Ian Botham: ‘I don’t let my grandchildren beat me at sport – you’ve got to compete’

Graeme-GreenSat, November 14, 2026 at 7:01 AM UTC

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Lord Ian Botham pictured on day one of the first Rothesay Test Match between England and New Zealand at Lord’s Cricket Ground in June - ECB via Getty Images/Gareth Copley - ECB

Lord Ian Botham, 70, is a former cricketer, cricket commentator, and member of the House of Lords. Here, for our regular My Saturday column, Botham shares how he spends his downtime.

7am

You tend to be up early in the countryside. One of us – either Granny B [Kath] or I – take it in turns to make cups of tea and bring it in.

9am

My Saturday depends on where I am. If we’re in Cardiff or Wales, we go and watch rugby. When we’re up in Scotland, I enjoy walking down to the river with a fly rod to go fishing. But if we’re at home in North Yorkshire, I might meet my mate and play a round of golf – an early tee-off. It’s a good chance to stay competitive.

Our family is all sporty. I have a great interest in watching my grandchildren play. I try to spend as much time as I can with my children and their children. The kids presented me with a mug, which said “Worst dad – best ever grandad”. That’s because my life hasn’t been normal. I was away a lot. When you’re on tour, you’re dictated to by circumstances. I could be away for five months in Australia and maybe an add-on for New Zealand.

In those days, wives weren’t encouraged to come. I was a professional sportsman and those were the rules. We tried to do things together. On one tour of Australia, I brought the family over, but I lost money. But I have no regrets about that time. If I wasn’t there, doing what I did, no one would have heard of me.

Botham enjoys a Saturday morning round of golf with a friend - iStockphoto/bymuratdeniz12pm

After golf, we go to the pub. I attract a lot of attention when I’m out. I have time for everyone: kids, adults, elderly people. I have no problem with it. Some people remember me for cricket. A lot of people remember the 12,500 miles I walked for leukaemia research. The time to worry is when people stop asking you for your autograph or picture.

I still have the occasional beer. I am a wine-maker – I have a wine company. I’ll have a cleansing ale occasionally, but it’s not my “go-to” drink.

3pm

If the rugby’s on, I’ll go and watch television, especially if Cardiff are playing, or Wales or England have a game.

In my own career, there were many highpoints. Beating Australia in Australia is always a big moment. For me, the highest accolade is to captain your side. It doesn’t get any bigger than that. Did I feel the pressure? Pressure and me don’t correlate. I have enormous self-belief. That’s what drives you on.

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I met the late Queen on quite a few occasions. She used to come along to the Lord’s Test match. When I was a captain, we’d take her down the line. On my debut, she wished me “Good luck”. She was the most wonderful woman. I would’ve taken a bullet for the late Queen. She was not a cricket fan – she said that. When she did my knighthood, I was called up to talk to her and she said: “Ian, you know cricket isn’t my favourite sport.” I said: “Yes, Ma’am”. And she said: “Tell me about the charity work.” We spoke for three or four minutes, and she was doing this with 99 other people – a remarkable lady.

Elizabeth II greets Botham at Trent Bridge, 1977 - PA

The biggest downsides of my career were the injuries. I had about 14 operations to keep me on the field. I had a brand new knee, two spinal ops, both hips, a broken face rebuilt… I had a lot of time out and that’s the worst time for a sportsman. I was a nightmare. My wife will tell you that.

6pm

Kath and I might have a gin and tonic at six in the evening. If we’re away, we’ll often go out to a restaurant with friends. But because we are away so much and out of the country for numerous months of the year, we enjoy being here at a home.

6.30pm

If the family pops in for dinner, we’ll put a barbecue on. I enjoy that. I’m in charge of the barbecue – no one touches my barbecue. My secret? Years of experience. When you spend time with Australians, Kiwis and South Africans, you learn how to barbecue. It’s a social event.

9pm

We’ll maybe have a couple of glasses of wine with dinner. Afterwards, Kath and I might stick the TV on and watch a film. The days of all-nighters passed about 30 or 40 years ago. If I had done all the things that people wrote about me, I don’t think I’d be here now. A lot’s been blown out of proportion. I enjoyed myself at the right times. Every single sportsman I know, just about, likes to come to the end of what they’re doing and let their hair down for a while – we’re not robots. But we were professional athletes and we had to perform. At the end of the game, we might go off and get a boat and have a night going around Sydney harbour, having a few drinks, relaxing.

11pm

Kath will go to bed but if there’s sport on, the US Open or the Masters for golf, or rugby or football, I’ll watch it. Australian Football League (AFL) is one of my favourite sports. If it’s the golf, I might be up until 2am to watch it through.

I still love sport. At 70, I’m very fit and active. I don’t let my grandkids beat me at sport, for the simple reason: you’ve got to compete. Even the seven-year-old. I played golf with him recently, and he loves it, but he didn’t win.

Lord Botham OBE, 70, is a legendary English all-rounder who played 102 Tests and captained his country 12 times. Domestically, he represented Somerset, Worcestershire, Queensland, and Durham. Beyond cricket, he is widely celebrated for his epic long-distance charity walks for leukaemia research, including his famous John O’Groats-to-Land’s End trek. He was awarded an OBE and a Knighthood for his immense services to sport and charity. He lives in North Yorkshire with his wife, Kathryn. Their son Liam played professional cricket and rugby, and grandson James carries on the family’s sporting legacy playing rugby for Cardiff and Wales.

Seasons: Riding the Torpedo by Sir Ian Botham is published by Ebury Spotlight (hardback, £22)

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”