LIAM Botham's three-year stay with Newcastle Falcons is over with the club deciding not to renew his contract.

It will not be a popular decision with the fans, who voted him Player of the Month three times last season.

But Director of Rugby Rob Andrew said: "It's just a question of balancing a squad within a budget. It's nothing against Liam, but decisions have to be made and it's a difficult balance to get right."

Botham flitted between wing and full back last season and even took over the goal-kicking when Jonny Wilkinson was not available.

But after a four-week injury absence he was unable to regain his place at the end of the season, when the younger Joe Shaw held down the full back spot and centre Tom May switched to the wing to accommodate former All Black Mark Mayerhofler.

Andrew has offered Mayerhofler a two-year contract and also hopes that David Walder will be free of injury to add to his options in the backs next season.

While Botham has always been a good squad man for the Falcons, his lack of genuine pace has counted against him and he has not been a prolific try-scorer.

Not wishing to be forever compared with his father, Ian, he turned his back on a first-class cricket career with Hampshire to play professional rugby, initially with West Hartlepool.

He moved to Cardiff and was an England A player when he joined the Falcons as a wing or centre, but had the misfortune to find a crop of very talented youngsters snapping at his heels and was overtaken in the Newcastle rankings by Walder, May, Jamie Noon and Michael Stephenson.

Cardiff, Harlequins and Leeds are interested in Botham, and there has been interest from two Rugby League clubs.

Andrew has said he will not be issuing a retained list, but with around two thirds of his players out of contract several more are bound to be released as he tries to balance the books after signing international locks Mark Andrews and Garath Archer.

* England coach Clive Woodward has called on his fringe players to stake their claims for a place in his World Cup squad, writes MIKE SINCLAIR

No caps are on offer when England take on the Barbarians in their end-of-season showpiece match at Twickenham on Sunday but Woodward insisted there is plenty to play for.

England team to play the Barbarians in Lloyds TSB tour game at Twickenham on Sunday: D Scarbrough (Leeds); M Cueto (Sale Sharks), J Noon (Newcastle), B Johnston (Saracens), P Christophers (Bristol Shoguns); D Walder (Newcastle), K Bracken (Saracens); M Worsley (London Irish), M Regan (Leeds), P Vickery (Gloucester, capt), A Codling (Harlequins), A Brown (Bristol Shoguns), M Corry (Leicester), M Lipman (Bristol Shoguns), C Jones (Sale Sharks). Replacements: A Titterrell (Sale Sharks), D Flatman (Saracens), H Vyvyan (Newcastle), P Anglesea (Sale Sharks), N Walshe (Sale Sharks), K Sorrell (Saracens), S Amor (Gloucester).