Ashes mania: Botham and Chappell rekindle dead coals (Part III)
The time had come for both men to lock horns. Chappell fell on the ground, and the football clusters inside the hotel was chanting “fight, fight, fight”, as a drunken Chappell was chased outside the bar by the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Knight-c71599, where they exchanged a couple of punches.
The rest is a bit of a blur for the veterans.
Of course Chappell remembers a different version of the story. He says he was sitting alone in a dimly lit corner with his alcohol taking in the beautiful woody smell of his beloved country, when Botham decided to get chummy with him, and goaded about the
great clubs he had back home. He does concede that he was drunk and had no clue where he was, as he gulped beer after beer. It was during all this, that Botham exchanged a few heated words with him, and said something inappropriate. Chappell, who is known
for his patience, did not say a word. Botham was further provoked by his demeanour, and pushed him off his chair. Instead of responding to Botham, Chappell says he walked off the bar, leaving his alcohol on the stool.
So who knows which story is true? It is a very important piece of Ashes history. Both the warriors moved on, met a couple of times, but never said a word to each other. They worked together in a single room, yet did not exchange apologise or greet each other.
Both men have huge egos and even bigger heads.
When Botham was honoured by Her Majesty for his services to the Kingdom, Chappell who did not have any honour, mocked the tribute by comparing Botham to Cinderella who longs for her knight in shining armour. He also accused him of being a man with “skeletons
dangling in his cupboard”, claiming that he was actually the inspiration behind the Brothers Grimm. Chappell further said that the Englishman was actually an assassin, who threatened him by placing an empty glass beer to his throat, saying, “I’ll cut you from
ear to ear.”
As England dominated the Aussies in Adelaide, Botham and Chappell are fighting over a story they both don’t remember. The two were stressed out in 1977, and both of them had no idea what the other was saying, but Beefy and Chappell would not bury the hatchet.
So if the 2010 the two elderly men were to exchange punches at 55 and 67 years of age; it would hardly seem unreal. They are legendary fighters and they can do anything, even if it means their old fragile bodies and minds clashing it out in a car park.
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