Cricketer blames cat for drink driving charge

England cricketer Graeme Swann.

England test cricketer Graeme Swann has told a court his cat was to blame after being caught drink-driving by police earlier this year.

The spin bowler told the Nottingham Magistrates' Court he was celebrating his birthday with friends, when his wife called him with news that their pet cat Max was trapped under their home.

In an attempt to rescue the feline, Swann hopped into his Porsche Cayenne at 3am in search for a screw-driver and was pulled over by police, the Guardian reports.

Police told the court that the 31-year-old was stopped because he was driving a high-performance car in an area recently hit with burglaries.

"Mr Swann stated he had been out that evening and had come back to find his cat trapped under the floorboards in his house," PC Steven Denniss told the court.

"He had gone to Asda to fetch some screwdrivers to remove some floorboards. His speech was slightly slurred but he was compliant. He was slightly upset due to the fact of his cat and what had just happened."

A second police officer told the court Swann got out of the Porsche waving the screwdrivers saying: 'It's not for what you think, the screwdrivers aren't for what you think'.

A blood test found Swann, the third ranked test bowling in the world, had 83mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. The legal limit in Great Britain is 80mg.

Swann denies the drink driving charge.

- NZ HERALD STAFF