SPORTING QUIZ OF THE YEAR

WINNERS AND LOSERS

1 Who scored his first century in 25 Test matches but still ended up on the losing side?

2 Who lost the Johannesburg battle but won the South African war?

3 Who lost 8-4 on the final day but still won?

4 Who lost his place in the England team but came off the bench to inspire victory in Cardiff?

5 Who survived their final-day shoot-out but lost their home?

6 Who scored 16 points, a record for a British player in a home match against Australia, but ultimately ended up on the losing side?

7 Which England team won at the start and the end but lost too many in the middle?

8 Who lost at Villa Park in May but were reprieved by results at Elland Road and Selhurst Park?

9 Who won at Wembley and drew in Rome but still lost out?

10 Who was happy to lose all his hair in Durban?

AROUND THE WORLD

1 Who recorded the first Australian success in New York for 24 years?

2 Which steeplechaser won on his debut for Britain and helped his team to victory in Munich?

3 Which American led a Swedish team to victory in South Africa after the opening battle of a 31,000-mile contest?

4 Which Belgian struck three goals past an Irishman in the space of 18 days to help knock him out of two competitions?

5 How did Love conquer all in New York?

6 Which 16-year-old's 40-match winning run was ended by a 19-year-old in Paris?

7 Who won in France for the first time in 48 years - and will hope to do so again next year?

8 Which German won by just over nine minutes in a three-week race that finished in Paris?

9 Who made up for a Wembley penalty miss by scoring in Minsk?

10 Who needed only 95 seconds to leave his opponent pole-axed in Atlantic City?

THE INVADERS

1 Which Swiss came to London and beat a record set 110 years earlier by the daughter of a wealthy Cheshire cotton broker?

2 Which Finn was on top of the world after finishing sixth in Cheltenham?

3 When did a Finn's retirement enable a Canadian to triumph in Northamptonshire?

4 Which American enjoyed major success in Britain after having to qualify for the same event on his two previous visits?

5 Who needed only 94 minutes to emulate Rod Laver?

6 Who returned to Wales 25 years after a famous defeat to inflict a crushing 81-3 victory?

7 Which Italian inspired his team to a winning debut on Merseyside in August?

8 Which Australian secured his fourth world title by motoring to an unbeatable 121-point lead with victory in Britain?

9 How did a Frenchman and a German thwart British ambitions on the same day at a new stadium?

10 Which foreign recruit bowed out of British sport with the following words: "I now wish to do other things. I always planned to retire when I was at the top."

FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME

How did they hit the headlines?

1 Khodadad Azizi

2 Bohdan Ulihrach

3 Phil Sharpe

4 Sandrine Testud

5 Karl Le Tissier

6 Amy Kavanagh

7 Jamie Hewitt

8 John Huston

9 Emily Drumm

10 Le Bar Toulzac

WHO SAID IT?

1 "If I knock at the door often enough, as I seem to be doing, especially in this tournament, the door will open one day."

2 "It would have been great to get my 22nd victory, but we have shown all the field a clean pair of heels. This is a bloody good result and everyone should be pleased with it."

3 "We're 100 per cent behind him, but as much as I want him to carry on I love him too much to try and influence that decision if it's not right for him."

4 "Only an hour before the match I'd been sitting in the dressing-room alongside all the players I had looked up to since I've been a kid. I've got videos of some of them and now all of a sudden I was out on the same pitch as the Paul Inces and the Paul Gascoignes. It was fantastic."

5 "I don't think I have to prove myself as an athlete and they have not really listened to the medical situation I have had... The thing that really upset me is that no one contacted me to tell me about this. No one had the decency or the courtesy just to phone me."

6 "The ref was absolutely magnificent. It is the fairest performance I have seen from a referee for years."

7 "I looked at the Sheffield players coming off the pitch just now. Their world had caved in for the time being. That was what we had to suffer last season."

8 "It was simply a typical racing accident, one of those things that happen. Jacques got a bad start and I just went for the gap on the inside."

9 "I never thought he would try to take me out because he isn't that type of sportsman. But he obviously drove to make things as difficult for me as possible."

10 "Jacques cut in and didn't try to brake at all. Certainly, I closed the door. It was clearly about winning it all or nothing, and there was nothing more to lose."

STRANGE BUT TRUE

1 When was rain in the desert not welcome?

2 Which Irishman's pursuit of major success was harmed by an unscheduled visit to a Scottish beach?

3 Why was Georgi Kinkladze at Wembley when Manchester City were not?

4 Whose world title challenge ended in tears?

5 How did a chicken farmer humiliate England?

6 Which Romanian footballer made a return trip to Spain via the East End of London?

7 When did Linda get the better of Gazza?

8 How did 13 contenders lose out to a winning pickpocket at Epsom?

9 Who enjoyed success in Georgia after an unlikely opening score of 40-30?

10 What caused Venus Williams and Ginger Helgeson Nielson to scuttle away during a tennis match in the Lipton Championships at Key Biscayne?

RECORDS AND LANDMARKS

1 Where did an Ethiopian lose two world records on the same night to two Kenyans?

2 Who extended their unbeaten run in Cardiff to 14 years with a victory by the narrowest of margins?

3 Which England captain reached her century at the Almondvale Stadium in Livingston?

4 Who had every reason to feel bullish after ending a 16-year wait?

5 Which French race was won in a time nearly two seconds faster than in any of its previous 75 runnings?

6 Who was poles apart for a record sixth time in a row?

7 Who made history by winning in two countries on the same day?

8 Who broke a series of records by scoring 52 points in Paris, 29 in London and 68 in Edinburgh?

9 Which Welsh team emulated their successes of 1948 and 1969 by winning in 1997?

10 Which team's hopes of recording an unprecedented 12th successive Test victory in a calendar year were denied by a late kick?

GROUNDS FOR DEBATE: WHERE WERE THESE PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN?

ANSWERS

Photographs

Top row (left to right): Wembley (FA Cup final); Old Trafford (England v South Africa football), Newlands, Cape Town (South Africa v Lions, first Test).

Middle row (left to right): Old Trafford (Rugby League Premiership final); Old Trafford (England v New Zealand rugby union).

Bottom row (left to right): Melbourne Cricket Ground (Australia v Iran, football World Cup play-off); Trent Bridge (fifth Test, England v Australia); Queen's Club, London (Stella Artois tennis tournament).

Winners and losers

1 Mark Taylor, the Australian captain, scored 129 in the First Test against England at Edgbaston but was unable to prevent a nine-wicket defeat.

2 The Lions rugby union team, who lost the third Test but won the series against South Africa.

3 The European Ryder Cup team, who beat the United States despite losing the final-day singles.

4 Jeremy Guscott, who helped England beat Wales 34-13 to win the triple crown in rugby union's Five Nations' Championship.

5 Brighton and Hove Albion, who drew with Hereford to avoid relegation from the Football League but had to move out of their Goldstone Ground home after it was sold to developers.

6 Andy Farrell, captain of the Great Britain rugby league team, scored 16 points in a 20-12 victory over Australia but his team lost the series 2-1.

7 The England cricket team, who won the first and last Tests but lost the Ashes series 3-2.

8 Southampton, who kept their place in the Premiership despite losing at Aston Villa on the final day of the season.

9 The Italian football team, who were beaten by England in the chase for automatic qualification for the World Cup finals.

10 Ian McGeechan, the Lions rugby union coach, who lived up to his pre- match promise by having his head shaved after his team's series victory over South Africa.

Around the world

1 Patrick Rafter, who became the first Australian tennis player to win the US Open men's singles title since John Newcombe in 1973.

2 Robert Hough's victory in the 3,000m steeplechase helped the British athletics team win the European Cup.

3 Paul Cayard, skipper of the Swedish yacht EF Language, won the first leg of the Whitbread Round the World race.

4 Luc Nilis scored Belgium's winner past Shay Given in a World Cup play- off against the Republic of Ireland. He also scored twice against the same goalkeeper when PSV Eindhoven played Newcastle United in the Champions' League.

5 Davis Love won the US PGA golf championship.

6 Martina Hingis, who lost to Iva Majoli in the women's singles final at the French Open tennis tournament.

7 The England football team, who beat France 1-0 in Montpellier in the Tournoi de France.

8 Jan Ullrich, who won the Tour de France.

9 Gary McAllister, who missed a penalty for Scotland against England in Euro 96, scored the winning goal from the spot in Scotland's 1-0 World Cup victory away to Belarus.

10 Lennox Lewis, who retained his World Boxing Council heavyweight title with a first-round victory over the Polish-born Andrzej Golota.

The invaders

1 Martina Hingis, who became the youngest winner of the women's singles title at Wimbledon since Lottie Dod.

2 Tommi Makinen, who won the World Rallying Championship by finishing sixth in the RAC Rally, which finished at Cheltenham.

3 Mika Hakkinen's retirement six laps from the end helped Jacques Villeneuve win the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

4 Justin Leonard, who won the Open golf championship at the third attempt.

5 Pete Sampras took 94 minutes to beat Cedric Pioline for his fourth Wimbledon triumph, which equalled Rod Laver's number of Wimbledon wins.

6 The All Blacks rugby union team, who avenged their 1972 defeat in Llanelli.

7 Attilio Lombardo, whose goal helped Crystal Palace win 2-1 at Everton on the first day of the Premiership season.

8 Michael Doohan, who clinched motorcycling's 500cc world championship by winning the British Grand Prix at Donington.

9 Cedric Pioline and Michael Stich beat Britain's Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman respectively in the Wimbledon quarter-finals on the new No 1 court.

10 Manchester United's Eric Cantona, who announced his retirement from football.

Fifteen minutes of fame

1 Khodadad Azizi scored the goal which earned Iran a 2-2 draw against Australia in Melbourne and a place in the World Cup finals next year.

2 Bohdan Ulihrach of the Czech Republic became the first player to beat Pete Sampras in 1997 when he beat the Wimbledon champion at Indian Wells in California in March.

3 Phil Sharpe was the stable lad who stayed at Aintree to tend to the Grand National horses after the course had been evacuated because of a bomb scare.

4 Sandrine Testud of France knocked Monica Seles, the No 2 seed, out of Wimbledon.

5 Karl Le Tissier told a radio station that his brother Matthew would play for England against Italy at Wembley - before Glenn Hoddle had announced his team.

6 Amy Kavanagh, a 14-year-old schoolgirl from Cheam, played a mock rally against Mark Philippoussis at the final of the Stella Artois tennis tournament at Queen's when Goran Ivanisevic handed her his racket after failing to return one of the Australian's serves.

7 Jamie Hewitt scored the last-minute equaliser which earned Chesterfield an FA Cup semi-final replay against Middlesbrough.

8 John Huston led after the first round of the Masters golf tournament in Augusta.

9 Emily Drumm caught out the England cricket captain Mike Atherton in a benefit match in New Zealand.

10 Le Bar Toulzac was the French bar where Brive and Pontypridd rugby union players fought after their bruising Heineken European Cup match.

Who said it?

1 Colin Montgomerie, still searching for his first win in a major, reflects on losing by one stroke to Ernie Els in the final of golf's US Open.

2 Damon Hill after finishing second in his much-maligned Arrows car at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

3 David Lloyd, the England cricket coach, on whether Mike Atherton should stay on as captain after the Test series defeat by Australia.

4 Rio Ferdinand on his England football debut against Cameroon at Wembley.

5 Roger Black after learning via the media that the British athletics selectors had not picked him for the World Championships. He had been suffering from a virus and had been unable to prove his form and fitness.

6 Glenn Hoddle, the England coach, on the Dutchman Mario van der Ende's performance in the crucial World Cup qualifier against Italy in Rome.

7 Steve Coppell, the Crystal Palace manager, after his team's last-minute triumph over Sheffield United in the First Division play-off final at Wembley.

8 Eddie Irvine, who collided with Jacques Villeneuve at the start of the Australian Grand Prix.

9 Michael Schumacher after Jacques Villeneuve had cut across him to take the lead at the start of the season's penultimate grand prix in Japan.

10 Michael Schumacher after his collision with Jacques Villeneuve at the Grand Prix of Europe. Despite the collision, Villeneuve went on to win the world title.

Strange but true

1 The Dubai World Cup, the world's richest horse race, was delayed for five days because of rain at the Nad El Sheba course.

2 Darren Clarke, who had led the Open golf championship at Royal Troon but never recovered after driving on to the beach at the second hole in his final round.

3 He played for Georgia against England in a World Cup qualifying match.

4 Oliver McCall, who burst into tears in the ring during his world heavyweight boxing title fight against Lennox Lewis in Las Vegas.

5 Eddo Brandes, an amateur cricketer for Zimbabwe, took a hat-trick to help win the third one-day international against England

6 Florin Raducioiu, who rejoined Espanyol after a spell with West Ham United.

7 Linda Buthelezi, the South African midfielder, injured Paul Gascoigne in a tackle during England's 2-1 victory at Old Trafford in May.

8 Benny The Dip (named after a pickpocket) won the 14-runner Derby at Epsom.

9 Tiger Woods, who won the US Masters after an outward nine of 40 and an inward nine of 30 in the first round at Augusta.

10 A rat found its way into the stands and caused panic among the spectators.

Records and landmarks

1 Kenya's Daniel Komen and Paul Tergat broke Haile Gebrselassie's 5,000m and 10,000m world records at the Ivo Van Damme memorial athletics meeting in Brussels.

2 The Ireland rugby union team, who beat Wales 26-25 in rugby union's Five Nations' Championship.

3 Gillian Coultard, the captain of the England women's football team, won her 100th cap against Scotland.

4 The Bradford Bulls rugby league team, who won the Super League, 16 years after their last championship success in the old First Division.

5 The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe horse race, won in a record time by Peintre Celebre.

6 Sergei Bubka, who won the World Championship pole vault for the sixth time in succession.

7 Tim Henman, who won at the British National Championships in Telford and at the ATP Tour Championship in Hannover.

8 The South African rugby union team beat France, England and Scotland in successive internationals.

9 Glamorgan, who won their third cricket County Championship.

10 The All Blacks rugby union team, who were held to a 26-26 draw by England at Twickenham thanks to a late penalty.