Question and Answer: Platform for your sporting queries

Q. When Don Bradman started his last Test against England at the Oval in 1948, he needed four runs to attain a career Test average of 100. He made 0. Was there any clamour for Bradman to continue playing? He would have then needed to score 5 in his next innings to achieve an average of three figures.

A. To all Australians, Don Bradman's achievements were and still are an inspiration. Even now, we would love to have someone of his calibre in our team. To correct the question, Bradman scored 6,996 runs in 80 Test innings and was not out 10 times. To have an average of more than 100 runs after his next innings he would have needed to score 4 or more runs and be not out (7,000-plus runs for 70 dismissals) or score at least 104 runs if he was to get out (7,100 runs, for 71 dismissals).

Rowan Brown

Sydney, Australia

A. There was no clamour for him to play, because Australia did not play any Test matches until 1949-50 on the tour of South Africa. Their next home Test was against England in the 1950-51 series, by which time Bradman was long retired.

Pelham Barton

Selly Park, Birmingham

A. Does anyone really think that Australia would have let Bradman play a single Test to try to get his average up to the magic 100? Unless the master batsman was going to go on and score 100 in the second innings, he would have had to retire at 4 not out in the first innings and declined to have padded up again. Hardly practical given the competitive nature of those Down Under.

Tim Mickleburgh

Grimsby

Q. In a football match when a team wins 1-0 the goal is referred to as the "winning goal". In a 2-1 victory the second goal for the victors is called the winning goal. In a 3-0 win, which is the winning goal?

A. In a 3-0 victory, the first goal is the initial winning goal, the second goal is the intermediate winning goal and the third is the final winning goal which means there are three winning goals. For there to be "a winning" goal a team must first win by one goal.

Calvin Donnelly, Bury

ANSWERS PLEASE

Q. In terms of size of population, which is the smallest place with a football team ever to reach the FA Cup first round proper?

Adrian Boyes, Cheltenham