Winners of medal play

Q&A

Q. Which player has won the most championship medals (in the former First Division and Premiership) with different clubs, and which player has won the most FA Cup winners' medals with different clubs?

A. Ray Clemence, Pat Jennings and Peter Osgood are players who have won FA Cup winners' medals with two different teams. Only two players have represented three different sides in the Cup final, but in both cases the third match ended in defeat.

Harold Halse won with Manchester United in 1909 and with Aston Villa in 1913, but lost with Chelsea two years later. Ernie Taylor was successful with Newcastle in 1951 and Blackpool in 1953 (along with Stanley Matthews) but was part of the depleted Manchester United side which was beaten in the wake of the Munich disaster in 1958.

As for Championship medals, I seem to recall hearing that David Batty, recently transferred to Newcastle United, turned down a Championship medal at Blackburn last season, not convinced that he had contributed sufficiently to the campaign to warrant the award. However, he was successful with Leeds in 1991-92 and should Newcastle win the Premiership this season, he will have won the Championship (if not a medal) with three different sides. - Tim Dykes, Allbrook, Hampshire

Q. What is the longest distance any football team in the world has had to travel to fulfil an away league fixture?

A. Auckland Warriors, based in New Zealand, play in the Australian Rugby League. They have to travel to their away matches in New South Wales, Queensland and West Australia. - Kevin Maguire, Batley

Q. Where do the colours of the MCC tie originate?

A. According to the 1995 Wisden, the colours of the I Zingari club, formed on similar principles to rugby union's Barbarians, were black, red and gold ("out of darkness, through fire, into light"). In the late 1860s the Marylebone Cricket Club appropriated them, leaving out the black. - Geoff Hayman, Lytham St Annes

ANSWERS PLEASE

Q. The Charlton brothers have played football together for England, there are two Neville brothers in the England squad and the Bedser twins played cricket at international level. Has there been any incidence of sisters competing together at the highest level? - Jonathan Gosden, Southampton

Q. How did Sierra Leone's leading football team, Mighty Blackpool, get their name? They had five players in the national squad for the 1996 African Nations Cup finals. And do they play in tangerine, like the real mighty Blackpool? - David Mason, Manchester

Q. Dumbarton were officially relegated from the Scottish League First Division last week with the season still some way to go. What is the earliest in the season that a club has suffered the same fate of reaching the point of relegation? - Philip Maugham, Cirencester

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.

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