Botham 'peddles lies' says old rival Chappell

[DesiChap]

Martin Rose Wednesday October 24, 2007 The Guardian Ian Chappell yesterday launched an astonishing verbal attack on cricket's newest knight, Sir Ian Botham, labelling the record-breaking former England all-rounder a liar and saying the decision to award him a knighthood will be regretted. Chappell, who played 75 Test matches for Australia and captained his country in 30 of them, says the pair have not spoken since 1980 and was reacting to claims in Botham's new book, Head On, where the Englishman said he "flattened" Chappell in a Melbourne bar 30 years ago. "There are many skeletons dangling in Botham's cupboard, ranging from stories of drug-taking to general thuggery, and if he keeps peddling his lies, there's every chance more of these stories will emerge," Chappell wrote in an article in the Australian magazine The Bulletin. "As I said when asked about his recent trip to Buckingham Palace, someone is going to regret awarding him a knighthood." Botham's book states that the two players rowed in a bar in 1977 when Chappell began to slate English cricket. "I gave him three official warnings," wrote Botham, "All of which he ignored, so the next time he started, I just flattened him. He went flying over a table and crash-landed on a group of Aussie rules footballers, spilling their drinks in the process." Chappell, however, claims the row began when Botham accused him of verbal abuse during a game between Somerset and Australia a few years before, a game Chappell says he did not even play in. "He put an empty beer glass against my face and threatened 'I'll cut you from ear to ear,'" said Chappell, who continued: "'That will only confirm you are a coward,' I said ... I was leaning back in my chair at the time and, when he pushed me in the chest, I fell backwards. "As I got up, he suggested we settle it outside to which I replied 'I don't fight. You either finish up in jail or hospital." At the time of the argument, says Chappell, Botham was in Australia on a scholarship playing for Melbourne University and they were due to play against Chappell's North Melbourne the following day. "I turned and headed outside where he yelled something about knocking my block off on the cricket field the next day," added Chappell. "We did battle the next day on the cricket pitch and, while batting for around 40 minutes against Botham, there were no bouncers. I was then dismissed by Graham Stevenson - another Englishman here on a scholarship - incorrectly given out caught behind." Botham last night shrugged aside the Australian's comments: "Ian Chappell worries me about as much as a cold," he said. "I couldn't care less what he says."