire hurt on Sunday after a thunderbolt from Strathdale opening bowler Chris Sole struck him in the side of the head.
"The very first ball I faced he bumped me and I knew I was in for a contest,'' Collinson said.
"Third ball he bowled another short one, but it just didn't bounce as much as I thought it would and it got me flush.
"Initially, it didn't hurt me and I thought I was fine and I didn't want to come off.
"A couple of overs later (umpire) Tony Ryan looked at me and said I didn't look right, so I went off."
Collinson did return to the crease later in the day and went on to make 49, but he was still suffering headaches from the incident on Tuesday.
Ironically, pre-game Collinson had spoken with Ryan, who was a stand-in umpire because of the BDCUA strike, about the prospect of not wearing a helmet for the game.
"I had a joke with Noony (Tony Ryan) before the game about whether we could go back to the old rules because he wasn't an official umpire,'' Collinson said.
"I'm glad I wore a helmet in the end."
Collinson's wife and two children are glad he wore the helmet as well.
"My wife and two kids were there on Sunday and my wife was a bit shaken up about it,'' he said.
"I should do the right thing by them more than anything and wear a helmet all the time."
That starts with wearing a helmet in the nets at Kangaroo Flat training.
Historically, even with opening bowlers Dylan Klemm and Brent Hamblin sending them down, Collinson hasn't wore a helmet in the nets.
"I can't argue with the rule anymore because it's saved me a lot of damage,'' he said.
"I voiced my opinion that it should be up to the player's discretion.
"It's not about being a hero or anything...I just haven't been comfortable wearing one. I guess I need to go out and find a helmet that best suits my head.
"It only takes that one ball and that's the scary part, you just never know."
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