Editing Ian Botham (section)

===Somerset (1973–1975)===
Botham had done well for the Second XI and he later acknowledged the help and advice he received from Somerset players [[Peter Robinson (cricketer, born 1943)|Peter Robinson]], [[Graham Burgess (cricketer)|Graham Burgess]] and [[Ken Palmer]].<ref name=WCY78/> Botham made his senior debut, aged 17, for [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset]] on Sunday, 2 September 1973 when he played in a [[List A cricket|List A]] [[Pro40|John Player League]] (JPL) match (38 [[over (cricket)|overs]] each) against [[Sussex County Cricket Club|Sussex]] at the [[County Cricket Ground, Hove|County Ground, Hove]].<ref>Murphy (1988) p. 24.</ref> The match was in the same week that his time on the Lord's ground staff was completed.<ref>Doust (1981), p. 42.</ref> Somerset batted first, and Botham, number seven in the batting order, scored two [[run (cricket)|runs]] before he was [[dismissal (cricket)|dismissed]] [[leg before wicket]] (lbw) by [[Mike Buss]]. Somerset totalled 139 for 9. Sussex won comfortably by six [[wicket]]s, reaching 141 for four with fifteen [[delivery (cricket)|deliveries]] remaining. Botham [[bowling (cricket)|bowled]] three overs without success, conceding 22 runs. He did impress, however, by taking a diving [[caught|catch]] to dismiss his future [[England cricket team|England]] colleague [[Tony Greig]] off the bowling of his captain [[Brian Close]].<ref>Murphy (1988), pp. 24–25.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/33/33763.html |title=Sussex v Somerset (JPL), 1973 |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=3 May 2017 |archive-date=3 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103072611/https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/33/33763.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

A week later, Botham made a second appearance in the JPL against [[Surrey County Cricket Club|Surrey]] at [[The Oval]] in the final match of the season. Somerset were well beaten by 68 runs. Botham had his first bowling success when he dismissed [[Geoff Howarth]] lbw.<ref>Farmer (1979), pp. 53–54.</ref> He bowled four overs and took one for 14. As in his first match, he scored two batting at number seven, this time being caught and bowled by [[Intikhab Alam]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/33/33781.html |title=Surrey v Somerset (JPL), 1973 |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=3 May 2017 |archive-date=26 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926112928/http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/33/33781.html |url-status=live }}</ref> These were his only two senior appearances in 1973, Somerset finishing 11th in the JPL. In summary, Botham scored four runs, took one wicket for 14 and held one catch.<ref name=CAbatLA>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1529/a_Batting_by_Season.html |title=List A Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Ian Botham |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=4 May 2017 |archive-date=4 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104183108/https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1529/a_Batting_by_Season.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=CAballLA>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1529/a_Bowling_by_Season.html |title=List A Bowling in Each Season by Ian Botham |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=4 May 2017 |archive-date=6 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306144859/http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1529/a_Bowling_by_Season.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Aged 18, Botham was a regular in the Somerset team from the beginning of the 1974 season and made his [[first-class cricket|first-class début]] 8–10 May in a [[County Championship]] match against [[Lancashire County Cricket Club|Lancashire]] at the [[County Cricket Ground, Taunton|County Ground, Taunton]]. [[Viv Richards]], from [[Antigua and Barbuda]], made his County Championship début for Somerset in the same match and Lancashire's team included [[Clive Lloyd]], two players who would loom large in Botham's future Test career. Brian Close won the toss and decided to bat first. On day one, Somerset were all out for 285 and Lancashire reached 41 for none. Botham batted at number seven and scored 13 before being [[caught]]. Day two was rain-affected and Lancashire advanced to 200 for none. Their innings closed on the final day at 381 for eight. Botham bowled only three overs and his figures were none for 15; he held one catch to dismiss [[Jack Simmons (cricketer)|Jack Simmons]]. Somerset played for the draw and were 104 for two at the end. Botham did not bat again.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/34/34122.html |title=Somerset v Lancashire (CC), 1974 |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=3 May 2017 |archive-date=2 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402173635/http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/34/34122.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 12 June 1974, he played against [[Hampshire County Cricket Club|Hampshire]] at Taunton in a [[Benson & Hedges Cup]] (B&H Cup) quarter-final. Hampshire won the toss and decided to bat. They scored 182 all out with Botham taking two for 33 including the prize wicket of [[Barry Richards]], bowled for 13. Botham was number nine in Somerset's batting order and came in with his team struggling at 113 for 7. Almost immediately, that became 113 for 8 and he had only the [[tailender]]s [[Hallam Moseley]] and [[Bob Clapp]] to support him. He was facing the [[West Indies cricket team|West Indian]] [[fast bowling|fast bowler]] [[Andy Roberts (cricketer)|Andy Roberts]] who delivered a [[bouncer (cricket)|bouncer]] which hit him in the mouth. Despite heavy bleeding and the eventual loss of four teeth, Botham refused to leave the field and carried on batting. He hit two sixes and made 45[[not out|*]], enabling Somerset to win by one wicket.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/34/34289.html |title=Somerset v Hampshire (B&H Q/F), 1974 |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=3 May 2017 |archive-date=12 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412181907/http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/34/34289.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He won the [[man of the match|Gold Award]]. Later, he said he should have left the field but was full of praise for Moseley and Clapp.<ref name=WCY78/>

In a County Championship match on 13 July 1974, Botham scored his first half-century in first-class cricket. He made 59 in Somerset's first innings against [[Middlesex County Cricket Club|Middlesex]] at Taunton, the highest individual score in a low-scoring match which Somerset won by 73 runs. Middlesex's captain was [[Mike Brearley]], who would become a very influential figure in Botham's career.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/34/34447.html |title=Somerset v Middlesex (CC), 1974 |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=4 May 2017 |archive-date=2 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102082933/http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/34/34447.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A month later, in a match against [[Leicestershire County Cricket Club|Leicestershire]] at [[Clarence Park, Weston-super-Mare]], Botham achieved his first-ever five wickets in an innings (5wI) with five for 59. He took seven in the match which Somerset won by 179 runs, largely thanks to Close who scored 59 and 114*.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/34/34609.html |title=Somerset v Leicestershire (CC), 1974 |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=4 May 2017 |archive-date=25 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325072703/http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/34/34609.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Botham showed great promise in 1974, his first full season in which Somerset finished fifth in the County Championship and a close second to Leicestershire in the JPL. They also reached the semi-finals in both the [[Friends Provident Trophy|Gillette Cup]] and the B&H Cup. In 18 first-class appearances, Botham scored 441 runs with a highest of 59, took 30 first-class wickets with a best of five for 59 and held 15 catches.<ref name=CAbatFC>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1529/f_Batting_by_Season.html |title=First-class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Ian Botham |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=4 May 2017 |archive-date=1 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101214406/https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1529/f_Batting_by_Season.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=CAballFC>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1529/f_Bowling_by_Season.html |title=First-class Bowling in Each Season by Ian Botham |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=4 May 2017 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305152214/http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1529/f_Bowling_by_Season.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He played in 18 List A matches too, scoring 222 runs with a highest of 45[[not out|*]] (his Gold Award innings against Hampshire), took 12 wickets with a best of two for 16 and held four catches.<ref name=CAbatLA/><ref name=CAballLA/>

Botham continued to make progress in 1975. Somerset struggled in the County Championship, winning only four of their twenty matches and finished joint 12th. In the JPL, they slumped badly from second to 14th. They reached the quarter-final of the B&H Cup but only the second round of the Gillette Cup. Botham played in 22 first-class and 23 List A matches so it was a busy season for him. In first-class, he scored 584 runs with a highest of 65, one of two half-centuries, and held 18 catches. He took 62 wickets, doubling his 1974 tally, with a best of five for 69, his only 5wI that season.<ref name=CAbatFC/><ref name=CAballFC/> In List A, he scored 232 runs with a highest of 38* and held seven catches. He took 32 wickets with a best of three for 34.<ref name=CAbatLA/><ref name=CAballLA/>