Q & A: Everton's burnt fingers . . . and great women all-rounders

Q. During Charlton Athletic's recent match against Leicester City at The Valley, Steve Brown (No 24) replaced Alan Pardew (No 15). This left Charlton's numerical line-up as follows: 22, 16, 11, 24, 23, 10, 18, 6, 8, 12 and 21 - 11 players with a total of 171 on their backs. Is this a record for English league football?

A. Wimbledon's starting 11 away to Sheffield Wednesday on 16 October 1993, and at home to Ipswich a week later, was: 1 Segers, 3 McAllister, 4 Jones, 6 Fitzgerald, 8 Earle, 10 Holdsworth, 20 Sanchez, 24 Fear, 26 Ardley, 35 Kimble, 36 Blissett, total 173. Had the substitute goalkeeper Digweed (37) replaced Segers, the score would have soared to 209 - Michael Dowek, London SW20.

Q. How did other countries get such ridiculous names for their football teams as Young Boys and Grasshoppers in Switzerland and Go Ahead Eagles in Holland? What is the most ridiculous team name in the world?

A. This year's Finnish champions were Pori Jazz and will appear in next year's European Cup. Pori is a town on the west coast of Finland, famous for its annual jazz festival. A team in the Third Division North of the Finnish League go under the name of FC Santa Claus. - Martin Easterbrook, Northampton.

A. One of the new ice hockey franchises awarded this season in North America was for a team owned by Disney in California, The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. They play at an arena called 'The Pond'. - Mike Atkinson, Tewkesbury.

Q. Southampton have just lost more than pounds 500,000 on the transfer of Kerry Dixon - around pounds 25,000 per game for Saints. Which has been the worst-value transfer?

A. The recent free transfer of Maurice Johnston to Hearts from Everton, who paid pounds 1.5m for his services two years ago, must make him a candidate for the worst-value transfer in history. Johnston made just 28 appearances in the League, played in four Cup games and scored 10 goals during his time at the club. By my calculations, this works out at pounds 46,875 per game, with each goal costing pounds 150,000. - Brian Jones, Widnes, Cheshire.

Q. In cricket, what is the highest score by a nightwatchman? What is the highest partnership between two nightwatchmen, and are there any examples of three nightwatchmen being used in an innings?

A. Possibly the highest score by a nightwatchman, certainly in a tied match, was by Derek Underwood at Hastings for Kent v Sussex in 1984. On the Saturday evening Derek came in as nightwatchman at 22 for 1. In the intervening Sunday game he took 6 wickets for 12 runs, again against Sussex, including his 300th Sunday League wicket (he was beaten by 20 minutes as the first to do so). When interviewed by the television commentator he was asked if he had any remaining ambition and he replied that it was to score a maiden century. On the Monday he took his score to 111 out of a total of 243, and Sussex, set 193 to win, made 192, leaving the match tied. This was in his 618th innings in first-class cricket and in his 22nd season. - Kenneth B Stone, Bexhill.

Q. In a Barclays League game on 28 February this year, Tranmere Rovers fielded a side with a combined total of 2,620 games for the club. Has any other team come close to this combined loyalty in one match?

A. I think Blackburn came closest to matching Tranmere against Barnsley on 9 November 1985 when they fielded the following team: Terry Gennoe: 289 appearances, Jim Branagan 294, Mike Rathbone 273, Simon Barker 182, Glenn Keeley 370, Derek Fazackerley 596, Ian Miller 268, John Lowey 141, Jimmy Quinn 71, Simon Garner 484, Neil Brotherston 317, David Hamilton 114.

That makes a total of 2,551 appearances among 12 players (average 212) as opposed to 2,620 totalled by the 13 Tranmere players (average 201). Together the dozen players made 3,399 League appearances for Blackburn. - Nick House, Taunton.

Q. Which top-class sport in Britain costs the most to watch for an ordinary spectator (ie not in an executive box)? And the least?

A. In absolute terms, it could be the British or European Grand Prix, at pounds 50-60. In scandalous terms, it must be the pounds 8 Scarborough FC charged away fans to stand on an open terrace in Division Three last year. In value for money terms, a full day at the British Open golf championship costs about pounds 1.50 per hour. - Michael Holland, Runcorn, Cheshire.

Q. Are there any disabled referees or umpires adjudicating at the top level in an able-bodied sport?

A. Air Chief Marshal Sir 'Gus' Walker, a one-time England fly-half, was regularly reffing first-class rugby matches in the Sixties, having lost an arm in the War. - Wing Cdr T Hudson, Hungerford, Berkshire.

Q. Why does every football fan in England seem either to adore or loathe Manchester United?

A. Mary Spencer's comment on Manchester United's fans' behaviour (31 October) cannot go unanswered. She, as a Leeds fan, cannot be unaware of the taunting that Man Utd fans get from Leeds fans. They sing little ditties, such as 'Always look on the runway for ice', while the Dambusters theme always gets a good airing.

I sat, more fool me as a Manchester United fan, with a friend and his friends (all Leeds fans) in the lion's den for the second leg of the FA Youth Cup final at Elland Road last season. I was sickened, Mary Spencer, by the display put on by your fellow fans, 35 years on from the Munich air disaster. - James Atherton, Nottingham.

Q. As a lifelong West Ham fan, I remember Jim Standen, who played in goal in the mid-Sixties and also played first-class cricket for Worcestershire. I assume the Compton brothers are the most famous double performers. Who else can readers add to this list, and has there ever been a treble performer?

A. So far as women are concerned, Lottie Dodd (1871-1960) won Wimbledon, British Ladies Golf Championship, an Olympic medal for archery, and represented England at hockey. The American Mildred 'Babe' Zaharias (nee Didrikson) won two golds (hurdles and javelin) and a silver (high jump) in the 1932 Olympics, as well as being an American basketball player and holder of the record for throwing the baseball. She went on to win the US Amateur Golf title in 1946, and the US Women's Open on three separate occasions. - Tim Mickleburgh, Grimsby, Lincolnshire.

Q. Readers recently debated the decline of speedway. For this Sixties child, rainy Saturday afternoons were brightened by scrambling. The only marque I can remember is (my spelling) Husque Varna; riders, sadly, not one. Who and what were the stars? When did television drop this spectacular contrivance? Why?

A. I agree with Mr Thomas (7 November) that Jeff Smith - world champion in 1964 and 1965 on British BSAs - was the greatest. Smith moved to Canada in the Seventies to work for Can-Am motorcycles. Now 59, he lives in Wisconsin and is kept busy running the US's historic motorcycle competition. Jeff will be guest of honour at the 1994 International Classic Bike show at Bingley Halls, Stafford on 23-24 April.

Of the others, Vic Eastwood runs a motorcycle shop in Swanley, Kent; Arthur Lampkin operates an engineering business in Silsden, West Yorkshire with his brother Alan; Dave Bickers is a film stunt man; Bryan 'Badger' Goss imports motorcycle competition clothing and John Banks is a car dealer in Bury St Edmunds.

Dave Nicoll travels the globe with his son Kurt, who is a leading contender for the world moto-cross championship. Moreover the Eastwood, Lampkin, Bickers and Banks offspring are or have been off-road motorcycling stars in their own right. - John Pearson, Editor, Classic Bike.

ANSWERS PLEASE

Q. Genetically speaking, what proportion of the British population will have an interest in the Ireland team during next year's World Cup? - Daniel McMartin, Kendal, Cumbria.

Q. Has any team at club or international level played as England did against San Marino and yet won by such a huge margin? - Adrian Brodkin, London N2.

Q. There are more than 60 world boxing champions. When was the last time there were only eight? - Kevin Maguire, Batley, West Yorkshire.

Q. Which football manager has been in charge for the most number of games, either for one club or in his career? - M Lawrence, St Neot's.

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

Sports Desk

Independent on Sunday

40 City Road

London EC1Y 2DB

Fax: 071-956 1894

(Photographs omitted)