Former cricketer David Bumble Lloyd shares how Sir Ian Botham turned a luxury golf trip in Spain into a comedy of injuries

What was meant to be a relaxed golfing getaway in Spain quickly turned into a series of unfortunate — yet hilariously memorable — mishaps for England cricket legend Sir Ian Botham, as shared by his longtime friend and former teammate David “Bumble” Lloyd.

Bumble, 78, recounted the chaotic events during The Overlap and Betfair’s Stick to Cricket podcast, where he sat alongside other England greats Phil Tufnell, Michael Vaughan, and Sir Alastair Cook.

The group was reminiscing about the old days when Tufnell mentioned the infamous “pig prank” at Brisbane during the 1986–87 Ashes series — a moment that saw fans release a pig labeled “Botham” and “Eddie” (after teammate Eddie Hemmings).

That memory sparked Bumble to share a more recent tale involving Botham that’s as painful as it is funny.

The Buggy Incident That Went Sideways

According to Bumble, the adventure began when he joined Botham, Andy Lloyd, caddie Billy Foster, and Paul Allott for a three-day golf trip to the luxurious Valderrama course in Spain. Things took a wild turn on the very first day.

“Beefy rolled his buggy — with him still inside it!” Bumble laughed as he described the scene.

Botham and Durham chief executive Tim Bostock had been riding together when the vehicle flipped on a hill.

While Bostock managed to scramble out, Botham wasn’t so lucky.

“We had to lift the buggy back up with him still in it,” Bumble recalled.

“He’d busted two ribs, cut his arm, and was bleeding badly from his hand.”

A Painful Dinner and a Familiar Phrase

The drama didn’t stop there.

The following evening, the group dined at an upscale restaurant, where Botham — despite his earlier injuries — decided to indulge in a few glasses of wine.

That decision led to another spectacular fall.

“He stood up and went face-first straight onto his nose!” Bumble said.

“There was blood everywhere. They got him back up, but then he slipped again — on his own blood — and went down a second time.”

By the time they got Botham safely to bed, he was covered in bruises and still managed to deliver a perfectly timed quip before dozing off: “Don’t tell Kath!” — a humorous nod to his 2000 autobiography of the same name, referring to his wife, Kath.

A Lifetime of Close Calls

Sir Ian Botham’s history with freak accidents could fill a book — and, in some ways, already has.

Just last year, the former England all-rounder survived a terrifying fall into crocodile-infested waters during a fishing trip in northern Australia with former Ashes rival Merv Hughes.

Thanks to Hughes’s quick reflexes, Botham escaped with only bruises — and perhaps another wild story to tell.

His career on the pitch was no less dramatic. In 1977, while playing at Headingley, Botham broke a toe after accidentally stepping on the ball.

That hospital visit led to a life-changing moment when he met children battling leukemia, inspiring his lifelong dedication to cancer research and fundraising.

Then, in 1988, a nasty back injury from a diving catch required surgery — an issue that resurfaced three decades later, forcing another spinal operation.

Yet through all the pain, Botham remained as determined and spirited as ever, both on and off the field.

Bumble’s Reflections

Bumble’s storytelling brought laughter to the podcast panel, but it also highlighted Botham’s enduring resilience and larger-than-life personality.

Whether it’s flipping a golf buggy, slipping in a fancy restaurant, or escaping crocs in the outback, Sir Ian Botham seems to attract chaos — and somehow walk away with a grin (and a few bruises).

As Bumble joked on Stick to Cricket, “You never quite know what’s coming next with Beefy — but it’s never boring.”