Liam Botham turned his back on cricket in order to avoid comparisons with his father - but will he rebuff his country too?

With England's cricketing hero Ian Botham for a father, Liam's ability with bat and ball were perhaps something of a foregone conclusion.

But Botham junior was blessed with such an array of talents the question was not whether he would become a professional sportsman, but which game he would chose to pursue.

Then again, his father was similarly gifted, having played football for Scunthorpe United before turning to cricket. He still plays golf off a handicap of around 5.

Botham senior was clearly prepared to be outshone.

He once described his son as as `"a cheeky bugger who reckons he is going to be better than his old man''.

And he timed his retirement so that he would be out of the way when his son took up cricket seriously.

But the young Beefy has always chosen the more rocky path.

He joined county side Hampshire as a teenager, making his debut at 18 against Middlesex and taking five wickets including that of Mike Gatting.

That stunning performance led the bookies to install him as a 25-1 bet to play for his country before the end of 1997.

It was, however, to be the highlight of his brief cricket career.

A few year's earlier the Bothams had played in a charity match, son appearing as a 16-year-old in a World XI against his father's England XI at Hove.

Perhaps it was then that Liam first began to realise the attractions of side-stepping his father's footsteps, rather than trying to follow them.

The number of sons who attempt to match the achievements of their famous fathers only to fail, is far greater than those who succeed.

Don Bradman's son reportedly felt so encumbered by the precedent set by his father that he changed his name to Bradhouse.

The great WG Grace had two sons - and played alongside both of them in a number of first-class matches at the turn of the century - but their contribution to the game has long been forgotten.

Damon Hill threatened to eclipse his father Graham's achievements but when things began to go wrong, his fall from the Formula One podium was swift.

Frankie Dettori, who has out-achieved his champion father, Gianfranco and Jacques Villeneuve, who may yet prove himself more gifted than Gilles, are perhaps simply the exceptions that prove the rule.

So, sensing the dangers of forever having his performances - good or bad - judged against those of his father, Liam turned his back on the comforts of the county game after less than a full season.

Instead, still only 19, Botham opted to sign for struggling rugby union side West Hartlepool, a small club based in a part of the country better known for its love of football than rugby.

"Always in the back of my mind they kept comparing me to my dad. When I got the five wickets they said 'Oh it was typical Botham'," he said of his decision.

"At the end of the day I am Liam Botham not Ian Botham and I want to make my own way. On the rugby field they have to judge me for myself, not compare me with my father."

His decision to snub the sport which made his father famous prompted a flurry of newspaper and magazine articles.

But the novelty soon wore off, especially as his progress at Hartlepool was hardly meteoric.

He made only 16 appearances and scored three tries, staying long enough to see the side get relegated from the top flight.

He joined Welsh club Cardiff in mid-1997, partly thanks to telephone call from his father.

Though he did enough to earn a call-up to the England under-21's in 1998, Cardiff coach Alex Evans wanted to finish with him last spring.

But chief executive Gareth Davies was so convinced of the Botham pedigree he persuaded Evans to let him stay - and Liam rewarded him with his best season yet.

Cardiff's quarter-final place in the Heineken Cup is in no small way down to his performances on the right flank.

Now 22 and maturing into a strapping 6ft 1ins/14st 9lb wing with a nice turn of pace and muscle to match, Botham has turned the head of Wales coach Graham Henry.

Botham was born in Yorkshire but will qualify to play for Wales in October, when he will have lived in the Principality for the required three years.

Henry has been shrewd, dangling the prospect of an international career with Wales while Botham has yet to discover if he has a future with England.

Henry's England counterpart Clive Woodward has called up nearly a dozen uncapped players to train with the squad this month - and Botham will have been disappointed not be one of them.

However, though Henry's offer may be tempting, Botham may feel he has done enough to win him respect in his own right without deserting his country of birth.