Rain fails to stop play as Botham swops a bat for a golf club in charity round

Lord Botham spend Friday in Oswestry combining his two great sporting loves, cricket and golf, to help raise funds for his charity.

A charity golf match was followed by a talk at Oswestry Cricket Club

"Beefy" tee-ed off at the Llanymynech Golf Club just after a breakfast with fellow golfers, just as the heavens opened.

But despite the heavy downpowers Lord Botham carried on, showing his fans just why he has a 7 handicap.

However his usual colourful golfing trousers had to give way to waterproofs.

The course, which straddles the England/Wales border, was the home club of his golfing friend, Ian Woosnam.

Mark Ball from Oswestry Cricket Club said: "The weather was awful in the morning but Lord Botham was determined to play. It was a charity event and we had items to auction for his charity."

Lord Botham first started playing golf as a toddler when he father cut some golf clubs down to his size.

He says that continuing to play golf after retiring from cricket has helped keep him competitive.

And he also now enjoys encouraging his grandson to play golf.

The England all rounder on the cricket pitch was named in the country's greatest Test XI by the England Cricket Board in 2018.

He scored 14 centuries in test cricket and for a time held the record for the most test wickets as a bowler.

Yet there was a time when he struggled to choose between cricket and football as his sport and almost went for an apprenticeship with Crystal Palace.

Friday's golf match was held to raise funds for Lord Botham's charity - Beefy's Charity Foundation which helps to fund specific projects relating to chronic illnesses and other challenges that young people face.

In the evening after a quick wardrobe change Lord Botham was given an enthusiastic welcome to Oswestry Cricket Club.

He became the latest cricketing star to visit the club to give a talk. Last year Michael Vaughan was a guest speaker.