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The picture that caught out boozy cricket stars
Last updated at 18:07pm on 19.03.07This is the boozy picture that has shamed England's cricket stars. James Anderson, 24, Jon Lewis, 31, Liam Plunkett, 21, and Ian Bell, 24, downed spirits and beer and drunkenly kissed each other during an eight-hour bender - just 24 hours before their World Cup match against Canada.
They arrived at the Rumours club in St Lucia's Rodney Bay at 11.30pm on Friday, after England was trounced by New Zealand in their opener. Their antics, which were witnessed by tourists and carried on until 5am, led to the four players being fined.
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Drinks shame: a tourist snap captures the four cricket stars (Lewis and Plunkett share a hug with the girls while Anderson and Bell are back right) who downed beer and spirits at Rumours nightclub on Friday
Meanwhile, Andrew Flintoff has made a series of apologies for his antics following a night of heavy drinking in St Lucia with England team-mates
Flintoff, 29, had to be rescued by hotel staff after he dragged a pedalo out to sea and capsized around 4am on Saturday - 24 hours before England played Canada in the World Cup.
Today the Lancashire allrounder - nicknamed "Freddie" - appeared at a press conference after being stripped of the vice captaincy and being dropped for yesterday's game.
Of the pedalo incident, all he would say was: "Yes, it involved water." He added: "I had a few drinks on Friday. There has been maybe a bit of poetic licence (relating to the pedalo) but I'm not denying it happened.
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"It is something which I don't want to go into. I want to get back to playing cricket. I have had the support of the team, management, family and friends and I feel like I have let them down."
Facing the music: cricket star Freddie Flintoff today. He apologised for his drunken antics
Team-mates Jimmy Anderson, 31, Jon Lewis, 31, Liam Plunkett, 21, and Ian Bell, 24, also took part in an eight-hour session at Rumours nightclub on the island. Two of England's coaching staff, Kevin Shine and Jeremy Snape, went drinking with the players. The players were fined £1,000 each but Shine and Snape escaped being disciplined.
Flintoff said he respected the decision to punish him after it emerged he had received a number of warnings about his drinking during the Ashes tour of Australia. The former England captain said: "I have missed games through injury, but to miss them through this is something I never want to repeat again. It should not have happened and I have suffered the consequences."
Rumours nightclub by day
He continued: "It was a horrible feeling. I enjoy playing cricket for England. Not being able to play for reasons such as these is something I cannot put into words."
Asked if his future claims to regain the captaincy were in ruins, he replied: "I cannot look at that at this moment in time. I apologise, I want redeem myself."
Two England coaching staff - Kevin Shine and Jeremy Snape - were boozing with the players. Neither will be reprimanded.
The hero of England's 2005 Ashes victory - which memorably saw him interviewed while still drunk following an all-night drinking session - was fined £1,000.
Flintoff has received come support - from his grandmother. Elsie Flintoff leapt to defence of the shamed England star, sacked as vice-captain of their World Cup campaign and dropped from the team after he was rescued from a capsized pedalo following a drinking binge in the Caribbean.
But Mrs Flintoff, 80, said: "If they can't go on a binge now and again it is a poor do." Her backing followed an apology from Freddie, who said of the eight hour binge with five teammates: "It was unneccessary high jinks and I have to accept the consequences."
Elsie, who lives in Preston, Lancashire, said: "They are always ready to point out the bad things but they do not point out the good things I admire him for.
"He is only a young lad. I have got three sons and they all go through it. He is a damn good husband and a damn good father and he gives a lot to charity.
Another pint down the hatch: Flintoff has become renowned for his prodigious drinking exploits
"A lot of it is because he is an ordinary lad who has come up through the ranks. It is just jealousy.
"I am furious about this because they always try to put a good lad down. It is ridiculous. They blow it all out of perspective and I won't have a word said against him. He is a good lad and a damn good son and grandson."
The incident drew complaints from some England supporters anxious about their team's ability to perform in their game against Canada, 36 hours later. Flintoff, 29, has apologised for his drunken antics, blaming an eight-hour drinking session following the team's World Cup defeat to New Zealand.
Flintoff said: "I have done wrong and been punished for it in a way that has hurt me beyond anything I have previously had to endure in cricket.
"I should not have done what I did and there are no excuses. Losing to New Zealand at the start of the World Cup, when we all had such high expectations, was very hard to take, but I should not have tried to get it out of my system by letting my hair down.
"I know there are people who will feel that I have let them down - not least the England management - but all I can say and do is hold my hands up and say sorry."
England captain Michael Vaughan said: "The players are disappointed and angry with themselves, I am angry and so are the supporters."
Head coach Duncan Fletcher personally reprimanded the stand-in captain. It is not the first time Flintoff has angered the ECB because of excessive drinking.
Reader views (12)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
If England were winning this whole thing would not be an issue.
- Jah Son, Canada
They have the talent but not the class. It takes a rare breed of person that has both and unfortunately this is not the case.
- Tony, Toronto,Canada
Never mind the contract, sportsmen at this level are de facto role models and drunkeness among young people is treated far too lightly. If Flintoff can do it, they say, then why can't we? He should never represent his country again. Nor should the others involved with him. This opportunity should be taken to say that this sort of behaviour is not acceptable and the price of the privilege of an England shirt is good behaviour at all times.
- Peter Haldane, London
I remember very well the glory days of Botham, Lamb et al. Hardly a week went by without them being in the paper for doing something they shouldn't and they all had glittering careers. I don't think you can solely blame the current team's partying for our poor performance. Let's be honest, their skills are just not as good as they should be -and, yes I know we won the Ashes in 2005, but you need consistency not one offs.
- Geraldine, London
Letting their country down as role models? No - it's not in their ECB contract that they are role models.
Letting their country down as professional cricketers? Absolutely - Surely the critical point is that they were out on the lash until 4am whilst the World Cup is on.
- Dermot, Anerley
Cheers Flintoff - it's not big or clever, but you do make me laugh.
- Noel, Stockwell
Send 'em all home. There are players left behind who would have given their 'eye teeth', to have the privilege and honour to play for and represent their country.
Two-bob celebrities, all of them.
- Paul Jardine, Bromley, Kent
Flintoff is a chav. The moment he appeared with a short sleeved T- shirt & tattoo's in Australia it was clear he was unfit to lead England at cricket. So it has proved, he should be warned, shape up or ship out, drunken louts not required.
- James, London
Well seeing as they couldn't beat their way out of a paper bag when sober maybe it'll work when they're drunk?
- Trevor Roll, London
All we hear about nowadays is sportsmen behaving badly. Before playing for your country was about pride but its all about the 'celebrity' side of it now. These sportsmen are role models to youngsters and should act responsibly not like drunken teenagers.
- Annie, Ealing
I have read that Flinthoff has leadership qualities. I grew up in an age when Cricket was regarded as a gentleman's game now it appears that pondlife have taken over and reduced it to no better than that of football.
- John Victor Ball, Lisbon Portugal
Big bloke, small brain. Every village cricket team has one and frankly they are an embarrasment.
If you are looking for role models then this clod certainly isn't what you need.
It's not high spirits - he's just stupid.
- Barry Chapman, Welwyn, England
