// When Ian Botham sits down opposite Ian Chappell for the last segment of The Longest Feud you can feel the tension rise through your TV screen. While the fierce nature of combat on the cricket field has strained many relationships, few are as toxic as Chappell and Botham's. With the scene set for fireworks after the first 40 minutes of the special, which are used to explain their history and their differing points of view on several key moments in it, this awkward showdown was only going to go one way. READ MORE: Fresh twist puts Ricciardo in frame for F1 revival READ MORE: AFL removes disgraced legend from Hall of Fame READ MORE: Melbourne pub fight that started Chappell and Botham's 46-year feud Save for a brief moment when Botham allows himself to stray into friendly territory when asked if either of them had anything positive to say about the other, what the viewers are exposed to is five minutes of genuine hatred, insults and threats. Even when the bickering stops and is replaced by silence, the 46 years of built-up anger is visceral. At the centre of the dispute between the pair is the incident that started it back in 1977 when a 21-year-old Botham was playing for Melbourne University after being sent over from England on a scholarship and Chappell was 33, having already retired from first class cricket. Botham injured himself batting against Chappell's side and was told to immobilise his arm, so put it in a sling after his dismissal - which Chappell noticed - before returning to open the bowling. Nine premiered 'The Longest Feud' on Tuesday night. Don't miss it, catch up by watching on 9Now! "My first instinct was, 'well hello, we might have a bit of a pea-heart here'," Chappell says with a grin. The next time they saw each other was at the bar in the Hilton Hotel in Melbourne less than a week later and Chappell, already unimpressed by Botham's character, says he overheard the Englishman "going on about how weak Australian beer was", a point-of-view that triggered the patriotic ex Test captain of Australia. Chappell approached him and the pair got in an argument, which ended with Botham pushing the physically smaller Aussie over a table. Where the story gets murky is Chappell's claim that Botham threatened him by putting an empty beer glass to his face, a claim that Botham describes as "bullshit". Every ball of the Ashes will be live, free and exclusive on 9Now, and if you miss any of the action you can find full highlights and exclusive replays after every day's play here Both are adamant that their version of the story is true, with the face-to-face conversation between the now 79-year-old Chappell and 67-year-old Botham repeatedly meandering back to the beer glass. After hearing Botham's response to the producer's probe for a positive statement about the other - Botham says he "was a good player" and "I think he'd have been a good captain," Chappell sees his opening. "Apart from being the worst long-time commentator of all? Coward, gutless, and they're all the good things I can say," Chappell retorts. This exchange follows: Botham: Coward? Who am I a coward of? Chappell: Well, you stick an empty beer glass in a bloke's face, that's a cowardly act. Botham: Why on earth would I need a glass? Chappell: Cause you're a coward. Botham: I'll tell you what, in a minute I'll show you what I can do if you keep on. A coward? I am many things but I'm not a coward. Botham then describes Chappell as "sad and lonely". The conversation finishes the same way it started, laced with bitterness and anger and seemingly without hope for resolution. For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here! When Ian Botham sits down opposite Ian Chappell for the last segment of The Longest Feud you can feel the tension rise through your TV screen. While the fierce nature of combat on the cricket field has strained many relationships, few are as toxic as Chappell and Botham's. With the scene set for fireworks after the first 40 minutes of the special, which are used to explain their history and their differing points of view on several key moments in it, this awkward showdown was only going to go one way. READ MORE: Fresh twist puts Ricciardo in frame for F1 revival READ MORE: AFL removes disgraced legend from Hall of Fame READ MORE: Melbourne pub fight that started Chappell and Botham's 46-year feud Save for a brief moment when Botham allows himself to stray into friendly territory when asked if either of them had anything positive to say about the other, what the viewers are exposed to is five minutes of genuine hatred, insults and threats. Even when the bickering stops and is replaced by silence, the 46 years of built-up anger is visceral. At the centre of the dispute between the pair is the incident that started it back in 1977 when a 21-year-old Botham was playing for Melbourne University after being sent over from England on a scholarship and Chappell was 33, having already retired from first class cricket. Botham injured himself batting against Chappell's side and was told to immobilise his arm, so put it in a sling after his dismissal - which Chappell noticed - before returning to open the bowling. Nine premiered 'The Longest Feud' on Tuesday night. Don't miss it, catch up by watching on 9Now! "My first instinct was, 'well hello, we might have a bit of a pea-heart here'," Chappell says with a grin. The next time they saw each other was at the bar in the Hilton Hotel in Melbourne less than a week later and Chappell, already unimpressed by Botham's character, says he overheard the Englishman "going on about how weak Australian beer was", a point-of-view that triggered the patriotic ex Test captain of Australia. Chappell approached him and the pair got in an argument, which ended with Botham pushing the physically smaller Aussie over a table. Where the story gets murky is Chappell's claim that Botham threatened him by putting an empty beer glass to his face, a claim that Botham describes as "bullshit". Every ball of the Ashes will be live, free and exclusive on 9Now, and if you miss any of the action you can find full highlights and exclusive replays after every day's play here Both are adamant that their version of the story is true, with the face-to-face conversation between the now 79-year-old Chappell and 67-year-old Botham repeatedly meandering back to the beer glass. After hearing Botham's response to the producer's probe for a positive statement about the other - Botham says he "was a good player" and "I think he'd have been a good captain," Chappell sees his opening. "Apart from being the worst long-time commentator of all? Coward, gutless, and they're all the good things I can say," Chappell retorts. This exchange follows: Botham: Coward? Who am I a coward of? Chappell: Well, you stick an empty beer glass in a bloke's face, that's a cowardly act. Botham: Why on earth would I need a glass? Chappell: Cause you're a coward. Botham: I'll tell you what, in a minute I'll show you what I can do if you keep on. A coward? I am many things but I'm not a coward. Botham then describes Chappell as "sad and lonely". The conversation finishes the same way it started, laced with bitterness and anger and seemingly without hope for resolution. For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here! https://ift.tt/4pMqjhN //
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