Q & A: Fulham striker game for laugh
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Your support makes all the difference.Q. Is it true that Teddy Maybank, the legendary Chelsea, Brighton and Fulham centre-forward, was one of the first contestants on Blind Date?
A. I don't know, but he did appear as a contestant on The Pyramid Game, presented by Steve Jones. - Colin Bumbieris, Slough
Q. Did any Premiership team manage to field a side using squad numbers
1 to 11 last season?
A. Manchester United, away to Newcastle United on 11 December 1993: 1 Schmeichel, 2 Parker, 3 Irwin, 4 Bruce, 5 Sharpe, 6 Pallister, 7 Cantona, 8 Ince, 9 McClair, 10 Hughes, 11 Giggs. - Paul Williamson, London N7
A. Aston Villa fielded players 1 to 11 against Tottenham Hotspur in their 1-0 win at Villa Park last season: 1 Spink, 2 Barrett, 3 Staunton, 4 Teale, 5 McGrath, 6 Richardson, 7 Houghton, 8 Parker, 9 Saunders, 10 Atkinson, 11 Daley. - Robin Kettle, Oldbury
A. Oldham Athletic fielded a team using numbers 1 to 11 on the opening day of the 1993-94 season. Did any Premiership side field a team without using any of the numbers 1 to 11? - Graham Lambert, Manchester
Q. Don O'Riordan, Dublin-born, has played over 500 Football League games but has never been capped. Are there other examples of Welsh or Irish players with similar experience who have missed out on international honours?
A. Three players from Northern Ireland spring to mind. Jim Harvey, the former Glenavon player, made 491 League appearances for Arsenal, Hereford, Bristol City, Wrexham, Tranmere and Crewe Alexandra over a 16-season stretch which ended in 1992-93. Albert Larmour played a total of 204 league games for Cardiff City and Torquay United in the late 1970s and early 1980s and Jim Hagan made 160 appearances for Coventry City, Torquay United and Birmingham City throughout the 1980s before spending several season in the Spanish First Division with Real Betis. None of these three was capped at senior level by Northern Ireland. - Paul Vance, Bangor, County Down
Q. Why do some professional jockeys use their first names on racecards while the rest only have initials?
A. The full first name is only used when using male jockeys' initials might cause confusion. Pat and Paul Eddery, for example, have their first names given in full on race cards while David and Allan Eddery ride just with their initials given. Lady professional jockeys have their first names given in full as a relic of the sexism which has existed in the Jockey Club for many years. Alex Greaves, for example, is the only professional jockey with the surname Greaves. - Roy Tipping, Bedford
Q. Who was the first cricketer to wear a protective helmet and when?
A. E H 'Patsy' Hendren apparently wore a contraption in 1928 against the first official touring West Indies team, and Learie Constantine in particular. It resembled, I believe, a rugby scrum cap and was made of tough leather but it clearly never caught on. - Keith Stacey, Wolverhampton
Q. Am I right in thinking that there was a one-armed German international footballer in the early Fifties?
A. It was nice to see Fritz and Otmar Walter being remembered. Fritz in particular was a great footballer, who is still held in geat esteem. The one- armed player, though, was Robert Schlienz, who played for VFB Stuttgart. - Dr F Voges, Einbeck, Germany
A. There were in fact two one-armed German players in the 1950s who represented their country, Robert Schlienz, who played three times between 1955 and 1956 and Horst Eckel of IFL Kaiserslautern who made 32 appearances between 1952 and 1958. Eckel was described as having a 'withered arm' so may not technically have been a one-armed player. They appeared together on just the one occasion against Holland in 1956. Another famous one-armed player of his day was Arthur Lee, of Wrexham, who won four caps for Wales between 1889 and 1893. Lea also played for Wrexham Cricket Club. - Brian Mellowship, London SE12
ANSWERS PLEASE
Q. What is the latest time the last race at an evening Flat and/or jumps meeting has been run? For instance, at Hamilton Park last night (27.6.94), the last race was at 9.45pm. - Simon B Pearce, Newcastle
Q. Why do a disproportionate number of professional goalkeepers kick left- footed? - Nick Benson, Bristol
Q. What is the highest number of match points a Wimbledon champion has saved against them? - George Chelwood, Christchurch
Q. How do so many cyclists in the Tour de France manage to finish stages with the same time? - Josh Esher, Bootle
Q. Is there an example of an Italian player who has played club football away from Italy with any degree of success? - Neil Lovejoy, Buckinghamshire
Q. I think Brian Close is a single handicap golfer 'off both hands'. Do any other sports personalities share this distinction? - Brian Hilson, Bromsgrove
If you know the answers to any of these questions, or have a sporting question of your own you would like answered, write to:
Q & A
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