SHANE WARNE: "I also believe this Australian team will give England something to think about before the Ashes next summer in England."

Spin king Shane Warne's irate outburst on Twitter about his run-in with a cyclist in Melbourne is what prompted the cyclist to sue the cricket legend, the rider's lawyer says.

Web designer Mathew Hollingsworth, 28, is launching a civil claim in the Melbourne Magistrates Court against Warne, seeking A$1575 (NZ$2033.86) for the repair bill for his hi-tech bike plus damages, interest and costs.

Mr Hollingsworth's lawyer, George Defteros, today said it was Warne's very public outburst on Twitter about the heated run-in on St Kilda Road that prompted the cyclist to reveal his identity and make a claim.

"I think in a way it was brought on by Twitter more than anything else," Mr Defteros told radio station 3AW.

"There's an incident and then all of a sudden it's out there in the public domain very, very quickly. I'm not saying that anyone's at fault for this coming out the way it has but, be that as it may, it has come out so we want to put our version of events across really."

On the night of the run-in, a fuming Warne claimed on the social networking site that the cyclist grabbed on to the back of his car to hitch a free ride through the traffic lights.

The cyclist had then pulled himself in front of the traffic and hit the bonnet of Warne's car with his hand as he passed, Warne said.

"I yell out 'Hey buddy, what the hell are you doing?' and he abuses me. He stops in front of me and holds up traffic and just stays on his bike," Warne wrote.

Warne claimed that as he tried to steer around the cyclist, he clipped the cyclist's tyre, which copped him more abuse.

However Mr Hollingsworth is alleging that Warne drove his sports car into him after a robust exchange of words in peak-hour traffic on January 17.

In a statutory declaration, Mr Hollingsworth says Warne lurched his car forward striking him on the leg in the incident near Toorak Road.

"I could hear pedestrian witnesses yelling, 'get his rego', and some yelled out what sounded like a registration number," he says.

"Once I was on the footpath, a young brunette woman in business clothing approached me offering assistance and asked, 'Are you OK? Are you going to follow it up? I have the rego,' as she held her phone. I said, 'No, it should be OK. It was Shane Warne.' She seemed as surprised as me."

Mr Defteros said Warne's insurance should cover the damage to the bike, and they could settle the civil claim out of court if Warne made an admission of liability.

"We don't want to go to court if we can avoid it. No one likes court proceedings. It's a civil claim and that's really as far as it goes," Mr Defteros said.

"I think it's important to get his version of events across in view of what transpired on Twitter and so on and so forth. I think he was able to express his concern and put his own version out there.

" ... People need to be aware than even people on two wheels have the right to use the road just like anyone else and I think we just have common sense in adhering to people's rights I suppose."

He said Mr Hollingsworth was fine but his bicycle's chain and wheel were significantly damaged.

The Age



