The Big Sport Quiz of 2019: How much do you remember from a vintage year of sport?
World Cups of cricket, rugby union, netball and women’s football. The end of Tiger Woods’s long wait for another Major. An epic men’s Wimbledon final.
More success for Lewis Hamilton. Liverpool’s re-emergence as a football superpower. The return of Andy Murray.
This has been a vintage sporting year all right. But how closely were you paying attention? Take our fiendishly tricky quiz to find out. Answers are at the bottom of the page.
Questions
1. Tiger Woods ended more than a decade of waiting for his 15th golf Major at the Masters in April, but who led until a disastrous back nine?
2. England beat New Zealand in the Cricket World Cup final after a Super Over based on boundaries scored, but how many did they hit? a) 22 b) 24 c) 26 d) 28
3. By how many points did Liverpool lead Manchester City at the top of the Premier League before they met in early January?
4. With 36, which team were leading try-scorers at the Rugby World Cup?
5. How many races did Lewis Hamilton win on his way to a sixth Formula One title? a) 10 b) 11 c) 12 d) 13
6. England finished third as hosts of the Netball World Cup. Who won?
a) Australia b) New Zealand c) South Africa d) Jamaica
7. Mike Trout bagged the biggest contract in sport history when he signed a 12-year deal with baseball’s Los Angeles Angels. How much is it reportedly worth? a) $300m b) $370m c) $430m d) $500m
8. After five hours of tennis, the men’s Wimbledon final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer became the first to be decided by a tie break. How many of the five sets were settled by a tie break?
9. Which Kenyan distance runner became the first person to run the marathon in under two hours, albeit in an unofficial race?
10. Who won football’s inaugural Uefa Nations League in July?
11. Sale Sharks’ Denny Solomona and Northampton Saints’ Cobus Reinach shared which accolade in the 2019-20 Premiership Rugby season?
12. English domestic cricket’s new competition, The Hundred, began to take shape as the eight team names were announced. Which one of the following is genuine? a) London Pride b) Oval Originals c) Welsh Fire d) Scotch Mist
13. Which of these teams picked up a win at football’s Women’s World Cup? a) South Korea b) New Zealand c) Cameroon d) Argentina
14. Who became the first Latin American cyclist to win the Tour de France this year?
15. Shane Lowry proved a popular winner when golf’s Open Championship visited Portrush, but who tied for sixth on his Major debut and would go on to be crowned European Tour Rookie of the Year?
16. In September, Kent’s Darren Stevens, 43, became the second oldest cricketer after the great WG Grace to do what?
17. A 15-year-old Coco Gauff lit up Wimbledon this year, but who knocked her out and went on to win the women’s singles title?
18. Which Watford player received 14 yellow cards in the Premier League last season, more than anyone else?
19. Who did Saracens come from 11 points behind to beat in a tense Premiership Rugby final?
20. Which two F1 teams jointly failed to finish the most races this season?
21. A big-money revamp of the Davis Cup saw the unofficial “world cup of tennis” moved to a single week in November. Which Spanish footballer is a key player in the project?
22. Who became involved in a lengthy legal battle with Rugby Australia after being sacked for posting homophobic comments?
23. Which high-flying League One boss is currently the longest-serving manager in the English Football League?
24. Swimmer Adam Peaty won the men’s 100m breaststroke at the World Championships in July. How many of the fastest times at that distance have been set by Peaty? a) 4 b) 8 c) 12 d) 16
25. What milestone did cricketer Tim Murtagh achieve when playing against England in July?
26. At £80m, who was the most expensive English transfer of football’s summer window?
27. The LA Chargers denied reports they were exploring plans to relocate to London, but how many NFL games were played here this year?
28. Which Bath player was the only man to score a drop goal during the 2018-19 Premiership Rugby campaign?
29. Who became the first female British sprinter since Kathy Cook in 1983 to win an individual World Athletics Championship medal?
30. Liverpool were the subject of a High Court battle over the right to make their kit and official apparel between which two brands?
31. Which left-arm spinner was leading wicket-taker at the Cricket World Cup?
32. Andy Murray won his first singles tennis title since career-saving hip surgery at this year’s European Open. Which fellow grand slam winner did he beat in the final?
33. Which Samoan was the only player to be sin-binned twice during the Rugby World Cup?
34. Amazon became the first streaming service to show live Premier League football. But which English top-flight team is the subject of its next fly-on-the-wall documentary?
35. Can you name one of the three F1 drivers to have a first podium finish this year?
36. Who proved an inspired pick by Europe captain Catriona Matthew, holing the winning putt in the Solheim Cup despite having played only two events in the previous two years?
37. In rugby union, England got off to a flying start in 2019, ending Ireland’s 12-game winning streak at the Aviva Stadium and scoring the first try within 90 seconds. Who scored it?
38. Which Nigerian former Premier League striker finished top scorer in the Africa Cup of Nations?
39. Dismissing John Campbell, who took England’s first Test wicket of 2019?
40. What was the third major event of 2019’s Super Sunday, after the Cricket World Cup final and the men’s singles final of Wimbledon?
Answers
1. Francesco Molinari; 2. c) 26 (to New Zealand’s 17); 3. seven; 4. New Zealand; 5. b) 11; 6. b) New Zealand; 7. c) $430m; 8. three (all won by Djokovic); 9. Eliud Kipchoge; 10. Portugal; 11. Top try scorers, with 12; 12. c) Welsh Fire; 13. Cameroon; 14. Egan Bernal; 15. Bob MacIntyre; 16. Take five wickets and hit a double-hundred in a first-class match; 17. Simona Halep; 18. Etienne Capoue; 19. Exeter; 20. Haas and Renault, with 10 apiece (Renault suffered two retrospective disqualifications); 21. Gerard Pique; 22. Israel Folau; 23. Gareth Ainsworth (Wycombe); 24. d) 16; 25. First Irishman to take a five-wicket haul in Test cricket; 26. Harry Maguire; 27. four; 28. Freddie Burns; 29. Dina Asher-Smith; 30. New Balance and Nike; 31. Mitchell Santner (27); 32. Stan Wawrinka; 33. TJ Ioane; 34. Tottenham; 35. Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc; 36. Suzann Pettersen; 37. Jonny May; 38. Odion Ighalo; 39. Moeen Ali; 40. British Grand Prix.