A drink too many kept these wild ones going

For every clean-living soul like Michael Schumacher or Tiger Woods there is always going to be a John Daly, James Hunt, George Best and Ricky Hatton

British boxer Ricky Hatton was last month urged to lay off the booze if he wanted to squeeze every last punch from his battered body. Hatton, who is as adept at knocking back pints as he is knocking out opponents, is only the latest in a long line of top sportsmen - invariably men, never women - to enjoy a drink.

For every clean-living soul like Michael Schumacher or Tiger Woods there is always going to be a John Daly, James Hunt, Andrew Flintoff or George Best. Hatton was taken to task by his manager Floyd Mayweather Snr before his November 22 IBO light-welterweight title win over Paulie Malignaggi in Las Vegas.

“It’s something I’m very concerned about,” Mayweather Sr said when tackled on Hatton’s hedonistic lifestyle. “It’s very simple. He needs to do this to save his career, however much time he has left - it might be two or three years, but the less he gets into (drinking alcohol) the longer his career is going to last.”

Money and fame can prove a potent and career-destroying mix to many a footballer, the late George Best being the most poignant example, while Paul Gascoigne’s long running battle with alcoholism and depression also offers a salutary lesson to the dangers of excess. 

As too does Addicted, former England and Arsenal star Tony Adams’ frank autobiography detailing his long and painful struggle with addiction and ultimate recovery. Every sport it seems has its hell raisers, not least Formula One.

We may never witness the sight of Bernie Ecclestone walking down the grid at Silverstone brandishing a breathalyser in front of Lewis Hamilton yet motor racing’s jet set lifestyle has attracted its fair share of hellraisers.

First at the bar must surely be the late James Hunt, world champion for Hamilton’s team McLaren back in 1976. Hunt’s eccentric playboy image ensured he was a fixture and fitting in the gossip columns of Britain’s tabloids - his lightning speed in a race only surpassed by the rapidity with which he sought out a bottle of bubbly after the chequered flag. Diners at expensive Mayfair restaurants in London became used to seeing him sharing a table with Oscar - his Alsatian dog.

A steady hand, especially with an early tee-off time, is a vital part of any professional golfer’s armoury. However, golf is by no means immune from sports’ roll call of drinkers. ‘Tea’ time is anathema to John Daly — the 1991 US PGA Championship and 1995 British Open winner whose high living - fellow golfer Stuart Appleby compared his life to “a train wreck” - has been the root cause of his decline.

Daly spoke about his wild nature last week in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Masters. “Everybody has problems. I’m a survivor and I’ll get through anything people can throw at me. I’ve done a lot of stupid things but a lot of it came upon me. It’s just life, we’ve got to live it and get through it,” said the 42-year-old.

Horseracing is littered with tales of jockeys who turn to drink to offset the hardships of fasting ‘to make the weight’ and the danger of sitting atop half a ton of thoroughbred hurtling along at breakneck speed. Six-time British champion Kieren Fallon has a long history of drink problems and fellow Irishman, multiple classic winning jockey Johnny Murtagh, is also a recovered alcoholic. Another who enjoyed living life in the fast lane was retired leading British jump jockey Steve Smith-Eccles. He once famously woke up in the fast lane too...after falling asleep on the backseat when his car was stolen at the Grand National festival in Liverpool.  

Few sportsmen though can match the sheer devotion to alcohol displayed by former Canadian snooker player - Bill Werbenuik. His last professional match was his 10-1 defeat in the preliminary rounds of the 1990 world championship. Afterwards he proudly declared: “I’ve had 24 pints of extra strong lager and eight double vodkas and I’m still not drunk.”