How much do you remember?

1 Which Nationwide League football club called in a bishop to lift a gypsy curse from their ground after a diabolical start to the season which saw them suffer 13 defeats in 17 games?

2 Which player switched from rugby league to rugby union, was picked for England and confessed that he didn't have a clue about the rules, saying: "Thankfully, there are other people in the team who know what's going on, so I just follow them.''

3 Who was the striker Wycombe Wanderers picked up off the internet as a stopgap, only to see him grab an FA Cup quarter-final winner over Leicester City?

4 What was England's record-breaking winning score in the Calcutta Cup?

5 Who did Newcastle beat 30-27 to win the Tetley's Bitter Cup final?

6 Who scored from the penalty spot to take the Worthington Cup final between Birmingham and Liverpool into extra-time?

7 Wasps were runners-up to Leicester in rugby union's premiership but they had the league's top points scorer. Who was it?

8 Who became the first British driver to win the Formula 3000 title?

9 Who won the US PGA championship?

10 Who did the All Blacks appoint as their coach in October?

11 England's World Cup qualifier against Greece at Old Trafford saw Teddy Sheringham score within 10 seconds of coming on as sub but did his header come from a David Beckham corner or free-kick?

12 Who did Wales beat when finally chalking up their first World Cup qualifying win at the Millennium Stadium?

13 Who grabbed Ireland's first goal in their World Cup play-off victory over Iran?

14 With which team did basketball ace Michael Jordan hit the comeback trail?

15 Who did Frankie Dettori ride to success in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe?

16 Who made up for a surprise 100 metres defeat by taking the women's 200 metres at the World Athletics Championships in Edmonton?

17 Whose feat did Maurice Greene match by taking the men's 100 metres world title for the third successive year?

18 Trevor Misapeka thought he'd entered the shot in Edmonton but ended up in another event after the American Samoa federation misread the rules - which event did he compete in?

19 Who became only the second Briton to regain a World Athletics title?

20 What cost Sophie Gustafson a place in the final of the WPGA International Matchplay tournament at Gleneagles?

21 Which double-winning football manager died aged 82?

22 Who were Liverpool playing when Gerard Houllier suffered his heart attack?

23 Who won the women's title at the US Open tennis tournament?

24 And who did she beat?

25 Who did Lleyton Hewitt beat overwhelmingly to lift the men's title at the US Open tennis tournament?

26 Who claimed Michael Atherton's wicket for the last time in Test cricket at the Oval?

27 Who retired hurt for the Aussies after scoring 102 in the first innings?

28 Who set a double-winning record at rowing's World Championships in Lucerne by taking the coxed and coxless pairs titles?

29 And what was Britain's haul from the championships?

30 Michael Owen scored a hat-trick as England beat Germany 5-1 in Munich but who scored the other England goals that night and what event struck a sad note on that memorable day?

31 Which Welshman was sent off in his side's 3-2 World Cup defeat in Norway?

32 Which Brit won gold over 100 metres in the Goodwill Games in Brisbane?

33 Who did Aidan O'Brien train to St Leger success?

34 Who scored the goal for Crystal Palace that saved them from relegation last season?

35 Where was Owen Hargreaves, star of Bayern Munich's Champions League victory, born?

36 Nicola Jackson, Janine Belton, Karen Legg and Karen Pickering picked up Britain's first gold for 26 years at a World Championship - but in which sport?

37 Where was The Open held this year?

38 What cost Ian Woosnam two shots at The Open this year, consigning him to third spot?

39 Where did Colin Montgomerie finish in The Open?

40 Which motor racing boss sacked driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen before the German driver's home Grand Prix at Hockenheim - and also cancelled his company's Christmas party because he was so disappointed with the team's performances?

41 Who rode dual Derby winner Galileo to success in the race of the season', the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Royal Ascot?

42 Who won the Tour de France for the third successive year?

43 Who captained the Aussies in their Test series with the British Lions?

44 Where did Henry Cooper unveil a statue in tribute to British boxing legend Randolph Turpin?

45 In late November Trevor Francis replaced Steve Bruce as Crystal Palace boss. At what club did Francis start his managerial career?

46 What did England's cricketers score in response to Australia's 208 under the floodlights at Old Trafford, their lowest against any country in one-day cricket?

47 Who knocked Crystal Palace out of the Worthington Cup at the semi-final stage last season?

48 Which Brit gave Pete Sampras a fright at Wimbledon, coming from two sets down to all-square before succumbing 6-3 in the fifth?

49 Who did Goran Ivanisevic beat in the men's singles final at Wimbledon?

50 And we couldn't finish the sports quiz of the year without paying tribute to our favourite commentator, thanking him for such gems as "Only a few more laps to go and then the action will begin, unless this is the action, which it is ...''; "This has been a great season for Nelson Piquet, as he is now known, and always has been ...''; "And the first five places are filled by five different cars.'' His name and the place where he bowed out, please.

Answers:

1 Oxford United;

2 Jason Robinson;

3 Roy Essandoh;

4 43-3;

5 Harlequins;

6 Darren Purse;

7 Kenny Logan;

8 Justin Wilson;

9 David Toms;

10 John Mitchell;

11 Free-kick;

12 Belarus;

13 Ian Harte;

14 Washington Wizards;

15 Sakhee;

16 Marion Jones;

17 Carl Lewis's;

18 The 100 metres;

19 Jonathan Edwards;

20 The Swede's caddie took a buggie ride to the loo in breach of the rules and it cost her the loss of a hole, and the semi-final;

21 Bertie Mee;

22 Leeds United;

23 Venus Williams;

24 Her sister Serena;

25 Pete Sampras;

26 Glenn McGrath;

27 Justin Langer;

28 James Cracknell and Matthew Pinsent;

29 Four golds and a bronze;

30 Steven Gerrard and Emile Heskey, but the venerable commentator Brian Moore died earlier in the day;

31 Ryan Giggs;

32 Dwain Chambers;

33 Milan;

34 Dougie Freedman;

35 Calgary, Canada;

36 Swimming;

37 Royal Lytham and St Anne's;

38 He had one too many clubs in his bag;

39 13th;

40 Eddie Jordan;

41 Michael Kinane;

42 Lance Armstrong;

43 John Eales;

44 Warwick;

45 Queens Park Rangers;

46 86;

47 Liverpool;

48 Barry Cowan;

49 Pat Rafter;

50 Murray Walker, who put down his microphone at the 2001 United States Grand Prix ... bless him.

December 28, 2001 12:00