events-Sports & Games

1. Angling – see appendix below

2. Archery– see appendix below

3. Athletics, Sprinting, Running – see appendix below

4. Badminton – see appendix below

5. Baseball – see appendix below

6. Basketball – see appendix below

7. Billiards – see appendix below

8. Bobsleighing – see appendix below

9. Bowls– see appendix below

10. Boxing – see appendix below

11. Bridge – see appendix below

12. Canoeing – see appendix below

13. Chess – see appendix below

14. Cricket – see appendix below

15. Croquet – see appendix below

16. Curling – see appendix below

17. Cycling – see appendix below

18. Darts – see appendix below

19. Fencing – see appendix below

20. Golf – see appendix below

21. Greyhound racing – see appendix below

22. Hockey and Ice Hockey - see appendix below

23. Horseracing and Equestrianism – see appendix below

24. Hurling – see appendix below

25. Judo – see appendix below

26. Lacrosse – see appendix below

27. Motor and Motorcycle racing – see appendix below

Polo – see appendix below
Rackets – see appendix below
Rowing - see appendix below
Rugby. – see appendix below
Shooting – see appendix below
Skating, ice skating, roller skating – see appendix below
Skiing, Skating – see appendix below
Water skiing – see appendix below
Snooker – see appendix below
Softball –see appendix below
Squash – see appendix below
Swimming. – see appendix below
Table Tennis (Ping Pong) – see appendix below

41. Tennis – see appendix below

42. Volleyball – see appendix below

43. Water Polo – see appendix below

44. Weightlifting – see appendix below

45. Wrestling – see appendix below

46. Yachting – see appendix below

19/5/2007, In London, the new Wembley Stadium was officially opened.

30/9/1991, At the first World Scrabble Championship, held in London, Peter Morris, representing the US, won the first prize of US$10,000. He scored 86 for ‘inhaler’.

16/1/1978, Philip Wills, gliding champion, died.

4/10/1974, The American, David Kunst, completed the first round the world trip on foot, 14,450 miles, having started in 1970.

6/9/1974. Stuntman Evel Knievel, a 34 year old former salesman, failed in his attempt to fly a rocket across the Snake River Canyon in Idaho. He plunged 1,500 feet into the river 30 seconds after take off.

1973, Skateboarding became popular in the USA, after the invention of the polyurethane wheel.

1972, In Britain, the Sports Council was set up.

11/11/1962, Kendra Slawinski, netball champion, was born.

27/9/1949, Geofftrey Peck, orienteering, was born.

14/6/1934, Arnaud Marquesuzaa, French sports champion, was born.

2/11/1924. The first crossword appeared in a British newspaper, the Sunday Express. It was bought from an American paper, operated by C W Shepherd, where crosswords had appeared 11 years earlier.

4/9/1923. Birth of Birmingham politician Lord Howell, Britain’s first Minister for Sport.

26/3/1921, Gaby Braun, French sports champion, was born.

21/12/1913. The world’s first crossword was published, in the New York World, compiled by Liverpool-born Arthur Wynne. The first British crossword appeared on 2/11/1924.

4/3/1883, John Chalmers, sports administrator, died.

264 BCE, The first accounts of Roman gladiatorial games. They were banned in 325 AD by Emperor Constantine.

Angling

24/8/1933, Ray W. Scott, Jr., American angler who created the Bassmaster Classic and other professional fishing tournaments was born, in Montgomery, Alabama.

1903, In Britain, the National Federation of Anglers was formed.

Archery

27/3/1974, Simon Terry, archery champion, was born.

22/2/1965, Steve Hallard, archery champion, was born in Rugby.

22/10/1954, Louise Nettleton, archery champion, was born.

8/10/1954, William Dodd, archery champion, died (born 18/7/1867).

3/1/1948, Alice Lee, archery champion, was born.

1931, FITA (Federacion Internationale de Tir a l’Arc) was established, the world governing body of archery.

24/6/1929, Sybil Queenie Newall, archery champion, died.

24/6/1880, Horace Ford, archery champion, died.

1879, The National Archery Association, USA, was established.

18/7/1867, William Dodd, archery champion, was born (died 8/10/1954).

1861, The British Grand National Archery Society was established.

1244, The first Dunmow Flitch archery competition in England was held.

Athletics, Sprinting, Running

4/2/1995, Godfrey Brown, runner, died (born 21/2/1915).

11/5/1990, Harry Whittle, athlete (hurdles), died (born 2/5/1922)

31/12/1989, Ryan Sheckler, athlete, was born.

5/12/1988, Elizabeth Gleadle, Canadian athlete, was born.

10/9/1987, Ben Baker, British athletics (high jump) champion, died (born 15/2/1892)

26/9/1988. The Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson flew home from the Seoul Olympics in disgrace after being stripped of his 100m medal after failing a drugs test. He had run the 100m 2 days earlier in a record time of 9.79 seconds but was found to have taken steroids. Afterwards Ben Johnson divided his time between his family in Toronto and acting as personal bodyguard for Libya’s Colonel Gaddafi.

26/11/1986, Malcolm Nokes, athlete (hammer throwing) died.

19/1/1985, Thomas Richards, athlete (marathon), died.

26/12/1984, Terence Johnson, long distance walker, died.

30/3/1983, Donald Cerrone, athlete, was born.

22/10/1981, David Burghley, athletics, died.

5/2/1981, Geoffrey Dyson, athlete, died (born 22/6/1914).

29/3/1981. The first London Marathon was run, with 6,700 competitors; the Norwegian, Inge Simonsen, won.

22/2/1981, Guy Butler, athlete, died (born 25/8/1899).

31/3/1980, The Black American athlete Jesse Owens died, aged 67. He won 4 medals at the 1936 ‘Aryan’ Olympics in Germany, enraging Hitler, who refused to shake Owens’ hand.

29/3/1975, Tommy Green, champion walker, died (born 30/3/1894).

2/9/1974, Maureen Gardner, athlete (hurdles), died

12/1/1974, Christopher Mackintosh, athlete (also rugby, skiing), died.

13/11/1972, Arnold Jackson, athlete, died (born 5/4/1891).

26/12/1970, Lilian Board, athletics champion, died (born 13/12/1948).

18/4/1970, Donald Finlay, athlete (hurdles), died.

2/1/1970, Andrea Holmes, trampoline champion, was born.

30/11/1969, Catherine McKiernan, athlete, was born.

28/11/1969, Sonia O’Sullivan, athlete (running), was born.

8/1/1969, Albert Hill, athlete, died.

13/8/1968, Tony Jarrett, English sprinter, was born.

13/10/1966, John Regis, athlete (sprinting), was born.

10/5/1966, Jonathan Edwards, triple jump athlete, was born.

28/1/1966, Joseph Binks, athletics champion who set a record 4 mins 15.8 seconds time for running a mile in 1902, a time not beaten until 1921, died.

22/10/1964, Michael Hill, athletics (javelin), was born.

14/8/1964, Geoffrey Parsons, athlete (high jump), was born.

24/5/1964, Elizabeth McColgan, athlete, was born.

24/11/1962, Andrea Lynch, athlete, was born.

19/2/1962, Stewart Matthews, trampoline champion, was born.

22/9/1961, Jack Buckner, athlete, was born.

19/4/1961, Jim Fox, athlete (modern pentathlon), was born.

3/3/1961, Fatima Whitbread, athlete (javelin), was born.

14/11/1960, Judy Simpson, athlete, was born.

14/10/1960, Stephen Cram, athlete, was born.

17/7/1960, Frank O’Mara, athlete (runner) was born.

2/4/1960, Linford Christie, athlete, was born in Jamaica.

9/9/1959, Susan Cheeseborough, gymnast, was born.

4/12/1958, Tim Hutchings, athletics champion, was born.

28/11/1958, Kriss Akabusi, athletics (hurdles) champion, was born.

18/11/1958, Shirley Strong, athlete (hurdles), was born.

17/4/1958, Laslo Babits: Canadian javelin thrower was born (died 2013).

9/11/1957, Peter O’Connor, athlete (long jump), died (born 18/10/1874).

28/10/1957, Glen Hoddle, athlete, was born.

4/6/1957, John Treacy, marathon runner, was born.

26/12/1956, Sarah Springman, athlete (triathlon), was born.

29/9/1956, Sebastian Coe, British international athlete, was born in Chiswick, London.

26/4/1956, Avril Lennox, gymnast, was born.

14/3/1956, Theresa Sanderson, athlete (javelin), was born.

25/2/1956, Mary Stewart, athlete, was born.

9/10/1955, Steve Ovett, athlete (javelin), was born.

1/5/1955, Donna Hartley, athletics champion, was born.

6/5/1954, Roger Bannister, 25 years old, ran the first mile in under four minutes in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds, on the Iffley Road track in Oxford. The previous record, 4 minutes 1.3 seconds, had stood since 1945. In September 1993 Algerian athlete Noureddine Morceli ran a mile in 3 minutes 44.39 seconds, currently the world record.

10/5/1953, David Moorcroft, athlete, was born.

10/4/1953, David Moorcroft, British athlete, was born in Coventry, England.

5/4/1953, Easter Sunday. Verona Elder, sprinter, was born.

28/3/1953, James Francis Thorpe, athlete, died.

21/11/1952, Eamonn Coghlan, athlete, was born in Dublin.

25/5/1952, David Jenkins, athlete, was born.

3/5/1952, Allan Wells, athlete, was born.

6/11/1951, Thomas Kiely, athlete, died (born 25/8/1869).

17/9/1951, Susan Reeve, athletics (long jump) was born).

28/10/1949, Barbara Lawton, athletics (high jump) champion, was born.

19/10/1949, Ian Thompson, marathon runner, was born.

21/8/1949, Geoffrey Capes, athlete (shot put), was born.

4/3/1949, George Larner, Olympic walker, died.

13/12/1948, Lilian Board, athletics champion, was born (died 26/12/1970)

11/10/1947, Alan Pascoe, athletics (hurdles), was born.

11/9/1946, Mike Bull, athletics (pole vault), was born in Belfast.

22/10/1945, Sheila Sherwood, athlete (long jump), was born.

27/6/1945, William Sturgess, champion walker, died (born 2/4/1871).

5/1/1944, Marshall Brooks, athletics (high jump) died (born 30/5/1855).

4/6/1943, Walter George, athlete, died (born 9/9/1858).

21/12/1942. Bob Hayes, athlete, was born.

29/6/1942, Maurice Davin, athlete, was born.

20/5/1942, Lynn Davies, long jump athlete, was born.

15/4/1942, Valeriy Brumel, Olympic high jumper, was born in Razvedki, USSR (died 2003).

4/10/1940, Susan Platt, athlete (javelin), was born.

10/2/1940, Mary Rand, athlete, was born.

6/7/1939, Mary Peters, athletics (pentathlon) was born.

19/3/1939, Ron Atkinson, athlete, was born.

26/2/1938, Brian Kilby, marathon runner, was born m Coventry, UK.

25/2/1938, Herb Elliott, runner, was born in Subiaco, Western Australia.

26/10/1937, Joyce Smith, marathon runner, was born.

17/8/1937, Arthur Rowe, athlete (shot put), was born

16/3/1936, Thelma Hopkins, athlete (high jump), was born.

29/9/1935, Bruce Tulloh, athlete (runner), was born.

25/5/1935. US athlete Jesse Owens broke 5 world records in one day.

26/11/1934, Suzanne Allday, athletics (shot) champion) was born.

25/12/1933, Basil Heatley, marathon runner, was born.

7/1/1933, Diane Leather, athlete, was born.

18/6/1932, Stanley Vickers, athlete (walking), was born.

17/6/1932, Derek Ibbotson, athlete, was born.

17/4/1931, Howard Payne, athletics (hammer throwing) was born (died 1/3/1992).

7/4/1931, Geoffrey Elliott, pole vaulter, was born in Ilford, London.

31/1/1931, Chris Chataway, athlete, was born.

4/7/1929, Jean Pickering, athlete (long jump), was born.

23/3/1929, Roger Bannister, the first man to run a mile in under 4 minutes (3 minutes, 59.4 seconds), was born in Harrow, London.

20/11/1928, John Disley, athlete, was born.

21/8/1928, Christopher Brasher, athletics champion, was born in Guyana.

16/8/1928, Sheila Lerwill, athlete (high jump) was born.

11/6/1928, Alan Paterson, athletics (high jump), was born.

2/6/1922, Denis Horgan, athletics (shot put), died (born 18/5/1871).

2/5/1922, Harry Whittle, athlete (hurdles), was born (died 11/5/1990)

24/10/1918, James Peters, marathon runner, was born.

18/7/1917, Lou Boudreau, athlete, was born.

31/3/1915, Wyndham Halswelle, athlete, died (born 30/5/1882).

11/1/1915, Cyril Holmes, athlete, was born.

22/6/1914, Geoffrey Dyson, athlete, was born (died 5/2/1981).

19/9/1910, Nellie Halstead, athlete, was born.

28/10/1907, Thomas Hampson, athlete, was born (died 4/9/1965).

13/3/1907, John Holden, marathon runner, was born.

15/9/1905, Patrick O’Callaghan, athlete (hammer throwing) was born (died 1/12/1991).

25/3/1905, Robert Howland, athletics (shot put), was born (died 7/3/1986).

16/12/1903, Harold Whitlock, champion walker, was born (died 27/12/1985).

2/8/1902, Ernie Harper, marathon runner, was born.

16/1/1902, Eric Liddell, Scottish athlete, was born (died 1945)

29/8/1900, Samuel Ferris, marathon runner, was born (died 21/3/1980).

23/11/1894, Ture Persson, Swedish sprinter, was born.

30/3/1894, Tommy Green, champion walker, was born (died 29/3/1975).

15/2/1892, Ben Baker, British athletics (high jump) champion, was born (died 10/9/1987)

5/4/1891, Arnold Jackson, athlete, was born (died 13/11/1972).

11/5/1890, William Applegarth, athletics champion, was born (died 5/12/1958).

25/8/1899, Guy Butler, athlete, was born (died 22/2/1981).

2/4/1888, Daniel F Ahearne, athletics triple jump champion, was born.

1887, The first English Cross Country Running Championships were held.

1886, The first Amateur Athletics Championships, UK, were held.

18/8/1885, Timothy Ahearne, athletics triple jump champion, was born in Limerick, Ireland.

1884, The Gaelic Athletic Association was formed.

1883, The Scotland Amateur Athletics Association was established.

1/11/1883, Philip Baker, athletics champion, was born (died 9/10/1982).

30/5/1882, Wyndham Halswelle, athlete, was born (died 31/5/1915).

1880, The Midlands Counties Athletics Association, England, was established.

1880, In Britain, the Amateur Athletics Association (AAA) was established to organise amateur athletics for men in England and Wales. In 1922 the Women’s Amateur Athletics Association was established, after the AAA refused to allow women’s clubs to affiliate. The two bodies merged in 1991.

1879, The Northern Counties Athletics Association, England, was established.

12/12/1879, Alfred Shrub, athlete (runner), was born (died 23/4/1964).

3/10/1879, Thomas Nicolson, athlete (hammer throwing), was born (died 18/4/1951).

20/7/1877, Patrick Leahy, athlete, was born.

27/4/1876, Cornelius Leahy, athlete, was born.

18/10/1874, Peter O’Connor, athlete (long jump), was born (died 9/11/1957).

18/5/1871, Denis Horgan, athletics (shot put), was born (died 2/6/1922).

2/4/1871, William Sturgess, champion walker, was born (died 27/6/1945).

25/8/1869, Thomas Kiely, athlete, was born (died 6/11/1951).

4/2/1863, Lenox Tindall, athlete, was born (died 10/6/1940).

30/6/1859. The great tightrope walker, Charles Blondin, crossed Niagara Falls in eight minutes. He traversed a rope 1100 feet long, 160 feet above the water. This was the first crossing of Niagara on a tightrope.

9/9/1958, Walter George, athlete, was born (died 4/6/1943).

30/5/1855, Marshall Brooks, athletics (high jump) was born (died 5/1/1944).

Badminton

27/10/1988, Frank Devlin, badminton champion, died (born 16/1/1900).

1977, The World Championship Badminton Contest was inaugurated.

7/11/1964, Helen Troke, badminton champion, was born.

2/9/1961, Gillian Clark, badminton player, was born.

28/3/1961, Stephen Baddeley, British badminton player, was born.

1957, The Uber Cup, a badminton contest for women, was first held.

9/1/1952, Margaret Beck, badminton player, was born.

20/6/1950, Gillian Gilks, badminton champion, was born.

23/6/1951, Raymond Stevens, badminton champion, was born.

1949, The Thomas Cup, badminton contest, was frst held

5/4/1949, Mike Tredgett, badminton champion, was born.

10/3/1939, Robert McCoig, badminton champion, was born.

23/2/1930, Iris Rogers, badminton champion, was born.

5/10/1919, Frank Peard, badminton champion, was born.

12/1/1911, Thelma Kingsbury, badminton champion, was born.

25/1/1909, Leone Kingsbury, badminton champion, was born.

6/9/1907, Donald Hume, badminton champion, was born (died 3/5/1986)

2/6/1906, Betty Uber, badminton champion, was born (died 30/4/1983).

1900, The All England Badminton Championship was first held.

16/1/1900, Frank Devlin, badminton champion, was born (died 27/10/1988).

1893, The Badminton Association was formed in England.

14/6/1881, George Thomas, badminton champion, was born (died 23/7/1972).

Baseball

1990, The average salary of a basketball player in the Major League was US$ 890,944.

7/3/1983, Taylor Tankersley, US baseball player, was born.

12/4/1972, Paul Lo Duca, US baseball player, was born.

10/4/1962, The Dodger Stadium, major league baseball’s modern showpiece, opened in Los Angeles, USA.

2/8/1960, The Continental League, proposed as a third major league for baseball, came to an end after CL President Branch Rickey and co-founder William Shea concluded a meeting in Chicago with representatives of the National League and American League.

26/5/1959, Ed Walsh, US baseball player, died.

16/8/1948, George Herman Ruth, US professional baseball player, died aged 53.

16/3/1944, Rick Renick: US baseball player, was born.

25/2/1940, Ron Santo, baseball player,was born in Seattle, Washington (died 2010)

29/4/1936, The first professional baseball game in Japan. Nagoya defeated Dai Tokyo 8-5.

10/7/1935, Paul Hines, US baseball player, died aged 80.

26/9/1933, Roy Wright, US baseball player, was born.

21/3/1925, Merle Keagle, US baseball player, was born.

25/11/1914, Joe Di Maggio, US baseball player who married Marilyn Monroe, was born.

10/9/1905, Pete Browning, American baseball player, died aged 44.

13/10/1903, The first US baseball World Series was won by Boston Red Sox.

1868, The first all-professional baseball club, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was founded.

1845, The first baseball code of rules was drawn up in the USA, by the Knickerbocker Club of New York.

1843, The Washington Baseball Club was founded in New York State. The game was becoming popular in the New York area.

1839, Abner Doubleday invented the game of baseball, at Cooperstown, New York State, USA.

Basketball

30/9/1989, Jordan Taylor, US basketball player, was born.

18/9/1989, Serge Ibaka, basketball player, was born.

7/2/1978, Timothy Floyd Fuller, Missouri University basketball coach, was born.

2/10/1971, Aaron Williams, US basketball player, was born.

23/1/1966, Haywoode Workman, US basketball player, was born.

9/2/1956, Philip Jackson Ford Jr, basketball player, was born.

11/10/1955, Norm Nixon, US basketball player, was born.

1953, First women’s basketball championships held.

6/12/1952, Chuck Baker, US basketball player, was born.

1950, First men’s basketball championships held.

1936, Basketball became an official Oympic sport, at the Games in Berlin.

7/1/1927. The Harlem Globetrotters basketball team was founded.

1897, The first world basketball championships were held in the USA.

1894, The international rules of basketball were drawn up.

20/1/1892, The game of basketball, devised by Canadian doctor James Naismith in 1891, was first played at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Billiards

11/6/1964, Henry Stevenson, billiards champion, died.

16/10/1953, Tom Reece, billiards champion, died (born 12/8/1873).

6/6/1952, William Peall, billiards champion, died (born 31/12/1854).

11/8/1951, Melbourne Inman, billiards champion, died.

5/10/1943, Thomas Newman, billiards champion, died.

24/4/1910, Sidney Lee, billiards champion, was born (died 10/11/1988).

25/1/1886, William Smith, billiards champion, was born (died 2/6/1982).

12/8/1873, Tom Reece, billiards champion, was born (died 16/10/1953).

1870, The World Professional Billiards Championship was first oeganised.

31/12/1854, William Peall, billiards champion, was born (died 6/6/1952).

13/10/1854, William Mitchell, billiards champion, was born.

1576, Mary Queen of Scots, imprisoned, complained of being deprived of her billiards table.

Bobsleighing

7/11/1951, Francis McEvoy, bobsleigh champion, died.

1884, Bobsleigh; the Cresta Run was built at St Moritz.

Bowls

1969, The first women’s bowling World Championships were held.

1966, The first men’s bowling World Championships were held.

27/11/1966, Richard Corsie, bowls champion, was born.

11/6/1955, Tony Allcock, bowls player, was born

19/12/1938, Janet Ackland, bowls player, was born.

26/4/1938, William Wood, bowls champion, was born.

8/6/1937, Norma Shaw, bowls champion, was born.

9/9/1928, Mavis Steele, bowls champion, was born.

1907, The Waterloo Handicap bowling tournament was first held, at the Waterloo Hotel, Blackpool, England.

18/7/1895, Percy Baker, bowls champion, was born (died 3/1/1990)

5200 BCE, A form of bowling was being played in ancient Egypt.

Boxing

23/7/1991, Peter Kane, boxer, died.

2/6/1991, Ashley Williams, Welsh amateur boxer, was born.

22/4/1991, Jackie Berg, boxer, died (born 28/6/1909).

3/3/1984, John Monaghan, boxer, died (born 21/8/1920).

18/7/1983, Donald Cockell, boxer, died (born 22/9/1928).

27/3/1983, Robert Guerrero, US boxer, was born.

28/11/1976, Leonard Harvey, boxer, died (born 11/7/1907).

20/11/1971, Joe McAvoy, boxer, died (born 20/11/1908).

15/3/1971, John Brown, boxer, died (born 29/11/1909)

20/10/1970, Ted Lewis, boxer, died (born 24/10/1894).

8/11/1969, Henry Mallin, boxer, was born (died 8/11/1969).

24/8/1968, James Toney, US boxer, was born.

8/8/1966, Christopher Eubank, boxer, was born in Dulwich, London.

17/5/1966, Tuesday (+7,679) Randolph Turpin, boxer, died.

25/7/1965, Frederick Mills, boxer, died (born 26/6/1919).

5/2/1965, Jeff Harding, Australian boxer, was born.

16/11/1961, Frank Bruno, boxer, was born in Hammersmith, London.

28/2/1961, Barry McGuigan, world featherweight boxing champion, was born.

22/4/1960, Lloyd Honeyghan, boxer, was born in Jamaica.

20/7/1956, Charles Magri, boxer, was born in Tunis, Tunisia.

12/1/1956, Nelson Tarleton, boxer, died (born 14/1/1906)

10/5/1955, Tommy Burns, Canadian boxer, died aged 73.

5/11/1953, Dennis Andries, boxer, was born in Georgetown, Guyana.

17/8/1951, Alan Minter, boxer, was born.

27/5/1951, John Conteh, boxer, was born in Liverpool.

22/9/1950, John Stracey, boxer, was born.

1/3/1949, Joe Louis retired as world heavyweight boxing champion.

13/2/1949, Thomas Palmer, boxer, died (born 19/1/1876).

18/7/1948, James Watt, boxer, was born.

12/1/1947, Joe Frazier, heavyweight boxing champion in the 1970s, was born.

10/6/1946, Jack Johnson, US boxer, died aged 68.

28/6/1945, Kenneth Buchanan, boxer, was born in Edinburgh.

5/3/1943, Billy Backus, American boxer, was born.

18/12/1942, Cassius Clay, champion boxer, was born in Kentucky.

13/10/1942, Walter McGowan, boxer, was born.

7/5/1938, John Caldwell, boxer, was born.

28/2/1938, Terence Spinks, boxer, was born.

15/10/1935, Richard McTaggart, boxer, was born.

10/10/1935, David Charnley, boxer, was born.

22/9/1928, Donald Cockell, boxer, was born in Battersea, London (died 18/7/1983).

8/8/1928, Peter Keenan, boxer, was born in Glasgow.

18/8/1925, Terry Allen, British boxer, was born (died 8/4/1987).

30/1/1925, Jim Driscoll, boxer, died (born 15/12/1880).

1921, The World Boxing Association was founded in the USA. Originally known as the National Boxing Association, it changed its name in 1862 as the sport became more international.

18/1/1921, Bruce Woodcock, boxer, was born.

17/1/1921, Austin Rice, US boxer, died aged 48.

3/5/1921, Sugar Ray Robinson, African-American boxer, was born (died 1989)

26/11/1920, Richard Turpin, boxer, was born (died 7/7/1990).

21/8/1920, John Monaghan, boxer, was born (died 3/3/1984).

26/6/1919, Frederick Mills, boxer, was born (died 25/7/1965).

2/9/1911, John Peterson, boxer, was born (died 22/11/1990).

1909, The first Lonsdale Belt was presented by the 5^th Earl of Lonsdale.

29/11/1909, John Brown, boxer, was born (died 15/3/1971)

28/6/1909, Jackie Berg, boxer, was born (died 22/4/1991).

20/11/1908, Joe McAvoy, boxer, was born (died 20/11/1971).

11/7/1907, Leonard Harvey, boxer, was born (died 28/11/1976).

14/1/1906, Nelson Tarleton, boxer, was born (died 12/1/1956)

2/11/1900, "Terrible Terry" McGovern successfully defended his title as featherweight boxing champion against challenger Joe Bernstein in a bout at Louisville.

2/11/1895, Jack Dempsey, boxer, died (born 15/12/1862)

24/10/1894, Ted Lewis, boxer, was born (died 20/10/1970).

1/6/1892, Henry Mallin, boxer, was born (died 8/11/1969).

12/5/1892, William James Wilde, boxer, was born (died 10/1/1969).

31/8/1889, William Wells, boxer, was born (died 11/6/1967)

15/12/1880, Jim Driscoll, boxer, was born (died 30/1/1925).

19/1/1876, Thomas Palmer, boxer, was born (died 13/2/1949).

26/3/1866, Jack McAuliffe, boxer, was born (died 5/11/1937).

15/12/1862, Jack Dempsey, boxer, was born in Kildare, Ireland (died 2/11/1895).

1866, The Queensberry Rules were introduced, making boxing safer and better prganised.

26/5/1863, Robert Fitzsimmons, boxer, was born (died 22/10/1917).

9/3/1863, John Gully, English boxer, died (born 21/8/1783).

8/4/1831, James Mace, boxer, was born (died 30/11/1910).

21/8/1783, John Gully, English boxer, was born (died 9/3/1863).

16/8/1743, The earliest prize-ring code of boxing drawn up in England by champion fighter Jack Boughton. From 1740, public boxing matches became popular in Britain.

8/12/1734, James Figg, champion boxer, died in London.

1704, Jack Broughton was born. He drew up the Queensberry Rules. He died in 1789.

1695, James Figg, early British boxing champion, was born in Oxfordshire (died 8/12/1734).

Bridge

1925, Contract Bridge was devised on a steamer en route from Los Angeles to Havana. From the 1930s it replaced Auction Bridge as the most popular form of the game.

1894, Bridge (successor to Whist) was first played in England at the Portland Club.

Canoeing

19/11/1966, Ivan Lawler, canoeing champion, was born.

12/1/1962, Ronald Rhodes, canoeing champion, died (born 31/10/1937)

5/6/1960, Richard Fox, canoeing champion, was born.

31/10/1937, Ronald Rhodes, canoeing champion, was born (died 12/1/1962)

1865, John MacGregor built his own canoe and sailed it for 1,000 miles across the rivers and lakes of North America. The books and lectures he authored from this helped found canoeing as a sport and in 1866 the Canoe Club was founded at the Star and Garter Hotel, Richmond, London, UK.

Chess

17/1/2008, Bobby Fisher, American world chess champion, died aged 64.

2/1/2005, Arnold S Denker, US chess player (born 20/2/1914) died.

7/1/1995, Harry Golombek, chess player, died (born 1/3/1911).

25/12/1993, Death of US (Russian-born, 8/2/1940) chess champion, Boris Kogan.

21/10/1993, Gary Kasparov defeated Nigel Short in the chess championships.

19/12/1987, Gary Kasparov took the world chess title, defeating fellow Russian Anatoly Karpov.

10/5/1974, Anatoly Karpov defeated Boris Spassky to become world chess champion.

17/6/1969, Boris Spassky became world chess champion when he beat Tigran Petrosian.

1/6/1965, Nigel Short, chess champion, was born.

30/3/1958, Gilles Andruet, French chess player, was born.

23/4/1955, Anthony Miles, British chess player, was born.

23/5/1951, Anatoly Karpov, Russian world chess champion in 1975, was born.

3/6/1944, Richard Verber, US chess master, was born.

7/10/1933, Jonathan Penrose, chess champion, was born.

28/3/1931, Anatoly Lein, Soviet-American chess player, was born (died 2018)

1924, The World Chess League was founded at The Hague.

1/3/1911, Harry Golombek, chess player, was born (died 7/1/1995).

16/2/1906, Vera Menchick, chess champion, was born (died 26/6/1944).

1886, The first official world chess championships.

1561, Ruy Lopez wrote the first manual of chess instruction.

Cricket

20/4/1995, Robert Wyatt, cricketer, died (born 2/5/1901).

30/3/1995, Tony Lock, cricketer, died.

27/12/1994, Peter May, cricketer, died (born 31/12/1929).

16/6/1993, Lindsay Hassett, Australian cricketer, died.

28/5/1993, Charles Barnett, cricketer, died.

24/7/1991, Frederick Brown, cricketer, died (born 16/12/1910).

7/3/1987, Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar became the first to scored 10,000 runs in Test Cricket.

23/7/1985, John Wardle, cricketer, died (born 8/1/1923).

15/6/1985, Percy Fender, cricketer, died (born 22/8/1892).

20/4/1982, Andrew Sandham, cricketer, died.

14/3/1981, Ken Barrington, cricketer, died (born 24/11/1930).

5/2/1979, Edward Paynter, cricketer, died (born 5/11/1901).

22/11/1978, Herbert Sutcliffe, cricketer, died (born 24/11/1894).

18/10/1978, Frank Woolley, cricketer, died (born 28/5/1887)

5/9/1976, Arthur Gilligan, cricketer, died (born 23/12/1894).

5/9/1974, Rawl Lewis, West Indian cricketer, was born in Grenada

8/7/1973, Wilfred Rhodes, cricketer, died (born 29/10/1876).

5/1/1971, International One Day Cricket began when England played Australia in Melbourne.

14/2/1970, Herbert Strudwick, cricketer, died.

20/11/1969, Sir George Oswald, cricketer, died (born 31/7/1902).

12/12/1968, Walter Robins, cricketer, died (born 3/6/1906)

26/12/1967, Sidney Barnes, cricketer, died (born 19/4/1873)

26/11/1967, Ridley Jacobs, West Indian cricketer, was born.

1/1/1967, Maurice Leyland, cricketer, died (born 20/7/1900).

22/5/1966, Thomas Goddard, cricketer, died.

5/1/1966, George Duckworth, cricketer, was born.

31/8/1965, Willie Watson, New Zealand cricketer, was born.

8/8/1965, Angus Fraser, cricketer, was born.

28/1/1965, Alfred Freeman, cricketer, died(born 17/5/1888).

21/12/1963, Leeds Rugby Club, the first with undersoil heating, used it during a game with Dewsbury.

13/9/1963, Robin Smith, cricketer, was born.

2/5/1963, Jack Crawford, cricketer, died (born 1/12/1886).

22/2/1963, Devon Malcolm, cricketer, was born.

7/2/1963, Arthur Carr, cricketer, died (born 21/5/1893).

30/1/1963, Pelham Warner, cricketer, died (born 2/10/1873).

2/10/1961, Reginald Spooner, cricketer, died (born 21/10/1880).

26/1/1961, Morris Nichols, cricketer, died (born 6/10/1900).

1/9/1959, Carole Hodges, cricketer, was born.

11/7/1959, Charles Parker, cricketer, died.

4/7/1959, Janette Brittin, cricketer, was born.

9/9/1958, Charles Macartney, Australian cricketer, died aged 72

26/6/1958, George Gunn, cricketer, died (born 13/6/1879).

18/6/1958, Douglas Jardine, cricketer, died (born 23/10/1900).

26/3/1958, Philip Mead, cricketer, died (born 9/3/1887).

20/10/1957, Chris Cowdrey, English cricketer, was born.

8/4/1957, Frank Chester, cricketer, died.

1/5/1957, Rick Darling, Australian cricketer, was born.

7/9/1956, Charles Fry, cricketer, died (born 25/4/1872).

18/5/1956, Maurice Tate, cricketer, died (born 30/5/1895).

23/12/1955, Leonard Braund, cricketer, died (born 18/10/1875).

24/11/1955, Ian Botham, cricketer, was born.

11/5/1955, Gilbert Jessop, English cricketer, died aged 80.

20/6/1954, Allan Lamb, cricketer, was born.

10/5/1954, George Hirst, cricketer, died (born 7/9/1871).

23/7/1953, Graham Gooch, cricketer, was born.

1/4/1953, Aftab Baloch, Pakistan cricketer, was born in Karachi, Pakistan

12/12/1952, Charles Kortright, cricketer, died.

23/1/1952, Omar Henry, South African cricketer, was born in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

24/2/1951, Derek Randall, cricketer, was born.

29/1/1951, Andy Roberts, cricketer, was born.

30/5/1949, Robert Williams, cricketer, was born.

24/2/1949, John Lever, cricketer, was born.

22/12/1948, Chris Old, cricketer, was born.

12/9/1948, Max Walker, Australian cricket player, was born.

1947, Cricket matches in England attracted 2 million paying spectators. This figure dropped to 500,000 by 1970.

9/3/1947, Stanley Jackson, cricketer, died (born 21/11/1870).

6/10/1946, Anthony Grieg, cricketer, was born.

8/6/1945, Derek Underwood, cricketer, was born.

20/5/1944, Keith Fletcher, cricketer, was born.

17/4/1944, John Hearne, cricketer, died (born 3/5/1867).

31/7/1943, Hedley Verity, cricketer, died (born 18/5/1905).

12/7/1943, Bruce Taylor, New Zealand cricketer, was born.

15/6/1943, Cecil Parker, cricketer, died (born 18/2/1886)

23/7/1942, Andrew Ducat, cricketer, died (born 16/2/1886).

23/10/1941, Colin Milburn, cricketer, was born (died 28/2/1990).

17/7/1941, Robert Taylor, cricketer, was born.

1/12/1940, Michael Denness, cricketer, was born.

30/3/1940, Norman Gifford, cricketer, was born.

19/7/1939, Thomas Hayward, cricketer, died.

11/6/1939, Rachel Heyhoe Flint, cricketer, was born.

9/6/1937, Sven Conrad Stayers, Guyanese cricketer, was born in Georgetown, Guyana (died 2005)

29/7/1934, Alfred Scott, West Indian cricketer, was born.

30/6/1933, Michael Smith, cricketer, was born.

2/4/1933, Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji, Indian cricket batsman, died.

16/2/1933, England won the Ashes against Australia using a controversial ‘bodyline’ bowling technique, aiming the cricket ball at the batsman’s legs and body, making the game more dangerous.

24/12/1932, Colin Cowdrey, cricketer, was born.

24/11/1932, Frederick Titmus, cricketer, was born.

25/6/1932, The first England – India test cricket match began at Lords, London. England won by 158 runs.

8/6/1932, Raymond Illingworth, cricketer, was born.

24/3/1932, George Harris, cricketer, died (born 3/2/1851).

21/10/1931, James Parks, cricketer, was born.

4/7/1931, Peter Richardson, cricketer, was born.

6/2/1931, Frederick Trueman, cricketer, was born.

19/12/1930, John Douglas, cricketer, died (born 3/9/1882).

27/11/1930, John Tyldesley, cricketer, died (born 22/11/1873).

24/11/1930, Ken Barrington, cricketer, was born (died 14/3/1981).

6/6/1930, Frank Tyson, cricketer, was born.

31/12/1929, Peter May, cricketer, was born (died 27/12/1994).

17/11/1929, Arthur Lilley, cricketer, died (born 28/11/1866).

1/8/1929, Syd Gregory, Australian cricketer, died.

5/7/1929, Tony Lock, cricketer, was born (died 30/3/1995).

6/3/1929, David Sheppard, cricketer, was born.

16/6/1927, Thomas Graveney, cricketer, was born.

4/6.1926, Frederick Spofforth, Australian cricketer, died.

7/11/1925, Mary Duggan, cricketer, was born (died 10/3/1973).

12/8/1924, Derek Shackleton, cricketer, was born.

3/12/1923, Trevor Bailey, English cricket champion, was born.

8/1/1923, John Wardle, cricketer, was born (died 23/7/1985).

9/2/1922, James Laker, cricketer, was born (died 23/4/1986).

5/4/1921, Leslie Jackson, cricketer, was born.

18/8/1920, Thomas Evans, cricketer, was born in Finchley, London.

7/3/1920, Willie Watson, cricketer, was born.

20/8/1919, Gregor MacGregor, cricketer, died (born 31/8/1869).

4/7/1918, Alec Bedser, cricketer, was born.

26/3/1916, William Edrich, cricketer, was born (died 24/4/1986).

23/10/1915, William Gilbert Grace, cricketer, died this day.

4/4/1915, Easter Sunday. Andrew Stoddart, cricketer, died.

25/7/1914, 66 year old WG Grace batted for the last time in a competitive match, scoring 69 not out.

16/6/1914, Stewart Griffith, cricketer, was born (died 7/4/1993).

13/5/1914, Reginald Foster, cricketer, died (born 16/4/1878).

24/10/1913, Mary Hide, cricketer, was born.

5/7/1913, Alfred Lyttelton, cricketer, died (born 7/2/1857).

3/7/1911, Joseph Hardstaff, cricketer, was born (died 1/1/1990).

20/5/1911, Edward Grace, cricketer, died (born 28/11/1841).

2/4/1911, Myrtle Maclagan, cricketer, was born (died 11/3/1993).

16/12/1910, Frederick Brown, cricketer, was born (died 24/7/1991).

8/8/1909, William Voce, cricketer, was born (died 6/6/1984).

25/7/1908, William Bowes, cricketer, was born (died 5/9/1987).

1907, The International Cricket Council was established (then known as the Imperial Cricket Conference).

16/1/1907, Alfred Shaw, cricketer, died.

3/6/1906, Walter Robins, cricketer, was born (died 12/12/1968)

18/5/1905, Hedley Verity, cricketer, was born (died 31/7/1943).

27/8/1903, Donald George Bradman, Australian cricketer, was born.

19/6/1903, Walter Hammond, cricketer, was born (died 1/7/1965).

19/5/1903, Arthur Shrewsbury, cricketer, died (born 11/4/1856).

31/7/1902, Sir George Oswald, cricketer, was born (died 29/11/1969).

11/1/1902, John Briggs, cricketer, died (born 3/10/1862).

1/12/1901, George Lohmann, cricketer, died (born 2/6/1865).

5/11/1901, Edward Paynter, cricketer, was born (died 5/2/1979).

2/5/1901, Robert Wyatt, cricketer, was born (died 20/4/1995).

23/10/1900, Douglas Jardine, cricketer, was born (died 18/6/1958).

6/10/1900, Morris Nichols, cricketer, was born (died 26/1/1961).

20/7/1900, Maurice Leyland, cricketer, was born (died 1/1/1967).

30/5/1895, Maurice Tate, cricketer, was born (died 18/5/1956).

23/12/1894, Arthur Gilligan, cricketer, was born (died 5/9/1976).

24/11/1894, Herbert Sutcliffe, cricketer, was born (died 22/1/1978).

21/5/1893, Arthur Carr, cricketer, was born (died 7/2/1963).

22/8/1892, Percy Fender, cricketer, was born (died 15/6/1985).

19/2/1891, John White, cricketer, was born (died 2/5/1961).

11/2/1891, John Hearne, cricketer, was born (died 14/9/1965).

24/1/1891, Alexander Kennedy, cricketer, was born (died 15/11/1959).

6/1/1891, Ted McDonald, Australian cricketer was born in Launceston, Australia (died 1937).

1890, Headingley Ground, Leeds, was opened. It is the County Ground of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, and has bene used for Test Matches since 1899. Leeds Rugby League Club also plays there.

12/5/1890, In the UK, the first ever official County Championship cricket match began in Bristol. Yorkshire beat Gloucestershire by eight wickets.

5/2/1889, Elias Hendren, cricketer, was born (died 4/10/1962).

1888, Glamorgan County Cricket Club was founded

17/5/1888, Alfred Freeman, cricketer, was born (died 28/1/1965).

28/5/1887, Frank Woolley, cricketer, was born (died 18/10/1978)

9/3/1887, Philip Mead, cricketer, was born (died 26/3/1958).

1886, Warwickshire Cricket Club bought the land for the ground at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The first Test match was played there in 1902, and it is now a regular Test venue.

1/12/1886, Jack Crawford, cricketer, was born (died 2/5/1963).

25/11/1886, Percy Holmes, cricketer, was born (died 3/9/1971).

18/2/1886, Cecil Parker, cricketer, was born (died 15/6/1943)

16/2/1886, Andrew Ducat cricketer, was born (died 23/7/1942).

5/4/1884, John Wisden, cricketer and compiler of Wisden record books, died in London.

30/1/1883. ‘The Ashes’ were created when after a cricket match in Sydney a bail was burnt and the ashes given to the England side, who had won.

1882, Durham County Cricket Club was founded.

16/12/1882, John Hobbs, cricketer, was born (died 21/12/1963).

3/9/1882, John Douglas, cricketer, was born (died 19/12/1930).

8/4/1882, Warwickshire County Cricket Club was formed at a meeting in the Queen’s Hotel, Coventry.

21/10/1880, Reginald Spooner, cricketer, was born (died 2/10/1961).

6/9/1880, The first cricket Test match played in Britain, between England and Australia, took place at The Oval.

13/6/1879, George Gunn, cricketer, was born (died 29/6/1958).

30/5/1879, Colin Blythe, cricketer, was born (died 8/11/1917).

25/3/1879, Leicestershire County Cricket Club was formed in Leicester.

31/7/1878, Northamptonshire Cricket Club was founded.

16/4/1878, Reginald Foster, cricketer, was born (died 13/5/1914).

13/10/1877, Bernard Bosanquet, cricketer, was born (died 12/10/1936).

15/3/1877, The first cricket Test Match, in Melbourne between Australia and England, was won by Australia.

29/10/1876, Wilfred Rhodes, cricketer, was born (died 8/7/1973).

14/1/1876, Essex County Cricket Club was founded at a meeting at The Shire Hall, Chelmsford.

18/10/1875, Leonard Braund, cricketer, was born (died 23/12/1955).

18/8/1875, Somerset County Cricket Club was founded.

19/5/1874, Gilbert Jessop, cricketer, was born (died 11/5/1955).

22/11/1873, John Tyldesley, cricketer, was born (died 27/11/1930).

2/10/1873, Pelham Warner, cricketer, was born (died 30/1/1963).

19/4/1873, Sidney Barnes, cricketer, was born (died 26/12/1967)

25/4/1872, Charles Fry, cricketer, was born (died 7/9/1956).

1871, Gloucestershire County Cricket Club was founded.

1/12/1871, Archibald MacLaren, cricketer, was born (died 17/11/1944).

7/9/1871, George Hirst, cricketer, was born (died 10/5/1954).

21/11/1870, Stanley Jackson, cricketer, was born (died 9/3/1947).

4/11/1870, Derbyshire County Cricket Club was founded at a meeting in the Guildhall, Derby.

11/8/1870, Thomas Richardson, cricketer, was born (died 2/7/1912).

1/5/1870, Fuller Pilch, cricketer, died (born 17/3/1804)

31/8/1869, Gregor MacGregor, cricketer, was born (died 20/8/1919).

25/3/1868, William Lockwood, cricketer, was born (died 26/4/1932).

3/5/1867, John Hearne, cricketer, was born (died 17/4/1044).

28/11/1866, Arthur Lilley, cricketer, was born (died 17/11/1929).

2/6/1865, George Lohmann, cricketer, was born (died 1/12/1901).

3/3/1865. Worcestershire County Cricket Club was founded at a meeting at the Stag Hotel, Worcester.

2/2/1864, Middlesex County Cricket Club was founded at a meeting at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate.

12/1/1864, Lancashire County Cricket Club was founded in Manchester.

12/8/1863, Hampshire County Cricket Club was founded in Southampton.

11/4/1863, Andrew Stoddart, cricketer, was born (died 4/4/1915).

8/1/1863, Yorkshire County Cricket Club was founded at a meeting at the Adelphi Hotel, Sheffield.

3/10/1862, John Briggs, cricketer, was born (died 11/1/1902).

1/11/1861, Alfred Mynn, cricketer, died

16/8/1860, Martin Hawke, cricketer, was born (died 10/10/1938).

1/3/1859, A second Kent County Cricket Club was founded at Maidstone.

24/9/1858, Allan Steel, cricketer, was born (died 15/6/1914).

30/11/1857, Bobby Abel, cricketer, was born (died 10/12/1936).

12/2/1857, Robert Peel, cricketer, was born (died 12/8/1941).

7/2/1857, Alfred Lyttelton, cricketer, was born (died 5/7/1913).

25/8/1856, William Clarke, cricketer, died (born 24/12/1798)

11/4/1856, Arthur Shrewsbury, cricketer, was born (died 19/5/1903).

21/10/1851, George Ulyett, cricketer, was born (died 18/6/1898).

3/2/1851, George Harris, cricketer, was born (died 24/3/1932).

18/7/1848, Cricketer W G Grace was born at Downend near Bristol.

10/2/1847, Albert Hornby, cricketer, was born (died 17/12/1925).

22/8/1845, Surrey County Cricket Club was founded at a meeting at The Horns, Kennington. Its ground was The Oval, south London.

6/8/1842, The first Kent County Cricket Club was formed.

28/11/1841, Edward Grace, cricketer, was born (died 20/5/1911).

1/3/1839, Sussex County Cricket Club, the oldest, was founded.

1838, Trent Bridge cricket ground, Nottingham, opened. In 1837 cricketer William Clarke had married the widow who ran the Trent Bridge Inn, Nottingham, and they developed the ground together.

5/9/1826. John Wisden, original compiler of Wisden’s Cricketing Almanac, was born in Brighton, Sussex.

22/6/1814. The first cricket match was played at the present Lords Cricket Ground, between the Marylebone Cricket Club and Hertfordshire. The original Marylebone Cricket Club first played at White Conduit Fields before moving to a better ground at Dorset Square, located by an employee of the Club, Thomas Lord. Dorset Square, or Lord’s Old Ground, was utilised 1787-1810, before a move to their next venue, known as Lord’s Middle Ground. In 1813 this ground was taken for the Regents Canal, and the Club moved to their present venue in St Johns Wood, then a pleasant rural area.

17/3/1804, Fuller Pilch, cricketer, was born (died 1/5/1870).

24/12/1798, William Clarke, cricketer, was born (died 25/8/1856).

1744, The first formal code of rules for cricket was drawn up.

1477, An early form of cricket, called ‘hands-in-hands-out’, was banned by King Edward IV of England because it interfered with archery practice.

Croquet

9/6/1986, Humphrey Hicks, croquet champion, died (born 20/5/1904).

26/8/1969, Robert Fulford, croquet champion, was born.

22/1/1965, Dorothy Steel, croquet champion, died (born 21/4/1884).

29/7/1959, Lilias Gower, croquet champion, died.

22/11/1931, John Solomon, croquet champion, was born.

20/5/1904, Humphrey Hicks, croquet champion, was born (died 9/6/1986).

21/4/1884, Dorothy Steel, croquet champion, was born (died 22/1/1965).

1870, The All-England Croquet Club was established at Wimbledon, London.

1857, First set of rules for croquet drawn up.

Curling

1979, The first women’s World Curling Championship was held.

1959, The first men’s World Curling Championship was held.

19/12/1920, The first US indoor curling rink opened, at Brookline, Massachusetts.

1838, The Royal Caledonian Curling Club, the central international body for Curl8ing, was established in Edinburgh. It was originally known as the Grand Caledonian Curling Club.

1831, The Orchard Lake Curling Club, Michigan, USA, was established.

1820, Curling was introduced to the USA.

1811, The earliest book on Curling, An Account of the Game of Curling, was written by John Ramsay, a Scottish Minister and member of the Duddingstone Curling Society

1807, Curling was introduced to Canada. The Montreal Curling Club was established.

1510, The first curling club was established at Kilsyth, near Glasgow, Scotland.

Cycling

22/6/1992, Reginald Harris, cycling champion, died.

3/9/1974, Rebecca Bailey, champion cyclist, was born in Christchurch, New Zealand

12/2/1971, Bill Bailey, cycling champion, died (born 6/4/1888).

15/12/1968, Colin Sturgess, champion cyclist, was born.

13/7/1967, Thomas Simpson, champion cyclist, died (born 30/11/1937).

11/9/1965, Douglas Graeme Obree, champion cyclist, was born.

19/1/1964, Firmin Lambot, Belgian racing cyclist, died aged 77.

24/3/1962, Amanda Jones, champion cyclist, was born.

20/11/1961, Shaun Wallace, champion cyclist, was born.

9/4/1961, Yvonne McGregor, cycling champion, was born.

20/11/1959, Stephen Roche, champion cyclist, was born.

19/5/1958, Tony Doyle, champion cyclist, was born.

1951, The Milk Race, now called the Tour of Britain, was first held. Launched in 1951 and supported by the Daily Express newspaper, it wa sponsored by the Milk Marketing Board from 1958.

24/11/1948, Ian Hallam, cycling champion, was born in Nottingham.

7/4/1942, John Atkins, British cyclo-cross champion, was born.

28/4/1941, Lucien Aimar, French sports cyclist, was born.

5/2/1940, Peter Barry Hoban, cycling champion, was born.

27/1/1940, Hugh Porter, champion cyclist, was born.

30/11/1937, Thomas Simpson, champion cyclist, was born (died 13/7/1967).

4/6/1934, Seamus Elliott, champion cyclist, was born in Dublin.

3/11/1930, Brian Robinson, champion cyclist, was born.

27/1/1930, Lewis Meredith, champion cyclist, died (born 2/7/1882).

19/11/1929, Sean Kelly, cycling champion, was born in Waterford, Ireland.

1927, The World Professional Road Race Championship was first held at the Neuburgring, Germany.

19/7/1925, Italian cyclist Ottavio Bottecchia won the Tour de France for the second straight year.

18/10/1923, Eileen Sheridan, champion cyclist, was born.

25/1/1907, Rene Pottier, French racing cyclist, died aged 27.

1/7/1903, The first Tour de France cycle race began. It was sponsored by Henri Desgrange, the proprietor of a French newspaper, L’Auto, to poach readers from a rival publication, Le Velo, which already staged what were till then the biggest cycle races in France, Bordeaux to Paris and Paris to Brest. The Tour de France, announced in January 1903, was to be 2,500 km long, taking 19 days to complete. Just 21 of the 60 entrants completed the race, competing for prize money totalling 20,000 Francs.

6/4/1888, Bill Bailey, cycling champion, was born (died 12/2/1971).

2/7/1882, Lewis Meredith, champion cyclist, was born (died 27/1/1930).

Darts

1978, The Embassy World Darts Championship was inaugurated. Held since 1986 at the Lakeside Country Club, Frimley Green, Surrey, UK.

22/3/1950, John Thomas Wilson, darts champion, was born.

21/7/1945, John Lowe, darts champion, was born.

1928, The News of the World inaugurated an annual Darts Championship. This lasted until 1990, when the newspaper withdrew its support.

1896, Brian Gamlin, of Bury, Lancashire, designed the numbering of the current darts board.

Fencing

28/6/1987, Emrys Lloyd, champion fencer, died (born 8/9/1908).

24/12/1975, Roger Tredgold, fencing champion, died.

30/9/1948, Edward Bourne, fencing champion, was born.

15/2/1940, Janet Wardell-Yerburgh, fencing champion, was born.

30/6/1931, Allan Jay, fencing champion, was born.

8/9/1908, Emrys Lloyd, champion fencer, was born (died 28/6/1987).

15/2/1880, Robert Montgomerie, fencing champion, was born (died 28/4/1939).

14/4/1867, Edgar Seligman, fencing champion, was born (died 27/9/1958).

1848, The London Fencing Club was established.

1190 BCE, Records of fencing matches in Luxor, Upper Egypt.

Golf

21/7/1978, Henry Longhurst, golfing champion, died (born 18/3/1909).

16/9/1977, Charlotte Leitch, golfer, died (born 13/4/1891)

31/5/1975, Peter Alliss, British golfer, died (born 8/1/1897)

19/7/1972, Harold Weetman, golfer, died.

8/8/1970, Johnny Goodman, US golfer, died aged 60.

15/1/1964, George Duncan, golfer, died (born 16/9/1883).

5/10/1963, Laura Davies, golf champion, was born.

10/2/1963, John Taylor, golfer, died.

8/8/1962, Archie Compston, golfer, died.

18/7/1957, Nick Faldo, golf champion, was born.

6/1/1957, Nancy Lopez, US golfer, was born.

26/8/1954, Howard Clark, English golfer, was born.

28/10/1953, Mark James, golf champion, was born.

24/8/1953, Samuel Torrance, golfer, was born.

27/11/1950, James Braid, golfer, died (born 6/2/1870)

29/4/1949, Mary McKenna, golfing champion, was born.

3/5/1948, Peter Oosterhuis, golfer, was born.

24/11/1946, Vivien Saunders, champion golfer, was born.

3/6/1945, Brian W Barnes, golfer, was born.

18/2/1945, Judy Rankin, US golfer, was born.

7/7/1944, Tony Jacklin, British golf champion, was born in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire.

26/8/1943, Edward Ray, golfing champion, died (born 28/3/1877).

9/11/1942, Tom Weiskopf, US golfer, was born.

5/3/1942, Harold Hilton, golf champion, died (born 12/1/1869).

2/12/1940, John Ball, golf player, died (born 24/12/1861)

29/4/1939, Mary McKenna, golfing champion, was born.

7/4/1937, Angela Bonallack, golfer, was born.

20/3/1937, Harry Vardon, golfer, died (born 9/5/1870).

11/4/1936, Isabella Robertson, golf champion, was born.

1934, The US Masters golf tournament was first held.

31/12/1934, Michael Bonallack, golfer, was born.

28/7/1932, Horace Hutchinson, golfer, died (born 16/5/1859).

2/2/1930, Bernard Hunt, golf champion, was born.

1927, Entrepreneur Samuel Ryder donated the Ryder Cup, the tournament for which is now played alternately in the USA and the UK.

26/4/1927, Philomena Garvey, golfer, was born.

24/5/1925, William Park, golfer, died.

15/2/1925, Eric Brown, golfer, was born.

21/12/1924, Christy O’Connor, golf champion, was born.

4/3/1917, Pamela Barton, golfer, was born.

1916, The US Professional Golfers Association tournament was first held.

29/7/1916, Max Faulkner, golf player, was born.

2/9/1915, Percy Lucas, golf champion, was born.

9/10/1913, Harry Bradshaw, golfer, was born.

18/3/1909, Henry Longhurst, golfing champion, was born (died 21/7/1978).

24/5/1908, Tom Morris, golfer, died (born 17/6/1821).

1901, Sunningdale Old Golf Course opened. The more difficult New Golf Course opened in 1922.

17/11/1901, Joyce Wethered, champion golfer, was born.

8/1/1897, Peter Alliss, British golfer, was born (died 31/5/1975).

1895, The US Open golf tournament was first held.

13/4/1891, Charlotte Leitch, golfer, was born (died 16/9/1977)

1889, Royal Birkdale Golf Club was founded, as Birkdale Golf Club; the Royal was added in 1951.

19/1/1887, Abraham Mitchell, golfer, was born (died 1947).

16/9/1883, George Duncan, golfer, was born (died 15/1/1964).

28/3/1877, Edward Ray, golfing champion, was born (died 26/8/1943).

7/9/1876, Bernard Darwin, golfer, was born (died 18/10/1961).

25/12/1875, Tom Morris, golfer, died

9/5/1870, Harry Vardon, golfer, was born (died 20/3/1937).

6/2/1870, James Braid, golfer, was born (died 27/11/1950)

1869, Royal Liverpool Golf Club was founded, gaining its Royal in 1871.

12/1/1869, Harold Hilton, golf champion, was born (died 5/3/1942).

24/12/1861, John Ball, golf player, was born (died 2/12/1940).

17/10/1860. The first professional golf tournament, the British Open, was held at Prestwick, Scotland. It was won by Willie Park.

16/5/1859, Horace Hutchinson, golfer, was born (died 28/7/1932).

17/6/1821, Tom Morris, golfer, was born (died 24/5/1908).

1791, The Burntisland Golf Club was founded.

1787, The Glasgow Golf Club was founded.

1786, The Crail Golfing Society was founded.

1780, The Royal Aberdeen Golf Club was founded.

1774, The Royal Musselburgh Golf Club was founded.

1766, The Royal Blackheath Golf Club was formed.

1761, Bruntsfield Links Golf Club was formed.

14/5/1754, The Royal and Ancient (St Andrews) Golf Club was founded. The first game was played here this day.

1744, The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (Muirfield) was founded.

1735, The Royal Burgess Golfing Society of Edinburgh was founded.

6/3/1457, King James II of Scotland banned golf, because it distracted men from archery training. There was a constant threat of invasion from England, The ban was reiterated in 1471 and 1491, and was not formally lifted until 1744.

Greyhound racing

2013, Annual attendance at Britain’s dog racing tracks had fallen to 2 million. In 1960 it was 16 million, down to 4 million in 1993 and 3 million in 2006. The number of tracks in Britain has fallen from 64 in 1960 to 25 in 2013. In 1961 dog racing tracks lost their betting monopoly when UK Parliament allowed betting shops to open, for the first time since the 19^th century. The rise of TV and the Internet also eroded attendance.

16/8/2008, The dog racing track at Walthamstow, London, held its last meeting. This left Wimbledon as the last dog racing track in the London area.

15/3/1995, Harlow greyhound racing stadium, Essex, UK, opened.

1984, (see 1928) The Greyhound Derby was moved from White City to Wimbledon and the Grand National was moved to Hall Green, Birmingham.

1931, Walthamstow greyhound racing stadium opened,

1930, Dagenham greyhound racing stadium opened.

1928, West Ham greyhound racing stadium opened.

10/12/1927, As greyhound racing grew in popularity, London’s third racecourse opened, at Wembley, to join those at Haringey and White City. Harringey stadium closed in 1987 to make way for a Sainsbury superstore.

20/6/1927, Greyhound racing began at London’s White City Stadium. This was the first time the Greyhound Derby and Grand National (using hurdles) were run. See 1984.

1926, Oxford greyhound racing track opened.

24/7/1926. The first greyhound racing track was opened by Brigadier Critchley, at Belle Vue in Manchester.

1919, A circular greyhound track was opened in California, USA.

7/10/1876, The first greyhound race with an artificial hare, the Hendon Cup, was run at the Welsh Harp, Hendon, London.

1857, The Waterloo Cup was a now a competition of 64 dogs, competing in a knock-out tournament over three days.

1836, The Waterloo Cup was first held, on farmland at Great Altcar, near Southport, Lancashire, UK.

1776, The first rules of greyhound racing were drawn up.

Hockey and Ice Hockey

3/5/1988, Carl Erhardt, ice hockey player, died (born 13/2/1897).

9/11/1985, John Conroy, hockey player, died (born 27/11/1928).

20/10/1985, Harry Wragg, champion jockey, died.

21/3/1982, Marjorie Pollard, hockey and cricket champion, died (born 3/8/1899).

8/9/1981, Terence Mansergh, hockey champion, died.

27/5/1973, Jack Bennett, hockey player, died.

5/9/1967, Janet Sixsmith, champion hockey player, was born.

19/11/1963, John Potter, hockey champion, was born.

9/1/1963, Karen Brown, hockey champion, was born.

13/7/1959, Richard Leman, hockey champion, was born.

13/4/1959, Stephen Martin, hockey champion, was born.

24/2/1959, Stanley Shoveller, hockey champion, died (born 2/9/1881).

20/4/1958, Viacheslav Fetisov, Russian hockey champion, was, born in Moscow, Russia.

21/5/1955, Paul Barber, English hockey player, was born.

24/9/1854, Ian Taylor, hockey champion, was born.

30/9/1952, Norman Hughes, hockey champion, was born.

6/3/1952, William MacLean, hockey champion, was born.

18/7/1943, Herbert Leo Price, hockey champion, died (born 21/6/1899).

26/10/1932, Chinadorai Deshmutu, Indian hockey player, was born.

24/9/1932, Howard Davis, hockey champion, was born.

9/6/1930, Harry Cahill, hockey champion, was born.

27/11/1928, John Conroy, hockey player, was born (died 9/11/1985).

16/11/1928, Dick Gamble, ice hockey player, was born in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada (died 2018)

21/4/1928, Jack Evans, Welsh-Canadian ice hockey player, was born.

23/12/1927, John Cockett, hockey player, was born.

1920, Ice Hockey was first included in the Olympics. In 1924 it was moved to the Winter Olympics.

1916, The National Hockey League was first played.

1914, The British Ice Hockey Association was founded.

14/9/1906, George McVeagh, Irish hockey, tennis, cricket and squash player, was born (died 5/6/1968)

1903, A small English ice hockey league was formed.

3/8/1899, Marjorie Pollard, hockey and cricket champion, was born (died 21/3/1982).

21/6/1899, Herbert Leo Price, hockey champion, was born (died 18/7/1943).

13/2/1897, Carl Erhardt, ice hockey player, was born (died 3/5/1988).

25/1/1895, Wales lost 3 – 0 to Ireland in the first ever hockey international, held at Rhyl in Wales.

1886, In Britain, the National Hockey Association was formed.

4/10/1884, Cyril Wilkinson, hockey champion, was born (died 16/12/1970).

1883, The rules for hockey were formally codified.

2/9/1881, Stanley Shoveller, hockey champion, was born (died 24/2/1959).

1879, The rules for ice hockey were drawn up by WF Robertson and RF Smith at Montreal, Canada.

1875, The Men’s Hockey Association was formed.

1850s, Ice Hockey was first played, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The rules of the game were drawn up ay McGill University, Montreal.

Horseracing and Equestrianism

20/12/1993, Charles Smirke, champion jockey, died (born 23/9/1906).

9/5/1992, William Nevett, horse racing champion, died (born 26/3/1906).

9/10/1991, Bryan Marshall, horse racing champion, died (born 29/2/1916).

30/10/1989, Seamus Hayes, show jumping champion, died.

11/4/1989, Douglas Smith, champion jockey, died (born 21/11/1917).

16/8/1986, Ryan Price, champion jockey, died.

1984, The Breeders Cup, end of season horse race in the USA, was first held.

1/6/1983, Caroline Bradley, equestrian showjumping, died (born 14/4/1946).

8/11/1981, Tim Brookshaw, champion jockey, died (born 25/3/1929).

12/7/1981, Frederick Rimell, champion jockey, died.

22/1/1981, Thomas Weston, champion jockey, died.

20/6/1980, Patrick Prendergast, champion jockey, died (born 5/8/1909).

6/1/1979, Charles Elliott, horse racing champion, died.

2/4/1977, Red Rum became the first horse ever to win three Grand Nationals.

12/5/1972, Eric Ephraim Smith, champion jockey, died.

161/1969, Norman Williamson, champion jockey, was born.

19/12/1968, John Jarvis, horse racing champion, died (born 28/12/1887).

28/11/1967. Horseracing was suspended in Britain because of an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease.

1965, The World Equestrian Championships for women were first held. In 1978 the women’s and men’s Championships were merged.

17/9/1964, Karen Dixon, equestrian champion, was born.

20/5/1964, Joseph :Lawson, horse racing champion, died.

18/1/1964, Richard Dunwoody, champion horse racer, was born.

1962, The British Showjumping Derby was first held.

7/8/1961, Walter Swinburn, champion jockey, was born.

1960, The first showjumping meeting at Hickstead, Sussex, UK, was held.

4/9/1960, Henry Persse, champion jockey, died.

17/3/1960, Michael Whitaker, show-jumping champion, was born.

22/6/1959, Michael Kiname, horse racing champion, was born.

12/12/1958, William Higgs, horse racing champion, died (born 8/2/1880).

13/6/1958, Peter Scudamore, champion jockey, was born.

5/2/1958, Joe Childs, jockey, died.

1957, The European Equestrian Championships were first held.

9/6/1955, Stephen Smith Eccles, champion jockey, was born.

1/2/1955, Virginia Leng, equestrian champion, was born.

22/2/1954, Ian Stark, equestrian champion, was born.

1953, The World Equestrian Championships for men were first held.

7/11/1953, Lucinda Green, equestrian champion, was born.

9/6/1953, Frederick Darling, horse racer, died (born 15/5/1884)

1/6/1953. Gordon Richards became the first jockey to be knighted.

13/12/1952, John Francombe, champion jockey, was born.

13/4/1952, Easter Sunday. John O’Neill, equestrian champion, was born.

18/3/1952, Patrick Eddery, horse racing champion, was born in Galway, Ireland.

20/8/1950, Ann Moore, equestrian champion, was born.

3/2/1950, Michael Dickinson, horse racer, was born.

1949, The Horse of the Year event was first presented by the British Show Jumping Association, at Harringey Arena. It moved to the Empire Pool at Wembley in 1959.

1949, The first annual Badminton thtree-day eventing competition.

27/1/1949, Graham Thorner, champion jockey, was born.

13/6/1948, Sandy Barclay, jockey, was born.

4/6/1948, Robert Champion, horse racing, was born

3/4/1948, Mary Gordon-Watson, equestrian champion, was born.

29/2/1948, Dermot Weld, champion jockey, was born.

7/1/1948, Jane Bullen, equestrian events champion, was born.

6/6/1947, Marion Mould, equestrian champion, was born.

14/5/1946, Robert Davies, horse racing, was born.

14/4/1946, Caroline Bradley, equestrian showjumping, was born (died 1/6/1983).

14/3/1946, Alison Dawes, show jumper, was born.

15/11/1945, Thomas Stack, champion jockey, was born.

29/5/1945, Martin Pipe, champion jockey, was born.

12/12/1945, Frederick Fox, champion jockey, died (born 2/1888).

14/8/1944, Robyn Smith Astaire, US jockey, was born in San Francisco, California.

28/5/1943, Elizabeth Edgar, show jumping champion, was born.

28/2/1943, Ron Barry, champion jockey, was born in Limerick, Ireland.

3/8/1941, Joshua Gifford, champion jockey, was born.

2/2/1941, Terence Biddlecombe, champion jockey, was born.

31/8/1940, Paul Kelleway, horse racing champion, was born in London.

18/3/1940, Kathy Hutchinson, race horse trainer, was born.

1/3/1940, David Broome, show jumping champion, was born.

21/12/1939, Greville Starkey, champion jockey, was born.

29/12/1938, Robert Harvey Smith, champion jockey (show jumping), was born.

4/12/1938, Richard Meade, equestrian champion, was born.

4/8/1937, Elizabeth Ann Drummond, equestrian champion, was born.

10/6/1937, Edward Harty, horse racing champion, died.

10/4/1937, Stanley Mellor, horse racing champion, was born.

21/12/1935, Geoff Lewis, horse racing champion, was born.

25/10/1934, Joseph Mercer, horse racing champion, was born.

14/10/1934, George Bowman, equestrian champion, was born.

8/9/1932, Alan Oliver, equestrian champion, was born.

25/3/1929, Tim Brookshaw, champion jockey, was born (died 8/11/1981).

22/11/1928, Patricia Smythe, show jumping champion, was born.

15/11/1928, Emmanuel Mercer, horse racing champion, was born (died 26/9/1959).

1926, Chepstow racecourse opened.

20/9/1926, Frederick Winter, champion jockey, was born.

27/3/1925, Double Chase won the 84th Grand National horse race at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England.

24/3/1922. Only 3 of the 32 horses in the Grand National finished the race.

21/2/1922, John Porter, champion jockey, died (born 2/3/1838).

31/10/1920, Richard Francis, champion jockey, was born.

7/4/1920, Arthur Stephenson, champion jockey, was born (died 3/12/1992).

7/1/1920, Aubrey Brabazon, horse racing, was born.

14/9/1919, Tim Molony, horse racing champion, was born (died 14/12/1989).

21/11/1917, Douglas Smith, champion jockey, was born (died 11/4/1989).

13/7/1917, Thomas Cannon, champion jockey, died (born 23/4/1846).

30/11/1916, William Carr, jockey, was born (died 19/10/1985).

29/2/1916, Bryan Marshall, horse racing champion, was born (died 9/10/1991).

20/2/1916, Eddie Arcaro, American jockey, was born in Cincinnati (died 1997)

16/3/1915, Britain’s Jockey Club decided that the War should not stop horse racing.

9/1/1914, Derek Allhusen, equestrian sportsman, was born.

2/8/1913, Frank Weldon, equestrian champion, was born (died 21/9/1993).

13/1/1913, Frenchy Nicholson, horse racing champion, was born.

8/11/1910, Fulke Walwyn, champion jockey, was born (died 18/2/1991).

24/3/1910, Noel Murless, horse racing champion, was born (died 9/5/1987).

5/8/1909, Patrick Prendergast, champion jockey, was born (died 20/6/1980).

23/9/1906, Charles Smirke, champion jockey, was born (died 20/12/1993).

26/3/1906, William Nevett, horse racing champion, was born (died 9/5/1992).

5/5/1904, Gordon Richards, champion jockey, was born (died 10/11/1986).

1903, In Britain, the Jockey Club took action against the doping of horses.

29/7/1902, John Watson champion jockey, died.

18/8/1898, Matthew Dawson, jockey, died (born 9/1/1820)

3/6/1896, King Edward VII (then Prince of Wales) won the Derby on a horse called Persimmon.

28/12/1887, John Jarvis, horse racing champion, was born (died 19/12/1968).

11/10/1887, George Fordham, horse racing champion, died.

16/4/1887, Cecil Boyd-Rochfort, horse racing, was born (died17/3/1983).

8/11/1886, Frederick Archer, horseracing jockey, died.

8/11/1884, Steven Donoghue, horse racing champion, was born (died 23/3/1945).

15/5/1884, Frederick Darling, horse racer, was born (died 9/6/1953)

8/2/1880, William Higgs, horse racing champion, was born (died 12/12/1958).

21/5/1873, Herbert Cannon, champion jockey, was born (died 1/6/1962).

4/10/1871, John Scott, champion jockey, died (born 39/11/1794).

15/3/1862, Alexander Taylor, champion jockey, was born (died 28/1/1943).

21/3/1860, John Day, jockey, died (born 1793).

1859, Bangor on Dee racecourse opened.

1857, The Longchamps horseracing track opened in the Bois de Bolougne, Paris.

31/12/1851, Richard Marsh, horse racing champion, was born (died 20/5/1933).

26/9/1848, William Scott, champion jockey, was born.

23/4/1846, Thomas Cannon, champion jockey, was born (died 13/7/1917).

26/2/1839. The Grand National at Aintree, Liverpool, was first run.

2/3/1838, John Porter, champion jockey, was born (died 21/2/1922).

29/4/1835, Bill Arnull, champion horseracing jockey, died (born 1785).

5/8/1832, Frank Buckle, horse racing champion, died (born 1766).

9/1/1820, Matthew Dawson, jockey, was born (died 18/8/1898).

1814, The 1,000 Guineas Flat Race for 3 year old fillies, 1.6 km, was first run at Newmarket. The most recent of the Classical Races, it was the first to be run every year.

1809, The 2,000 Guineas Flat Race, 1.6 km, for three-year-old colts and fillies (usually only entered by colts) was first run at Newmarket.

8/1/1807, Sam Chifney, jockey, died

30/11/1794, John Scott, champion jockey, was born (died 4/10/1871).

4/5/1780. The first Derby horse race was run, at Epsom.

24/9/1776. The oldest of the classic horse races, the St Leger, was first run at Doncaster.

1752, The Jockey Club, to have a ,meeting place, leased a plot of land in Newmarket and built the ‘Coffee Room’ there. The Jockey Club gradually acquired all the training and racing land at Newmarket, and became accepted as the regulatory body for all flat racing in the UK. In 1990 the Jockey Club yielded control to the newly formed British Horseracing Board, amid concerns that the Jockey Club was too aristocratic and elitist.

17/8/1711. Ascot became ‘Royal’ after the attendance of Queen Anne at the horse races.

11/8/1711, The first Royal Ascot horse race took place, attended by Queen Anne.

1636, Newmarket horse race course was established.

9/2/1540. The first recorded horse-racing meeting in Britain took place on Roodeye Field (now Roodee), Chester.

1174, The first recorded horse races in England.

Hurling

22/8/1954, Jimmy Murphy, hurling champion, was born.

1879, The Irish Hurling Union was founded.

Judo

18/6/1966, Sharon Rendle, judo champion, was born.

27/9/1958, Neil Adams, judo player, was born.

5/10/1946, Brian Jacks, judo champion, was born.

15/4/1930, Charles Palmer, judo champion, was born.

1860, Dr Jigoro Kano was born in Settsu Province, Japan; he originated the sport of Judo in its modern form.

Lacrosse

1969, The first World Lacrosse Championship for women was held.

1967, The first World Lacrosse Championship for men was held.

1839, The Montreal Lacrosse Club was founded. The original sport was of indigenous Amerindian origin.

Motor and Motorcycle racing

20/5/1994, William Kitchen, speedway champion, died.

1/5/1994, Formula One driver Ayrton Senna (born 1960) died in a crash in Italy.

22/10/1993, Innes Ireland, motor racing champion, died (born 12/6/1930).

10/6/1993, Scott McLaughlin, racing driver, was born.

10/4/1989, Michael Dunlop, Northern Irish motorcycle racer, was born.

4/2/1979, Giorgio Pantano, Italian racing car driver, was born.

12/7/1969, William Ivy, motor cycle racing champion, died (born 27/8/1942).

5/8/1968, Collin McRae, rally driver, was born.

4/11/1966, Gary Havelock, speedway champion, was born.

1/7/1965, Carl Fogarty, motorcycle racing champion, was born.

24/9/1963, Peter Craven, speedway driver, died (born 21/6/1934).

4/11/1962, The first Mexican Grand Prix was won by Jim Clark and Trevor Taylor.

28/9/1962, Fred Merkel, US motorcycle racing champion, was born in Stockton, California

12/4/1962, Ronald Flockhart, motor racing champion, died (born 16/6/1923).

11/1/1962, Steven Hislop, motorcycle racing, was born.

15/10/1960, Simon Wigg, speedway champion, was born.

17/9/1960, Damon Hill, motor racing champion, was born.

1/6/1959, Martin Brundle, motor racing champion, was born.

31/5/1959, Andrea de Cesaris, Italian racing driver, was born.

6/8/1958, US athlete Glenn Davis broke his own world record by 0.3 seconds (49.2 seconds) in the 400m hurdles in Budapest, Hungary.

3/8/1958, Peter Collins, motor racing champion, died (born 8/11/1931).

28/8/1954, Charlie Collier, motorcycle racer, was born.

24/3/1954, Peter Collins, motorcycle speedway champion, was born.

8/8;/1953, Nigel Mansell, motor racing champion, was born.

10/6/1953, Victor Elford, motor racing champion, was born.

29/9/1952, John Cobb, racing driver, died.

4/5/1949, John Force, racing driver, was born in Bell Gardens, California

27/7/1948, Woolf Barnato, motor racing champion, died.

4/5/1946, John Watson, motor racing champion, was born.

25/2/1944, Francois Cevert, racing driver, was born in Paris, France (died 1973)

27/8/1942, William Ivy, motor cycle racing champion, was born (died 12/7/1969).

5/8/1939, Roger Clark, rally driver, was born.

25/6/1939, Richard Seaman, motor racing champion, died.

17/10/1938, Evel Kneivel, US stunt motorcyclist, was born in Butte, Montana.

17/1/1938, David Bickers. Moto Cross champion, was born

17/9/1937, Nigel Boocock, speedway champion, was born

30/8/1935, Thomas Farndon, speedway champion, died.

21/6/1934, Peter Craven, speedway driver, was born (died 24/9/1963).

11/11/1933, Samuel Miller, motorcycle racing champion, was born.

8/11/1931, Peter Collins, motor racing champion, was born (died 3/8/1958).

12/6/1930, Innes Ireland, motor racing champion, was born (died 22/10/1993).

17/9/1929, Stirling Moss, motor racing champion, was born.

10/4/1929, Michael Hawthorn, motor racing champion, was born (died 27/1/1959).

7/11/1928, Bob McIntyre, motorcycle racer, was born.

7/6/1928, Ken (Robert) McKinlay, speedway champion, was born.

3/3/1927, John Parry Thomas, motor car racer, died.

12/3/1926, Freddie Williams, speedway champion, was born.

16/6/1923, Ronald Flockhart, motor racing champion, was born (died 12/4/1962).

12/5/1922, Roy Salvadori, motor racing champion, was born.

12/4/1917, Robert Manzon, French racing driver was born (died 2015).

12/11/1914, Peter Whitehead, English racing car driver, was born (died 1958).

21/2/1913, Roger Laurent, Belgian racing driver, was born (died 1997)

11/6/1911, Thomas Price, speedway champion, was born.

1907, The Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) motorcycle race was first held. The race, held on ordinary roads, can be dangerous, especially the mountain climb to Snaefell. By 1992 the TT Race had claimed 160 lives. The British Parliament had in 1904 refused to permit car racing on ordinary roads by temporarily banning other traffic byt the Tynwald, the Manx Parliament, did agree to this, and car racing was held there until 1953.

1/8/1900, Raymond Mays, motor racing champion, was born.

3/7/1898, Donald Healey, rally driver, was born (died 15/1/1988).

28/6/1897, George Eyston, motor racing champion, was born (died 11/6/1979).

26/7/1896, Henry Birkin, motor racing champion, was born (died 22/7/1933).

22/9/1896, Henry Seagrave, motor racing champion, was born (died 13/6/1930).

27/9/1895, Woolf Barnato, motor racing champion, was born (died 27/7/1948).

Polo

16/9/1957, Gerald Balding, polo champion, died.

23/6/1946, Julian Hipwood, polo champion, was born.

12/11/1908, John Watson, polo champion, died.

24/8/1903, Gerald Balding, polo champion, was born (died 16/9/1957)

16/10/1872, Walter Buckmaster, polo player, was born (died 30/10/1942).

1871, The first recorded game of polo in Britain. The name derives from a Tibetan word for ‘willow stick’ and was already popular across Asia from Persia and India to China and Japan. Hurlingham Polo Club, in Fulham, London, was started in 1875.

Rackets

24/6/1984, David Milford, rackets champion, died.

21/12/1981, Cyril Simpson, rackets champion, died (born 10/2/1899).

7/11/1981, James Dear, rackets champion, died (born 17/3/1910).

12/7/1950, William Boone, rackets champion, was born.

23/6/1950, Harry Foster, rackets champion, died (born 30/10/1873)

20/12/1948, Eustace Miles, rackets and tennis player, died (born 22/9/1868).

29/6/1947, William Surtees, rackets champion, was born.

20/1/1927, Geoffrey Atkins, British rackets player, was born.

10/5/1918, John Thompson, rackets champion, was born.

17/3/1910, James Dear, rackets champion, was born (died 7/11/1981).

10/2/1899, Cyril Simpson, rackets champion, was born (died 21/12/1981).

2/8/1885, Clarence Bruce, rackets player, was born (died 4/10/1957).

30/10/1873, Harry Foster, rackets champion, was born (died 23/6/1950)

22/9/1868, Eustace Miles, rackets and tennis player, was born (died 20/12/1948).

Rowing

29/1/1995, Richard Burnell, champion rower, died (born 26/7/1917).

18/3/1984, The Oxford and Cambridge boat race was run on a Sunday for the first time. The day before, the race had been abandoned because the Cambridge boat had been damaged in a collision.

1/11/1983, Edward Phelps, rowing champion, died (born 17/6/1908).

25/3/1978, In the Oxford-Cambridge boat race, the Cambridge boat sank.

3/12/1977, Jack Beresford, rower, died.

29/5/1976, John Badcock, Olympic rower, died.

1974, The women’s World Rowing Championship was first held.

21/12/1972, Hugh Edwards, Olympic rower, died (born 17/11/1906).

19/7/1969, John Fairfax became the first person to row the Atlantic when he arrived at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after 180 days at sea.

8/5/1969, Jonathan Searle, champion rower, was born.

21/7/1968, Ernest Barry, rower, died.

1962, The men’s World Rowing Championship was first held.

23/3/1962, Steven Redgrave, champion rower, was born.

3/4/1962, Peter Haining, champion rower, was born.

29/9/1959, Julius Beresford, rower, died (born 29/6/1868).

26/3/1951, Cambridge won the Boat Race. The race had been rerun after Oxford’s boat sank on 24/3/1951.

12/12/1949, Chris Baillieu, British rowing champion, was born.

8/7/1935, Guy Nickalls, rowing champion, died.

5/11/1929, Christopher Davidge, rower, was born.

28/3/1925, In the Boat Race, the Oxford boat sank.

26/7/1917, Richard Burnell, champion rower, was born (died 29/1/1995).

28/3/1912, In the Boat Race, both Oxford’s and Cambridge’s boats sank. The race was re-run.

17/6/1908, Edward Phelps, rowing champion, was born (died 1/11/1983).

17/11/1906, Hugh Edwards, Olympic rower, was born (died 21/12/1972).

24/3/1877, The only dead-heat in the history of the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race took place.

29/6/1868, Julius Beresford, rower, was born (died 29/9/1959).

1860, The Thames Rowing Club was founded.

1856, The Oxford-Cambridge boat race became an annual event.

14/6/1839. The first Henley regatta, on the Thames, took place. See 26/3/1839.

26/3/1839, The annual Henley rowing regatta was inaugurated. The first regatta was held on 14/6/1839.

1834, The Castle Garden Boat Club event, USA, was first held.

10/6/1829. The first Oxford and Cambridge boat race took place, 2 ¼ miles from Hambledon Lock to Henley Bridge. It was won easily by Oxford.

1817, The English Leander Cup was first held.

1/8/1715, Doggett’s Coat and badge race first run on the Thames.

Rugby

17/10/1994, Augustus Risman, rugby player, died (born 21/3/1911).

29/9/1993, Alfred Ellaby, rugby player, died (born 24/11/1902).

28/3/1992, Norman Bruce, rugby player, died (born 24/8/1932).

19/7/1991, Marten Hodgson, rugby player, died (born 26/3/1909).

8/12/1990, John Currie, rugby player, died (born 3/5/1932).

9/3/1988, Ronald Cove-Smith, rugby player, died (born 26/11/1899)

5/7/1987, Ernest Ward, rugby player, died (born 30/7/1920).

16/9/1986, James Brough, rugby player, died (born 5/11/1903).

16/1/1985, Matt Holloway, New Zealand rugby player, was born.

10/1/1983, Carwyn James, rugby player, died.

16/11/1982, Ivor Jones, rugby player, died.

2/3/1981, Phil MacPherson, rugby player, died (born 14/12/1903).

24/10/1979, James Farrell, rugby player, died (born 7/8/1903).

30/1/1878, Reginald Skrimshire, rugby player, was born (died 20/9/1963).

14/9/1977, James Sullivan, rugby player, died (born 2/12/1903).

14/8/1976, David Valentine, rugby player, died (born 12/9/1926).

22/3/1973, William Llewellyn, rugby player, died (born 1/1/1878).

4/1/1973, John Samuel Tucker, rugby player, died (born 1/6/1895).

14/11/1972, Alfred Shrub, athlete (runner), died (born 12/12/1879).

1/11/1972, Cecil Kershaw, rugby player, died (born 3/2/1895).

18/9/1972, Ian Smith, rugby player, was born.

9/4/1972, Jonathan Parkin, rugby player, died.

8/7/1971, Neil Jenkins, rugby player, was born.

5/8/1970, George Stephenson, rugby player, died (born 22/12/1901).

14/9/1969, Denis Betts, rugby player, was born.

10/4/1969, Johnny Bannerman, rugby player, died (born 1/9/1901).

15/10/1968, Craig Chalmers, rugby player, was born in Galashiels, Scotland.

13/11/1967, George Beamish, rugby player, was born.

26/4/1967, William Davies, rugby player, died (born 21/6/1890).

29/12/1966, Martin Offiah, rugby player, was born.

17/10/1966, Shaun Edwards, rugby player, was born in Wigan.

12/12/1965, Will Carling, rugby player, was born.

10/11/1965, Robert Jones, rugby player, was born.

7/7/1965, Jeremy Guscott, rugby player, was born in Bath.

4/12/1964, Scott Hastings, rugby player, was born.

21/3/1964, Ieuan Evans, rugby player, was born Carmarthenshire, Wales.

26/11/1963, Joe Lydon, rugby player, was born.

30/10/1963, Brendan Mullin, rugby player, was born.

24/8/1963, Jonathan Webb, rugby player, was born.

11/7/1963, Dean Richards, rugby player, was born.

19/6/1963, Rory Underwood, rugby player, was born.

18/2/1963, Rob Andrew, English rugby player, was born.

22/11/1962, Stuart Barnes, rugby player, was born.

21/10/1962, David Campese, Australian rugby player, was born.

15/3/1962, John Hall, rugby player, was born.

12/9/1959, Donal Lenihan, rugby player, was born.

25/3/1959, John Jeffrey, rugby player, was born.

27/1/1959, William Batten, rugby player, died (born 26/5/1889).

16/9/1958, Hugo MacNeill, rugby player, was born in Dublin, Ireland.

26/2/1958, Paul Ackford, rugby player, was born.

27/11/1957, Adrian Stoop, rugby player, died (born 27/3/1883).

20/8/1957, Jim and Finlay Carter, twins, rugby players, were born.

23/6/1957, Robert Norster, rugby player, was born.

10/3/1957, Terence Holmes, rugby player, was born.

27/4/1956, Jeffrey Probyn, rugby player, was born.

6/1/1956, Clive Woodward, rugby player, was born.

4/10/1955, John Rutherford, rugby player, was born.

3/5/1955, Colin Deans, rugby player, was born.

5/12/1954, Keith Robertson, rugby player, was born.

25/7/1954, George Fairbairn, rugby player, was born.

3/3/1954, Oliver Campbell, rugby player, was born in Dublin.

7/10/1953, Albert Jenkins, rugby player, died (born 11/3/1895).

5/10/1953, Roy Laidlaw, rugby player, was born.

2/9/1953, Maurice Colclough, rugby player, was born.

29/11/1952, William Hare, rugby player, was born.

9/3/1952, William Beaumont, English rugby player, was born.

12/2/1952, James Renwick, rugby player, was born.

23/9/1951, Jeffrey Squire, rugby player, was born.

16/9/1951, Andrew Irvine, rugby player, was born.

12/6/1951, Geoffrey Enstone, rugby player., was born.

11/5/1951, Michael Slemen, rugby player, was born.

19/3/1951, John Jones, rugby player, died.

1/2/1951, Douglas Clark, rugby player, died (born 2/5/1891).

14/12/1950, Philip Orr, rugby player, was born.

8/10/1950, Michael Teague, rugby player, was born.

25/11/1949, Anthony Neary, rugby player, was born.

11/9/1949, Roger Uttley, rugby player, was born.

12/2/1949, Fergus Slattery, rugby player, was born.

26/11/1948, Peter Wheeler, rugby player, was born.

24/10/1948, Philip Bennett, rugby player, was born.

5/6/1948, Claude Spanghero, French rugby player, was born.

18/5/1948, Keith Jarrett, rugby player, was born.

21/7/1947, Gareth Edwards, rugby player, was born in Swansea.

3/1/1947, Fran Cotton, rugby player, was born.

30/10/1946, John Atkinson, British rugby league player, was born.

20/9/1945, Alexander Purves, rugby player, was born.

12/7/1945, John Taylor, rugby player, was born.

3/12/1943, Colin Dixon, rugby player, was born in Cardiff.

3/12/1942, Michael Gibson, rugby player, was born.

12/9/1942, William Delme Thomas, rugby player, was born.

14/4/1942, Ian MacLauchlan, rugby player, was born.

12/7/1941, Alan Hardisty, rugby player, was born.

17/3/1940, James Telfer, rugby player, was born.

20/6/1939, Derek Rogers, rugby player, was born.

22/4/1939, Alexander Murphy, rugby player, was born.

24/3/1939, Erith Nicholls, rugby player, died (born 15/7/1874).

7/1/1939, Thomas Kiernan, rugby player, was born in Cork, Ireland.

21/8/1938, Michael Weston, rugby player, was born.

7/8/1938, Dewi Bebb, Welsh rugby player, was born.

29/8/1936, Kenneth Scotland, rugby player, was born.

7/5/1936, Anthony O’Reilly, rugby player, was born.

7/1/1935, William Mulcahy, rugby player, was born.

7/7/1934, David Rollo, rugby player, was born.

20/1/1934, Cecil Pedlow, rugby player, was born.

12/1/1934, Michael Sullivan, rugby player, was born.

1/8/1933, Michael Campbell-Lamerton, rugby player, was born in Malta.

24/9/1933, Terence Davies, rugby player, was born.

15/10/1932, Vince Karalius, rugby player, was born.

9/12/1932, David Marques, rugby player, was born.

24/8/1932, Norman Bruce, rugby player, was born (died 28/3/1992).

5/6/1932, Ronald Dawson, rugby player, was born in Dublin.

3/5/1932, John Currie, rugby player, was born (died 8/12/1990).

27/2/1932, Richard Owen(s), rugby player, died(born 17/11/1876).

25/11/1931, Richard Jeeps, rugby player, was born.

11/4/1931, Lewis Jones, rugby player, was born.

21/11/1930, Brinley Meredith, rugby player, was born.

20/11/1930, John Whiteley, rugby player, was born.

22/9/1930, Peter Jackson, rugby player, was born.

14/7/1930, Rhys Williams, rugby player, was born (died 27/1/1993).

7/4/1930, Clifford Morgan, rugby player, was born.

31/1/1930, Roslyn Reynolds, English rugby player, was born.

9/8/1929, Jeff Butterfield, rugby player, was born.

17/6/1927, Alan Prescott, rugby player, was born.

26/11/1926, Karl Mullen, rugby player, was born.

12/9/1926, David Valentine, rugby player, was born (died 14/8/1976).

20/8/1926, William Trew, rugby player, died.

25/9/1925, John Kendall-Carpenter, rugby player, was born (died 23/5/1990).

18/4/1923, Douglas Elliot, rugby player, was born.

22/2/1923, Bleddyn Williams, rugby player, was born.

30/12/1921, Kenneth Jones, rugby player, was born.

1/2/1921, Eric Evans, rugby player, was born (died 12/1/1991).

30/7/1920, Ernest Ward, rugby player, was born (died 9/7/1987).

22/5/1919, Desmond O’Brien, rugby player, was born.

19/3/1919, Joseph Egan, rugby player, was born in Wigan.

23/9/1916, Kenneth Gee, rugby player, was born (died 17/4/1989).

17/2/1916, Alexander Obolensky, rugby player, was born (died 29/3/1940).

5/9/1915, David Bedell-Sivright, rugby player, died (born 8/12/1880)

5/5/1915, Ronald Poulton, rugby player, died (born 12/9/1889).

20/11/1912, Wilfred Wooller, rugby player, was born.

21/3/1911, Augustus Risman, rugby player, was born (died 17/10/1994).

15/3/1910, Stanley Brogden, rugby player, was born.

2/10/1909. The first Rugby match at Twickenham was played – Harlequins versus Richmond.

26/3/1909, Martin Hodgson, rugby player, was born (died 19/7/1991).

7/6/1907, Sir Carl Douglas Aarvold, rugby union player, was born (died 17/3/1991).

26/7/1904, Eugene Davy, rugby player, was born in Dublin.

14/12/1903, Phil MacPherson, rugby player, was born (died 2/3/1981).

2/12/1903, James Sullivan, rugby player, was born (died 14/9/1977).

5/11/1903, James Brough, rugby player, was born (died 16/9/1986).

7/8/1903, James Farrell, rugby player, was born (died 24/10/1979).

22/12/1902, Joseph Thompson, rugby player, was born.

24/11/1902, Alfred Ellaby, rugby player, was born (died 29/9/1993).

19/9/1902, Herbert Waddell, rugby player, was born (died 5/1/1988)

22/12/1901, George Stephenson, rugby player, was born (died 5/8/1970).

1/9/1901, Johnny Bannerman, rugby player, was born (died 10/4/1969).

4/11/1900, The German Rugby Federation (Deutscher Rugby-Verband) was founded at Kassel.

26/11/1899, Ronald Cove-Smith, rugby player, was born (died 9/3/1988).

10/3/1898, William Wavell Wakefield, rugby player, was born (died 12/8/1983).

1897, The Challenge Cup Final was first held. It was staged at Wembley, London, from 1929.

29/8/1895. The Rugby League was formed at a meeting at the George Hotel in Huddersfield.

1/6/1895, John Samuel Tucker, rugby player, was born (died 4/1/1973).

11/3/1895, Albert Jenkins, rugby player, was born (died 7/10/1953).

3/2/1895, Cecil Kershaw, rugby player, was born (died 1/11/1972).

7/10/1891, Cyril Lowe, rugby player, was born (died 6/2/1983).

19/5/1891, Harold Wagstaff, rugby player, was born (died 19/7/1939).

2/5/1891, Douglas Clark, rugby player, was born (died 1/2/1951).

21/6/1890, William Davies, rugby player, was born (died 26/4/1967).

8/1/1890, Charles Pillman, rugby player, was born (died 13/11/1955).

12/9/1889, Ronald Poulton, rugby player, was born (died 5/5/1915).

26/5/1889, William Batten, rugby player, was born (died 27/1/1959).

2/2/1888, Kenneth MacLeod, rugby player (also cricket, athletics) was born (died 7/3/1967).

1883, The Five Nations Tournament began., originally as Four Nations (the fifth nation, France, joined in 1910).

27/3/1883, Adrian Stoop, rugby player, was born (died 27/11/1957).

8/12/1880, David Bedell-Sivright, rugby player, was born (died 5/9/1915)

22/10/1878, The first rugby match to be played under floodlights was held at Broughton, Lancashire; they played Swinton.

1/1/1878, William Llewellyn, rugby player, was born (died 22/3/1973).

1876, Cardiff Rugby Union Club was formed.

17/11/1876, Richard Owen(s), rugby player, was born (died 27/2/1932).

15/7/1874, Erith Nicholls, rugby player, was born (died 24/3/1939).

27/3/1871. The first international rugby match was played between Scotland and England at Edinburgh; Scotland won.

2/3/1871, Billy Bancroft, Welsh rugby player, was born (died 3/3/1959)

26/1/1871. The Rugby Football Union was founded in London, England, by 20 clubs.

1865, Bath Rugby Union Club was formed.

10/10/1864, Arthur Gould, rugby player, was born (died 2/1/1919).

22/10/1860, Henry Vassal, rugby player, was born (died 5/1/1926).

Shooting

5/9/1966, Antony Ringer, shooting champion, was born.

20/12/1947, Malcolm Cooper, Olympic shooter, was born.

2/1/1947, Lanny Bassham, US sports shooter, was born

17/7/1937, Andrew Tucker, shooting champion, was born.

28/9/1925, Robert Braithwaite, champion shooter, was born

16/9/1887, Arthur Fulton, shooting champion, was born (died 26/1/1972).

20/6/1887. Queen Victoria met Annie Oakley, the famous American markswoman who could slice a playing card in two at 30 paces sideways on.

Skating, figure skating, ice skating, roller skating

2/1/1995, Graham Sharpe, champion figure skater, died (born 19/12/1917).

15/4/1994, John Curry, figure skater, died (born 9/9/1949).

23/7/1993, Megan Taylor, figure skating champion, died.

21/8/1980, Jennifer Nicks, champion figure skater, died.

22/3/1972, Elvis Stojk, Canadian ice-skater, was born.

9/7/1971, Thomas Richardson, figure skating champion, died (born 16/1/1887).

2/12/1967, Phyllis Johnson, figure skating champion, died.

27/7/1958, Christopher Dean, ice skater, was born.

7/10/1957, Jayne Torvill, figure skating champion, was born.

17/8/1957, Robin Cousins, figure skating champion, was born.

13/12/1953, Ethel Muckelt, figure skating champion, died (born 30/5/1885)..

9/9/1949, John Curry, figure skater, was born (died 15/4/1994).

27/9/1947, Bernard Ford, ice skater, was born.

14/2/1947, John Page, figure skating champion, died.

16/2/1946, Edgar Syers, ice skater, died (born 18/3/1863).

28/1/1941, Doreen Denny, ice dancer, was born.

26/8/1933, Terence Monaghan, speed skating champion, was born.

1/11/1931, Jean Westwood, ice dancing, was born.

22/4/1929, John Nicks, champion figure skater, was born.

7/7/1926, John Cronshey, speed skater, was born.

15/11/1921, James Johnson, figure skating champion, died.

28/11/1920, Cecelia Colledge, figure skating champion, was born.

19/12/1917, Graham Sharpe, champion figure skater, was born (died 2/1 /1995).

9/9/1917, Florence Syers, ice skater, died.

27/7/1907, Molly Phillips, figure skater, was born (died 15/12/1994).

8/5/1889, Arthur Cumming, figure skater, was born (died 8/5/1914).

16/1/1887, Thomas Richardson, figure skating champion, was born (died 7/1/1971).

30/5/1885, Ethel Muckelt, figure skating champion, was born (died 13/12/1953)..

2/8/1875, Britain’s first roller skating rink opened, in Belgravia, London.

18/3/1863, Edgar Syers, ice skater, was born (died16/2/1946).

22/4/1760. The first pair of roller skates were seen.

1742, The world’s first skating club was formed in Edinburgh.

Skiing

2/6/1974, Arnold Lunn, champion skier, died.

8/2/1971, Andrus Veerpalu, Estonian cross-country skier, was born.

6/7/1949, Georgina Hathorn, champion skier, was born.

13/8/1944, Davina Galica, skiing champion, was born.

18/3/1939, Henry Lunn, champion skier, died (born 30/7/1859).

18/3/1915, Evelyn Pinching, champion skier, was born.

15/11/1914, Peter Lunn, skiing champion, was born.

2/12/1913, Esme Mackinnon, skiing champion, was born.

1879, First large-scale skiing competition, at Huseby Hill, Oslo, Norway.

30/7/1859, Henry Lunn, champion skier, was born (died 18/3/1939).

1843, Start of skiing as a civilian sport, at Tromso, Norway.

1767, First recorded (military) skiing races, in Norway.

Water Skiing

3/3/1963, Steve Moore, water skiing champion, was born.

3/11/1962, Andrew Mapple, water skiing champion, was born.,

14/5/1960, Elizabeth Hobbs, water skiing champion, was born.

14/4/1958, Michael Hazelwood, water skiing champion, was born.

Snooker

10/7/1978, Joe Davis, snooker player, died (born 15/4/1901).

5/12/1975, Ronald O’Sullivan, snooker champion, was born.

13/1/1969, Stephen Hendry, snooker champion, was born.

24/2/1968, Allison Fisher, snooker champion, was born.

11/5/1964, John Parrott, snooker champion, was born.

1963, The World Amateur Snooker Championships were first held.

2/5/1962, James White, snooker champion, was born.

22/8/1957, Steve Davis, snooker player, was born.

18/3/1949, Alex Higgins, snooker champion, was born.

16/10/1947, Terence Griffiths, snooker champion, was born.

3/3/1946, John Virgo, English snooker player, was born.

18/9/1935, John Spencer, snooker champion, was born.

8/10/1932, Ray Reardon, snooker champion, was born.

1927, The World Professional Snooker Championships were first held.

12/12/1923, John Pulman, snooker champion, was born.

1920s, Snooker became popular, after Joe Davis introduced new techniques of play.

14/2/1913, Fred Davis, snooker champion, was born.

2/2/1907, Walter Donaldson, snooker champion, was born (died 24/5/1973).

15/4/1901, Joe Davis, snooker player, was born (died 10/7/1978).

1884, The first set of rules for the game of snooker were drawn up, in India. The game itself dates from the Devonshire Regiment’s HQ in India in 1875.

Softball

1966, The World Softball Championship for men began.

1965, The World Softball Championship for women began

Squash

12/5/1971, Peter Marshall, squash champion, was born.

15/8/1963, Lisa Opie, squash champion, was born.

4/7/1943, Victor Cazelet, squash player, died (born 27/12/1879).

27/12/1897, Victor Cazelet, squash player, was born (died 4/7/1943).

4/4/1892, Tom Jameson, squash champion, was born (died 6/2/1965)

Swimming

20/1/1990, Misaki Yamaguchi, Japanese Olympic swimmer, was born.

29/9/1968, Paul Radmilovic, swimming champion, died (born 5/3/1886).

1973, The Swimming World Championships were first held.

21/5/1969, Martin Harris, swimming champion, was born.

22/1/1967, Nicholas Gillingham, champion swimmer, was born.

30/3/1965, John Hatfield, champion swimmer, died (born 15/8/1893).

19/2/1965, Andrew Jameson, swimming champion, was born.

25/5/1964, Adrian Moorhouse, champion swimmer, was born.

1/11/1962, Sharron Davies, champion swimmer, was born in Plymouth, UK.

29/11/1960, Andrew Astbury, English champion swimmer, was born.

19/7/1960, Philip Hubble, champion swimmer, was born.

22/3/1959, Chris Snode, diving champion, was born.

27/5/1957, Duncan Goodhew, swimmer, was born.

28/12/1953, Brian Brinkley, champion swimmer, was born.

10/2/1950, Mark Spitz, champion US swimmer, was born in Modesto, California.

8/9/1947, Linda Ludgrove, swimming champion, was born.

3/4/1944, Robert McGregor, champion swimmer, was born.

17/3/1944, Diana Wilkinson, swimming champion, was born.

10/8/1941, Anita Lonsbrough, champion swimmer, was born.

12/1/1941, Chet Jastremski, US champion swimmer, was born.

19/11/1940, Elizabeth Ferris, champion diver, was born.

5/3/1939, Judith Grinham, champion swimmer, was born.

30/71938, Rob Derbyshire, champion swimmer, died (born 29/11/1878).

26/5/1932, John Wardrop, champion swimmer, was born.

8/10/1928, John Brockway, champion swimmer, was born.

5/6/1922, Jack Hale, champion swimmer, was born in Hull.

30/1/1911, Jack Besford, swimmer, was born.

1908, An international regulatory organisation for the sport of swimming was established.

15/8/1893, John Hatfield, champion swimmer, was born (died 30/3/1965).

5/3/1886, Paul Radmilovic, swimming champion, was born (died 29/9/1968).

17/3/1885, Henry Taylor, champion swimmer, was born (died 28/2/1951).

24/7/1883, Matthew Webb, swimming champion, died.

29/11/1878, Rob Derbyshire, champion swimmer, was born (died 30/7/1938).

24/2/1872, John Jarvis, champion swimmer, was born (died 9/5/1933).

28/5/1742. The first indoor swimming pool in England opened in London. The entrance fee was one guinea.

Table Tennis (Ping Pong)

20/7/1955, Desmond Douglas, table tennis champion, was born.

1933, The Corbillon Cup was donated by Marcel Corbillon, President of the French Table Tennis Association, for the women’s tournament.

14/4/1933, Diana Rowe, table tennis champion, was born.

1926, The International Table Tennis Federation was established. The Swaythling Cup was donated by Lady Swaythling, for the men’s tournament.

20/11/1922, John Leach, table tennis champion, was born.

30/4/1901, The game of ping pong was created by James Gibb.

Tennis

2/2/1995, Frederick Perry, tennis champion, died (born 18/5/1909).

19/6/1992, Kathleen Godfree, tennis player, died (born 7/5/1896).

7/7/1990, Martina Navratilova beat Zina Garrison to win a record 9th Wimbledon women’s singles.

30/6/1990, Petra Krejsova,: Czech tennis player, was born.

19/9/1988, Thiemo de Bakker, Dutch tennis player, was born.

10/11/1987, David Warburg, real tennis champion, died.

22/6/1985, Patricia Ward, tennis player, died (born 27/2/1929).

8/11/1983, Betty Nuthall, tennis champion, died (born 23/5/1911).

4/7/1982, The men’s finals of Wimbledon were scheduled for a Sunday for the first time. Jimmy Connors beat his fellow-American John McEnroe.

9/3/1982, Mirjana Lucic, Croatian tennis player, was born.

10/3/1980, Julien Jeanpierre, French tennis player, was born.

3/6/1971, Edgar Baerlin, tennis player, died (born 13/12/1879).

22/2/1970, Penelope Dora Boothby, tennis champion, died.

14/6/1969, Steffi Graf, tennis champion, was born.

1968, Tennis tournaments were opened to professional players – ending the amateur game.

3/1/1968, Kent Carlsson, Swedish tennis champion, was born.

15/9/1965, Dyan Castillejo-Garcia, professional tennis player, was born.

16/6/1964, Julian Snow, real tennis champion, was born.

13/5/1963, Penny Lumley, real tennis champion, was born.,

23/10/1962, Christo van Rensburg, South African tennis champion, was born.

19/6/1962, Michael Jeremy Bates, tennis champion, was born.

27/6/1960, Charlotte Dodd, tennis champion, died (born 29/4/1871)

7/1/1960, Dorothea Douglass, tennis champion, died (born 3/9/1878).

10/9/1959, Colin Gregory, tennis champion, died (born 28/7/1903).

18/10/1956, Martina Navratilova, tennis champion, was born in Prague.

25/4/1955, Christopher Mottram, tennis champion, was born.

27/8/1954, John Lloyd, tennis champion, was born.

27/11/1953, Peter Latham, tennis champion, died (born 18/5/1865).

8/3/1951, The International Table Tennis Federation banned Egypt, for refusing to play Israel.

6/8/1946, Blanche Bingley, tennis player, died (born 3/11/1863).

28/11/1945, Dwight F Davis, founder of the Davis Cup tennis tournament, died.

10/7/1945, Virginia Wade, tennis champion, was born.

25/6/1944, Howard Angus, British tennis player, was born.

27/7/1943, Herbert Roper Barrett, tennis champion, died (born 24/11/1873).

14/10/1941, Roger Taylor, tennis champion, was born.

30/4/1939, Karl Meiler, German tennis player was born (died 2014).

29/4/1939, Charles Dixon, tennis champion, died (born 7/2/1873).

9/8/1938, Rod Laver, Australian tennis player, was born.

3/1/1936, Michael Davies, tennis champion, was born in Swansea.

22/11/1935, Robert Wilson, tennis champion, was born.

12/11/1935, William Knight, tennis champion, was born.

9/2/1935, Randolph Lycett, tennis champion, died (born 27/8/1886).

16/8/1934, Angela Buxton, tennis player, was born.

13/6/1934, Shirley Bloomer, tennis player, was born.

21/4/1932, Angela Mortimer, tennis champion, was born.

13/6/1932, Anne Shilcock, tennis champion, was born.

20/7/1931, Herbert Baddeley, tennis player, died.

27/2/1929, Patricia Ward, tennis player, was born (died 22/6/1985).

24/1/1929, Wilfred Baddeley, tennis player, died.

1/12/1928, Arthur Gore, tennis champion, died (born 2/1/1868).

20/4/1925, Herbert Lawford, tennis champion, died (born 15/5/1851).

1923, Hazel Wightman donated the Wightman Cup for women’s tennis championships. It was only available for UK-USA competitions. It was discontinued in 1990 because the tournament had become too one-sided; the USA had won 7-0 in four of the previous five years.

1922, Seeding, to rank the players, was first used at the US National Championships.

1922, King George V opened the new concrete tennis stadium at Wimbledon, seating 15,000.

8/6/1920, Anthony Mottram, tennis champion, was born.

3/4/1914, Katherine Stammers, tennis champion, was born.

1/3/1913, The International Lawn Tennis Federation was set up at a meeting in Paris attended by 13 countries.

17/8/1912, Margaret Scriven, tennis champion, was born.

23/5/1911, Betty Nuthall, tennis champion, was born (died 8/11/1993).

29/12/1910, Reginald Doherty, tennis champion, died (born 14/10/1872).

13/7/1909, Dorothy Round, tennis champion, was born (died 12/11/1982).

18/5/1909, Frederick Perry, tennis champion, was born (died 2/2/1995).

12/8/1904, William Renshaw, tennis champion, died (born 3/1/1861).

28/7/1903, Colin Gregory, tennis champion, was born (died 10/9/1959).

21/12/1902, Patrick Hughes, tennis champion, was born.

1900, The Davis Cup was founded after Dwight F Davis donated his trophy.

7/5/1896, Kathleen Godfree, tennis player, was born (died 19/6/1992).

6/9/1892, Maxwell Woosnam, tennis champion and footballer, was born (died 14/7/1965).

1891, First French tennis championship. Until 1925 this was open to French players only.

27/8/1886, Randolph Lycett, tennis champion, was born (died 9/2/1935).

27/4/1885, Leslie Godfree, tennis player, was born (died 17/11/1971).

1881, First US tennis championship. This became the US Open in 1968.

13/12/1879, Edgar Baerlin, tennis player, was born (died 3/6/1971).

5/7/1879, Dwight F Davis, US Secretary for War 1925-29, who donated the Davis Cup for tennis, was born in St Louis, Missouri.

8/6/1879, Ethel Larcombe, tennis champion, was born (died 10/8/1965).

3/9/1878, Dorothea Douglass, tennis champion, was born (died 7/1/1960).

9/7/1877. The first All Engfland lawn tennis championships were staged at Wimbledon, at the original site at Worple Road.

23/2/1874, Major Walker Wingfield patented the game of lawn tennis, (as distinct from ‘real’ or royal tennis) under the name of ‘Sphairistike’, a version of the Greek for ‘playing ball’. Between July 1874 and June 1875, 1,050 of his tennis sets were sold.

24/11/1873, Herbert Roper Barrett, tennis champion, was born (died 27/7/1943).

7/2/1873, Charles Dixon, tennis champion, was born (died 29/4/1939).

3/2/1872, Sydney Smith, tennis champion, was born (died 27/3/1947).

11/1/1872, Wilfred and Herbert Baddeley, twins, tennis champions, were born.

29/4/1871, Charlotte Dodd, tennis champion, was born (died 27/6/1960)

22/9/1870, Charlotte Cooper, tennis champion, was born (died 10/10/1966).

20/5/1869, Joshua Pim, tennis champion, was born (died 15/4/1942).

2/1/1868, Arthur Gore, tennis champion, was born (died 1/12/1928).

13/2/1867, Harold Mahoney, tennis champion, was born (died 27/6/1905).

18/5/1865, Peter Latham, tennis champion, was born (died 27/11/1953).

9/10/1864, Maud Watson, tennis champion, was born (died 5/6/1946).

3/11/1863, Blanche Bingley, tennis player, was born (died 6/8/1946).

3/1/1861, William Renshaw, tennis champion, was born (died 12/8/1904).

15/5/1851, Herbert Lawford, tennis champion, was born (died 20/4/1925).

Volleyball

30/5/1974, Vigor Bovolenta, Italian volleyball champion, was born.

1952, The Volleyball World Championships for women were first held.

1949, The Volleyball World Championships for men were first held.

1918, Volleyball was introduced to Europe, by US troops.

1895, Volleyball was invented by William Morgan at the Holyoke YMCA. It was introduced to Europe by US troops during World War One.

Water Polo

1885, The Swimming Association of Great Britain drew up the official rules of water polo.

26/1/1879, Charles Smith, water polo champion, was born (died 6/4/1951).

Weightlifting

24/2/1933, Philip Caira, weightlifter, was born.

8/8/1930, Launceston Elliot, weightlifter, died.

30/6/1917, Julian Creus, weightlifter, was born.

28/5/1891, The first world weightlifting championships were held at the Cafe Monico in Piccadilly, London.

Wrestling

11/3/1988, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Japanese professional wrestler, was born.

27/5/1982, Natalya Neidhart, Canadian wrestler, was born.

18/1/1969, Dave Bautista, US professional wrestler, was born.

2/8/1968, Michael Stanco, American professional wrestler, was born (died 2014).

13/3/1966, Akira Nogami, wrestler, was born.

30/5/1955, Jake Smith (Roberts), professional wrestler, was born in Texas.

10/7/1926, Kenneth Richmond, wrestler, was born.

9/6/1924, Ed Farhat, professional wrestler, was born in Lansing, Michigan (died 2003).

10/9/1917, Masahiko Kimura, Japanese wrestler, was born in Kumamoto, Japan (died 1993)

3/11/1880, Edward Barnett, wrestler, was born in Ireland.

Yachting

4/2/1991, Stewart Morris, yachting champion, died (born 25/5/1909).

29/8/1989, Peter Scott, yachtsman, died (born 14/9/1909).

1973, The Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race was first held. It is now he;ld every four years, withy the start and finish point at either Southampton or Portsmouth. Since 1989 the course has been extended to include a visit to the USA coast.

1957, The Admiral’s Cup race was first held off southern England.

1925, The Fastnet Race was first held; a 975 km run from Cowes, Isle of Wight, round the Fastnet Rocks off SW Ireland, and back to Plymouth. It is held every alternate August during Cowes week, and is now the final event of the Admiral’s Cup (see 1957).

14/9/1909, Peter Scott, yachtsman, was born (died 29/8/1989).

25/5/1909, Stewart Morris, yachting champion, was born (died 4/2/1991).

1875, The Yacht Racing Association was formed, to regulate the sport.

1851, The US schooner Americas won a race around the Isle of Wight. The Americas Cup is named after this ship. It was originally known as the Hundred Guinea Cup.

1812, The Royal Yacht Squadron was founded at Cowes, Isle of Wight.

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