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Freak sporting injuries

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Alison Mitchell Alison Mitchell | 23:55 UK time, Saturday, 15 March 2008

Fortunately for England, James Anderson was passed fit to play on the fourth day of the second Test in Wellington, after in the warm-down at the end of the previous day.

He was seen leaving the Basin Reserve on crutches, which sparked great concern among England followers after his 5-73 in the first innings.

If Anderson had been ruled out, it wouldn’t have been the first time he was sidelined by a non-cricket injury.

In 2003 he missed the first Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo after injuring his ankle playing squash with James Kirtley. Ironically, Kirtley took his place in that match.

James Anderson tests his ankle before day four

There have been many other freak sporting injuries and here are a few which spring to mind:

Former Australia fast bowler after he trod on a stray cricket ball during the warm-up and damaged ankle ligaments.

against the West Indies in 2004 after suffering whiplash in a car accident. He was on his way to the Oval at the time, to have treatment on a thigh problem.

All-rounder Chris Lewis took the British tradition of getting sunburnt abroad to new heights on the Caribbean tour of 1994. He shaved his head before the first Test in Jamaica but by the time the match started he was suffering with severe heatstroke, and all he could do was lie down in a darkened room. Readers of The Sun newspaper will remember the headline "The prat without a hat".

South Africa wicket-keeper while touring Australia in 2000 in a hotel room and had to go to hospital to have his tendons sewn back together. Andrew Hall found himself keeping wicket in Boucher’s absence in the last ODI, which South Africa managed to win.

Former England spinner Phil Edmonds once cricked his back getting out of his car at Lord’s, while Chris Old managed to damage a rib on the morning of a game by sneezing.

Derek Pringle, who is on tour with us here in New Zealand as correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, sat down to sort out some complimentary tickets for friends on the eve of the Headingly Test of 1982. He stretched and leant back in his chair, which promptly collapsed, sending his back into spasm, and he missed the match.

Tottenham striker Robbie Keane, then at Wolves, ruptured his knee cartilage treading on his TV remote control in 1998.

Former Arsenal defender Steve Morrow suffered a broken shoulder when Tony Adams hoisted him into the air to celebrate him scoring the winning goal in the 1993 League Cup final - and then dropped him.

Former Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance once fractured his sternum after tripping over a flower pot while sleep-walking.

I’m sure you can think of a few more!

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°ä´Ç³¾³¾±ð²Ô³Ù²õÌýÌýPost your comment

Dave Beasant and the jar of salad cream falling out of his kitchen cupboad, broking his foot?!

  • 2.
  • At 01:44 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Jimi wrote:

hahaha that last post by soapy (Jack Dee) was hilarious!

  • 3.
  • At 01:46 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Tom wrote:

Rio Ferdinand straining ankle ligaments reaching for the TV remote.

Another footballer (can't remember the name) playing with his kid at home and fell through a glass coffee table, needed stitches for the lacerations he received to his calf.

  • 4.
  • At 01:48 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Phil Scraton wrote:

I was out running in Ormskirk one afternoon and passed Joe Royle, then Everton striker, mowing his lawn. The next day it was reported that he wasn't available to play because he'd been hit in the eye by a stone thrown up by the blades of his garden mower.

  • 5.
  • At 02:28 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Matt McDowall wrote:

Soapy,

I thought the whole point of web 2.0 style journalism was to encourage multi-lateral participation in news stories, not for ´óÏó´«Ã½ journalists to produce authoratative lists of every freak injury ever? Interesting article, well done.

  • 6.
  • At 02:29 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Minty wrote:

Soapy Souter you're an idiot. The guy has asked for a response, inviting the public to join in.
How about Santiago Canizares dropping a bottle of aftershave on his foot before Euro 2004 rupturing a tendon.

  • 7.
  • At 02:41 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Jack Phillips wrote:

Valencia goalkeeper Santiago Canizares missed a tournament for Spain because he dropped an aftershave bottle on his foot. Iker Casillas replaced him and has been first choice ever since.Ex Ipswich Town goalkeeper Richard Wright injured himself falling out of his loft. lol

  • 8.
  • At 03:00 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Mark Sweeney SAFCFTM wrote:

Leroy Lita i think it was that fell through the coffee table. Julia Arca when at Sunderland went for a swim at Seaburn and get stung by a jellyfish, that's how he found out he was illergic to jellyfish stings.

  • 9.
  • At 03:29 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Troppo Boy wrote:

Wasn't it Les Ferdinand who fell down the stairs after treadng on one of his kids' roller skates?? Can't remember what exactly the injury was, but he was sidelined for a while.

  • 10.
  • At 04:58 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Sue wrote:

Lewis Moody injured his hand opening presents, prompting John Wells (his coach at the time) to refer to him as a 'muppet'.

  • 11.
  • At 05:27 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Andy Plowright wrote:


Nothing beats Darren Barnard getting injured.

"Darren Barnard

Puppies may be sweet and cuddly but the former Barnsley midfielder certainly did not think so when he slipped on a puddle of his doggy's urine and suffered torn knee ligaments."

  • 12.
  • At 06:28 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Ben wrote:

NRL Rugby League Hardman David Kidwell stuffed his Achilles Tendent and other stuff in his lower leg when play wrestling with his little girl and was out for over half of the 2007 season for the South Sydney Bunnies

  • 13.
  • At 07:14 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • john silk wrote:

A Warwicks 2nd XI fielder in the late 1960s playing v Sussex away leaped over the sea-side boundary wall only to find the pavement on the other side was 6ft below the ground level. Result: borken legs. And - Alan Lamb (or was it Roger Smith) who trained by running after dark the evening before an Ashes Test in Australia and trod on some sharp stones putting himself out of contention for the match.

  • 14.
  • At 07:53 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • David Blake wrote:

Leroy Lita pulled a muscle badly when stretching in bed and missed the start of the season. Not sure who the coffee table one was.

  • 15.
  • At 08:43 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Michael wrote:

Coffee table was Mark Fish, he mentions the incident on "MTV Cribs". Wasn't there a Spanish or Italian goalkeeper who instinctively caught a falling hot iron ?

  • 16.
  • At 08:52 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Matt wrote:

That Robert Zednik bloke who cut his throat playing ice hockey

ouch!

THe england test spinner who went swimming in auestralia whilst on tour and lost toes when hit by a speed boat cant remember who that was but it ended his carea

  • 18.
  • At 09:21 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Phil Scraton wrote:

The test spinner was Fred Titmus and I think it happened on a Caribbean tour.

  • 19.
  • At 09:24 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Rupert Price wrote:

Didn't Jimmy Adams, the former West Indies test skipper, cut the tendons in his hand so badly on the flight to South Africa whilst cutting a bread roll that he had to miss the whole tour?

  • 20.
  • At 09:24 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Dean wrote:

Mathew Hayden was out of action after a dog bit him while jogging !

  • 21.
  • At 09:33 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • mike etheridge wrote:


It was Fred Titmus that lost a/some toes in the previous incident described.

M

  • 22.
  • At 09:43 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Redwoods wrote:

It was off-spinner Fred Titmus, who lost several of his toes, whilst on tour in the West Indies. He dangled his legs over the side of a boat and the propellor did the damage. He did recover, and came back to play cricket for many more years.

  • 23.
  • At 10:06 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Ryan Thompson wrote:

Didn't Kevin Kyle (now at Wolves) miss a few games when he managed to burn his nether regions while playing with his child. Apparently the little one kicked over a cup of tea oo coffee which landed in the strikers lap. Ouch.

  • 24.
  • At 10:52 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • ste white wrote:

Former Liverpool reserve 'Keeper Michael Stensgaard's Anfield career was brought to an untimely end after he managed to dislocate his shoulder while erecting an ironing board.


  • 25.
  • At 11:08 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Matthew White wrote:

One time Norwich City captain, Ian Butterworth damaged knee ligaments when alledgedly slipping down a river bank while fishing. Rumour had it at the time that he was actually water-skiing which would`ve landed him in hot water (pardon the unintentional pun) with the club!

  • 26.
  • At 11:18 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Dan wrote:

Neri Pompidou, the Argentina goalie in the 86 final. He got his wedding ring caught in the hooks for the goal net while waiting for a corner, pulled half his finger off and never played again.

  • 27.
  • At 11:58 AM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Matt C wrote:

Wasn't there a West Ham defender (or Aston Villa, I know he played in claret and blue) who damaged his hamstring reaching for the accelerator pedal in his Ferrari?

My personal favourite is the footballer who poked himself in the eye with his flight ticket when his team were all told to hold them up to show that they had thier tickets.

A mate of mine decided to take have a quiet night before a big hockey match...he decided to clean his car, slipped on some water that he spilt, gave himself concussion. We still won though:)

  • 28.
  • At 12:07 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Steven Birchall wrote:

Richard Wright when playing at everton, for some insane reason decided to warm-up before a match at goodison in an area that had a sign up saying "caution, do not train in goal mouth. SLIPPY!"

The inevitable result was dickie slipping and falling onto that very sign, injuring his leg for some time as a result.

all on camera!

IDIOT!!

  • 29.
  • At 12:08 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • nick wrote:

didn't roy carrol dislocate either his finger or knee in the goal net after he got tangled in it retrieving a ball at training?

  • 30.
  • At 12:13 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Dom wrote:

I'm sure there was an Arsenal football player in the 80's who, whilst training in the garden, tackled a lawnmower and did his foot in?

  • 31.
  • At 01:13 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Becky wrote:

Lleyton Hewitt once cracked a couple of ribs when he skidded down his stairs at home. The stairs weren't carpeted and he was only wearing socks and he ended up missing the French Open.

  • 32.
  • At 03:40 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Debasish Datta wrote:

I have 2 stories:
1. NHL hockey player with the Tampa Bay Lightning was giving an interview in the dressing room when his skates dropped on his wrists, slashing them badly. He missed a good part of the NHL season.
2. A Canadian football league player pulled his groin popping the clutch in his car.

  • 33.
  • At 04:55 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • jonny wrote:

didnt jesse ryder damage his hand by punchin a glass window whilst drunk just recently which is why he is not playin in the tests??

  • 34.
  • At 05:08 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • trez wrote:

Brazilian midfielder and captain at the time Emerson (not the Boro 1), dislocated his shoulder while playing in goal during training! missed the 2002 world cup which they WON!

  • 35.
  • At 06:52 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Jonathan wrote:

Baseball provides a lot of stupidity related accidents. John Smoltz, a pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, turned up with a red welt across his chest. When asked, he admitted he tried to iron his shirt while still wearing it. Also there was a player who put himself out for a whole season when he injured his alm moving some suitcases.

  • 36.
  • At 07:00 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • DocG wrote:

A fantastic list of baseball injuries, including stabbing yourself in the stomach whilst opening a DVD, popping a rib from vomiting, and temporary blindness from rubbing chili sauce in your eyes......

  • 37.
  • At 07:19 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Fraser wrote:

the coffee table guy was mark fish true ?

  • 38.
  • At 09:05 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Luke wrote:

I remember a footballer called julian escude who at one point was on the verge of signing for manchester united. He failed his medical because he damaged his ligaments after falling of the curb walking his dog!

  • 39.
  • At 09:42 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • alex wrote:

This has to be the oddest baseball injury ever - guy called Vince Coleman who was 'eaten' by the motorised cover carpet during the warm up for a game. It started to rain and apparently the crew operating the machine didn't seen him, and he didn't see an enormous automatic carpet roller coming towards him...

  • 40.
  • At 10:02 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Matty Rammell wrote:

Darius Vassel whilst playin for Aston Villa, tried to break a painfull blister on his big toe, using a pneumatic drill, and drilled a hole in his toe- the papers called him Aston Drilla

  • 41.
  • At 10:05 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Igloo wrote:

Not to mention MAK Pataudi who lost vision in one eye in an accident, Ranji who lost an eye in a hunting mishap, and David Syd Lawrence who broke his kneecap...

  • 42.
  • At 10:06 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Nick Webb wrote:

Just wondering if the England football team warm down with a game of cricket?

  • 43.
  • At 10:53 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • steve johnson wrote:

Did the aussie fast bowler Jeff Thomson dislocate his shoulder playing tennis on the rest day of the third or fourth test agaist England in 1974/75

  • 44.
  • At 10:56 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Colin wrote:

I seem to remember that the great Steve Ovett, while out on a winter training run,slipped on the snow and impaled himself on some railings. Ouch!

  • 45.
  • At 11:02 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Richard B wrote:

Am I the only one who thinks hurting yourself whilst playing football is not a 'freak injury'?

  • 46.
  • At 11:04 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Chris wrote:

"Big Jim" Holton. M U F C in the mid 70s.
Very large aggressive but fairly effective "centre half" Went over on his ancle in the warm up, and broke something just as the ref walked out!!
Jim was carried off, before the game started and he didn't play for the reds again, THANK GOD!
What A nugget What A Plonker!!
Venger or sir Alex would NOT let him near the the groudsmans shed nowadays!!!!!!!!!!!

  • 47.
  • At 11:08 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • Ian wrote:

@Minty:

Cañizares dropped the aftershave on his foot prior to the 2002 World Cup — not Euro 2004 — and the article was not written by a guy.

  • 48.
  • At 11:45 PM on 16 Mar 2008,
  • julian fainlight wrote:

washington redskin's quarterback gus ferrotte celebrated a play by head butting a wall - gave himself a sprained neck and was out for a while.

  • 49.
  • At 04:59 AM on 17 Mar 2008,
  • Alan wrote:

Surely the star of this show was the Portsmouth player (can't remember his name) who injured his leg doing a post-scoring celebratory somersault !

'Arry was right annoyed, naturally


  • 50.
  • At 07:58 AM on 17 Mar 2008,
  • Kevin Holland wrote:

Runcorn FC Halton were playing in the 1st Round replay of the FA Cup against Bristol Rovers a few years ago and 2 players were both involved in seperate car crashes a few weeks before the game, however both players were fit to play.

  • 51.
  • At 08:00 AM on 17 Mar 2008,
  • Shahid Hashmi wrote:

Hilarious, and informative. There are many related to Shoaib Akhtar, the injury-plagued Pakistani paceman. He left Mohammad Asif, fellow paceman, injured after an altercation. Shoaib hit him with a bat!!!!! Have you heard anything like that.

  • 52.
  • At 08:47 AM on 17 Mar 2008,
  • Richard Elliott wrote:

Dean Windass did his back getting his kit bag out of his car. He was alreday getting slated by middlesbrough fans for being too old

  • 53.
  • At 10:06 AM on 17 Mar 2008,
  • Freddie Magee wrote:

I believe Zat Knight was injured once after wrestling with his brother, classic

  • 54.
  • At 10:56 AM on 17 Mar 2008,
  • Clarkey wrote:

Dion Dublin was once ruled out for a fortnight because he sufferred heavy bruising during a paintball session at Aston Villa. The purpose of the excersise had been team bonding.

  • 55.
  • At 11:47 AM on 17 Mar 2008,
  • Neill wrote:

Michael Bridges, the Leeds striker missed about 12 months of his career from a bad ACL injury. He was almost complete with his recovery and was due back in a matter of weeks when he fell over getting out of the bath and wrecked his ACL all over again. basically ended his top flight career.

  • 56.
  • At 12:06 PM on 17 Mar 2008,
  • Stephen Porter wrote:

I believe that Lomana Lua Lua was the Pompey player who crocked himself doing a summersault.

Celtic fans won't be surprised to hear that Milan goalkeeper Dida missed the recent Champions League tie with Arsenal after standing up too quickly from the subs bench and injuring his back.

The great basketball player Michael Jordan put himself out of commission for several months by slicing through tendons in his finger while cutting a cigar. How the other half live, eh?

  • 57.
  • At 12:42 PM on 17 Mar 2008,
  • Matt wrote:

Patrick Viera, scored against United (i think) in a league match at Highbury few years back, slid on his knees in celebration, and pulled his quad muscles!! Idiot! :)

  • 58.
  • At 01:16 PM on 17 Mar 2008,
  • Dodge wrote:

I seem to remember David Seaman getting injured whilst reaching for the TV remote, as did Carlo Cudicini.

  • 59.
  • At 02:14 PM on 17 Mar 2008,
  • David wrote:

True, Jesse Ryder is out of action after putting his hand through a plate glass window and severing tendons in it. Bumble was saying on commentary.

  • 60.
  • At 02:17 PM on 17 Mar 2008,
  • pacey1984 wrote:

Going back to that Lua Lua incident. if i remember rightly he got injured after doing a back flip celebration. The game then kicked off again with him hobbleing round the field waiting to be taken off and then he scored again. his next celebration was walking of the field getting an ear full off Harry. Classic!!

  • 61.
  • At 03:20 PM on 17 Mar 2008,
  • marcofdeath wrote:

Alan Mullally broke a rib in a sneezing fit. I swear it's true.

  • 62.
  • At 03:44 PM on 17 Mar 2008,
  • Captain Grumpy wrote:

"At 12:35 AM on 16 Mar 2008, Chapmania wrote:
Dave Beasant and the jar of salad cream falling out of his kitchen cupboad, broking his foot?!"

Whats even funnier about this is that his brother Peter worked for Heinz at the very factory that the jar of Salad Cream was produced.

  • 63.
  • At 03:48 PM on 17 Mar 2008,
  • Rich wrote:

Not sporting, I know, but...

Manic Street Preachers bassist Nicky Wire busted his shoulder reaching out of bed to pick up the phone when the car from ...Later, with Jools Holland phoned to say it had arrived to drive him to the studio.

Pete Townshend's bassist filled in for the show.

What about Lomana Lua Lua injuring himself doing that stupid somersault celebration thingy? lol :)

  • 65.
  • At 07:44 PM on 17 Mar 2008,
  • keith west wrote:

I recall Chick Brodie the former Brentford goalkeeper being bitten on the knee by a stray dog during a game at Colchester. I do not think he played again and ended up driving a London taxi.

  • 66.
  • At 11:34 PM on 17 Mar 2008,
  • Matthew R Cheek wrote:

Greg LeMond was unable to successfully defend his Tour de France title. He was out hunting with his brother weeks earlier, who mistook him for a turkey. And shot him!

There was also a wrestler called Kerry von Erich. He was in a motorcycle crash, and had to have surgery on his ankle. Whilst recovering in a hospital bed after the surgery, a visitor left a hamburger on a table. Kerry was so hungry that he climbed out of bed to try and get it, put his weight on his injured ankle, and shattered it beyond repair. His lower leg had to be amputated.

  • 67.
  • At 12:06 PM on 18 Mar 2008,
  • Graeme Davison wrote:

to go with post 7 - jack phillips - and his richard wright story. wright also had to be replaced shotly before kick off a few years ago after injuring his ankle while warming up. he was practicing claiming crossed in the box until he back-pedelled and went over on his ankle after stumbling against a sign reading "keep off the grass"...

  • 68.
  • At 01:18 PM on 18 Mar 2008,
  • burger boy wrote:

neri pompidou couldn't have lost his finger ending career in 86 world cup cos he started in 90 world cup, only to make howler in the opener against cameroon and be dropped! maybe he did lose his finger and tried to play on lol

Didn't Nigel Mansell hit his head on an overhead sign while being driven round a circuit waving to the crowd in the back of a pickup truck?
Murray Walker then managed to prod the resulting bump on his head when interviewing him later!

  • 70.
  • At 07:16 PM on 18 Mar 2008,
  • Football fan wrote:

Re Tom 16/3
Footballer falling through coffee table was Mark Fish of Charlton Athletic - never played for them again and had a few games with other teams but really never recovered.

  • 71.
  • At 11:17 PM on 18 Mar 2008,
  • Samuel Best-Shaw wrote:

Graham Dilley once ruled himself by tearing a muscle in stopping his run-up suddenly to avoid a pigeon.

If he had not been so injury prone, he'd have gone on to take 300+ test wickets. Such a shame!

  • 72.
  • At 09:07 AM on 19 Mar 2008,
  • dave wrote:

I know Im not famous but I snapped the tendons in my middle finger taking a pair of socks off and couldnt play golf for 3 months.

  • 73.
  • At 06:55 PM on 19 Mar 2008,
  • Rob wrote:

Alan Sealey ,West Ham footballer,playing a knockabout game of cricket during training,2 months after scoring 2 goals in Cup Winners Cup final at Wembley, collided with a bench, broke his leg and his career went downhill after that.

  • 74.
  • At 07:32 PM on 19 Mar 2008,
  • james wrote:


dave

how the hell did you manage that lol!!

  • 75.
  • At 09:26 PM on 19 Mar 2008,
  • Anonymous wrote:

I dont know if anyone has put this before as i haven't read most of them but...
brad hodge did his back in an hour before an aussie 20/20 game whilst pulling up his trousers!!!!
his replacemeant had to be leant kit to play, luke pommersbach was just leaving the ground at the time!

  • 76.
  • At 03:43 PM on 25 Mar 2008,
  • Gary Buckley wrote:

Didnt K keegan once miss a cup match as his toe was stuck in the bath tap????/

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