FORMER Saints boss Alan Ball has escaped a driving ban after admitting speeding.

Ball, 57, who also played for the club and managed south coast rivals Portsmouth, told magistrates he needed his licence to take his wife to hospital for treatment for cancer.

The Daily Echo revealed in September 2001 that the former England star's wife, Lesley, had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Tragically, the couple's 33-year-old daughter, Mandy, was diagnosed with breast cancer in June of the same year.

The Saints and England star has been married to Lesley for 35 years. The couple have three children.

When the double cancer tragedy was revealed friends and colleagues rallied round the family.

In 1995, Ball appealed to fans to leave his family alone after they were targeted with hate mail following his move from Saints to Manchester City.

Ball joined Saints from Arsenal in 1976. He made his 200th appearance for Southampton in 1982 against Aston Villa and played his final game for the club against Everton in the same year.

Magistrates in Colchester, Essex, heard that Ball, who lives in Warsash, was doing 43mph in a 30mph area in a Mercedes, in Danbury, near Maldon, Essex, in April this year.

The court was also told that the 1966 World Cup winner needed his car for public speaking engagements, some of which were for charity.

Magistrates yesterday imposed three penalty points on his licence.

He should then automatically have been banned as he already had nine points.

Ball was the youngest member of the 1966 World Cup team.