Nose job given airing

Q&A

The proliferation of nose plasters in Euro 96 prompts the question: Who was the first player to wear one and when? And is there any evidence of their effectiveness?

A. The first sportsperson to wear the device was the American Football player Jerry Rice, of the San Francisco 49ers. Other players then followed the trend. The South African World Cup rugby team wore them in 1995. 3M developed the clip originally as an anti-snoring device. Sports players soon saw the potential. It gives the player more energy by opening up the nostrils and letting more air in.

Does it work? 3M say we squander 10 per cent of our energy breathing in oxygen. The strip cuts nasal resistance to incoming air by almost a third. That saved energy can be used for something else. Tom Reilly, Professor of Sports Sciences at John Moores University, disagrees and says the strip does open the nasal passage, but it does not matter how much oxygen comes through the nose. What counts is what the heart and muscles can do with the oxygen. It is inside the body where the oxygen is needed, not in the nose. 3M hope to prove Reilly wrong. - Simon Holland, Bognor Regis

Q. The Dutch in recent years have stood out for the quality of their football, the number of brothers and indeed of twins in their national teams. How many brothers and how many twins have they capped? And has any other national team used twins?

A. Apart from the Charlton and Neville brothers, England have capped several pairs of brothers at different levels. But the most recent example of brothers playing together for England came in June 1989 when the twins Rod and Ray Wallace played for the Under-21s against Bulgaria and the Republic of Ireland. Their elder brother Danny had already won Under-21 and full caps.

Other England international brothers include David (Under-21) and Dean (B) Holdsworth, Gary (full) and Kevin (schoolboys) Mabbutt, John (full) and Justin (Under-21) Fashanu, Bradley (Under-21) and Clive (full) Allen, Richard and Peter Harvey (both schoolboys), Jamie (youth) and Andrew (schoolboys) Hoyland, Brian (full) and Jimmy (Under-23) Greenhoff and Brian (full) and Mark (youth) Stein.

However, perhaps because of some considerable age gaps between other brothers, only the Wallace twins have played in the same team. - Brian Mooney, London NW6

ANSWERS PLEASE

Q. Both finalists in Euro 96 came from Group C. When was the last time in a major football championship that the two finalists came from the same group? - Lynn Yorke, Luton

Q. Cartworth Moor Cricket Club's ground, near Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, is just over 1,000ft above sea level on the Ordnance Survey map. Is there cricket or football pitch in the United Kingdom at a higher altitude. - Steve O'Loughlin, Huddersfield

Q. The 4.30 Flat race at Redcar on 22 June was won by Kamari at a starting price of 28-1 on. What is the longest odds-on price recorded for a winning horse? - John V Heyes, Oxford

If you know the answers to any of these questions or have a question of your own, write to: Q & A, Sports Desk, Independent on Sunday, 1 Canada Square, London E14 5DL.

Fax: 0171-293 2894