Botham resigns

Press, 9 October 1985, Page 72

Botham resigns

The England all-rounder, lan Botham, has resigned as captain of Somerset just 24 hours before an expected showdown with the county club’s directors. Botham, aged 29, the superstar of English cricket, said his captaincy, of two years, was not worth the trouble. “With all the bickering and arguing behind the scenes, there was no way I could carry on in charge,” Botham said after announcing his resignation. “I am very upset because Somerset is the only county I have ever played for. I was proud to be captain.” Botham has come under increasing pressure in recent months as Somerset sank to finish at the bottom of the county championship table for the 1985 season.

Reports said the Somerset club’s ruling committee, due

to meet Botham yesterday in Taunton, whs also worried about his repeated absences while on England test duty — he helped the national side recapture the Ashes from Australia this summer — and his flamboyant image. Last season, he was reprimanded after being convicted of possessing marijuana. The reports said the Somerset committee was prepared to give' Botham an ultimatum at yesterday’s meeting, to resign or be fired. “I’m sorry it’s ending this way,” Botham said. “I’ve been proud to play for and lead somerset. It hurt me that we finished at the bottom of the table.” Speculation on a successor centred on Peter Roebuck, the county’s opening batsman.

General forecast: Fine in Canterbury, Marlborough, and Nelson, apart from a few showers this evening chiefly in the ranges, and the west of the South Island becoming cloudy. District forecasts: Canterbury: Fine inland with Hght winds; cloudy about the coast, chiefly night and morning, with moderate north-easterlies developing.

Marlborough, Nelson: Fine and mild with Hght winds. Buller, Westland: Fine at first but becoming cloudy with a few showers Hkely by evening; west to southwest winds fresh at times; cool. Extended forecast to Saturday: Canterbury, Marlborough, and Nelson: Fine on Friday with freshening northerly winds. Buller and Westland: Cloudy, with rain on Saturday.

CHRISTCHURCH READINGS

Observations taken at the Meteorological Office, Christchurch Airport, yesterday. •• • • 6 p.m. 11 pan. Millibars .... 1019.4 1018.0 Temperature: deg Maximum (to 6 pan.) . . 14 Rainfall: m 9 aan. to 11 p.m nil To date this month. ... 2 To date this year 326 To date last year 464 Average to date 511 Average for October. . . 47 Wettest (1947) 137 Driest (1961) 3 Sunshine: hrs Yesterday 1 hr 06 min To date this month. ... 56 To date this year 1745 To date last year 1521 Average for October. . . 200 Humidity: Per cent at noon 56 Per cent at 6 pan 70 Temperatures and rainfall for the 24 hours to 9 a.m. yesterday: Maximum 16 deg, ihinimum 6 deg grass 2 deg, rainfall nil SUN, MOOD, AND TIDES Sun — Today: Rises, 5.51 a.m.; sets, 6.44 pan. Tomorrow: Rises, 5.49 a.m.; sets, 6.45 p.m. Moon — Today: Rises, 3.27 a.m.; sets, 12.23 p.m. Tomorrow: Rises, 4.02 a.m.; sets 1.36 p.m. High tide at Lyttelton — Today: — and 12.04 p.m. Tomorrow: 12.27 a.m. and 12.51 p.m. (Lake Forsyth, subtract 60 min; Akaroa, subtract 45 min; Port Levy, subtract 30 min; Ashburton and Rakaia, subtract 25 min; Kaikoura, add 17 min; Kaiapoi and Sumner, add 30 nun.) Phases of Moon: New moon: October 14

First quarter: October 21 Full moon: October 29 Last quarter: November 6 NOON WEATHER Auckland: 16 deg., cloudy. S.W., 18 knots. Wellington: 12 deg., recent showers, S.E., 14 knots. Christchurch: 12 deg., cloudy, S., 12 knots. Dunedin: 11 deg., cloudy, S.W., 13 knots. WORLD WEATHER Minimum and maximum temperatures in the main Australian cities yesterday were: Adelaide, 8, 22; Brisbane, 16, 25; Canberra, 12, 18; Darwin, 25, 33; Hobart, 7, 20; Melbourne, 11, 21; Perth, 17, 25; Sydney, 18, 22. Minimum and maximum temperatures in the main cities of the world in the last 24 hours were: Amsterdam, 10, 19; Athens, 15, 28; Bahrain, 26, 34; Bangkok, 25, 31; Barbados, 24, 30; Beirut, 18, 22; Belgrade, 15, 27; Berlin, 11, 20; Bermuda, 23, 29; Brussels, 8, 17; Buenos Aires, 11, 20; Cairo, 17, 29; Copenhagen, 11, 17; Curitiba, 15, 27; Denpasar, 23, 31; Dublin, 8, 17; Frankfurt, 8, 20; Geneva, 13, 21; Havana, 23, 31; Hong Kong, 25, 27; Honolulu, 24, 31; Istanbul, 13, 23; Jakarta, 24, 32; Jerusalem, 13, 24; Johannesburg, 13, 24; Kuala Lumpur, 23, 32; Lisbon, 13, 24; London, 12, 16; Los Angeles, 22, 30; Madrid, 7, 24; Manila, 23, 32; Montreal, 3, 11; Moscow, 11, 17; Nassau, 22, 31; New Delhi, 21, 22; New York, 11,19; Peking, 12, 23; Rio de Janeiro, 16, 31; Rome, 10, 29; San Francisco, 15, 19; San Juan, 23, 25; Santiago, 8, 25; Sao Pauio, 15, 29; Sockholm, 1?’ Tok y°> l7 - 26 l Vienna, 11, 21; Warsaw, 9, 23.