Sport

On this Day, 1896: The first modern Olympic Games, the brainchild of Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin, got under way in Athens

Former Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba turns 30 today  
Former Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba turns 30 today   Former Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba turns 30 today  

1896: The first modern Olympic Games, the brainchild of Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin, got under way in Athens. A total of 59 athletes from 10 nations took part.

1900: James J Jeffries successfully defended the world heavyweight title by knocking out Jack Finnegan after just 55 seconds.

1993: Guy Whittingham's fourth hat-trick of the season, in Portsmouth's 4-0 defeat of Peterborough, took his goal tally to 43 - equalling the club record set by Billy Haines in 1926-27.

1994: The English Football Association called off England's friendly against Germany, fixed for April 20, the anniversary of Adolf Hitler's birth, because of police intelligence discovering massive demonstrations being planned.

2003: Finland's Kimi Raikkonen was named the winner of an extraordinary Brazilian Grand Prix, which was stopped 18 laps early after an horrific collision involving Jaguar's Mark Webber and Renault's Fernando Alonso, denying Italy's Giancarlo Fisichella his maiden win. The results were later amended to declare Fisichella the victor.

2004: Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-1, 3-2 on aggregate, to reach the Champions League semi-finals.

2010: Lionel Messi scored all four Barcelona goals as they eliminated Arsenal at the quarter-final stage of the Champions League after a 4-1 win at the Nou Camp made the aggregate score 6-3.

BIRTHDAYS

Mark Venus (soccer) - former Wolves and Ipswich defender, born 1967.

Neil Thomas (gymnastics) - first British gymnast to win a World Championship medal when taking the floor exercise silver in 1993, born 1968.

Robert Earnshaw (soccer) - former Cardiff, Norwich, Nottingham Forest and Wales striker, born 1981.

James Wade (darts) - youngest player to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in 2007, born 1983.

Jerome Kaino (rugby union) - New Zealand back-row forward, born 1983.

Liam Plunkett (cricket) - Yorkshire and England bowler, born 1985.

Fabrice Muamba (soccer) - former Bolton midfielder, who had to retire after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch in a match at Tottenham, born 1988.

QUIZ

1. Gloucestershire have signed which former England wicketkeeper ahead of the 2017 county season?

2. Which Golden State Warriors player has scored the most three-pointers in the NBA this season?

3. Name the former Czech Republic midfielder who enjoyed Premier League spells with Liverpool, Portsmouth, Aston Villa and Stoke.

4. Which late Worcestershire batsman's England call-up caused a tour to South Africa to be abandoned in a row over apartheid?

5. Who is the only horse to win the Grand National three times?


Answers below

SPORT ON TV

Friday, April 7

SOCCER: Sky Bet Championship, QPR v Brighton - Sky Sports 2 1930; La Liga, Villarreal v Athletic Bilbao - Sky Sports 5 1940; Bundesliga, Eintracht Frankfurt v Werder Bremen - BT Sport//ESPN 1930; A-League, Melbourne City v Adelaide United - BT Sport 1 1045; Chinese Super League, Shanghai SIPG v Shandong Luneng - Sky Sports 1 1230.

GOLF: The Masters - Sky Sports 4 1900 and eir Sport 1 2000.

CRICKET: Indian Premier League, Gujarat Lions v Kolkata Knight Riders - Sky Sports 3 1500.

RUGBY UNION: Aviva Premiership, Sale Sharks v Worcester Warriors - BT Sport 1 1900; PRO12, Ulster v Cardiff Blues - BBC Two Northern Ireland and BBC Two Wales 1930; Super Rugby, Hurricanes v Waratahs - Sky Sports 2 0830; HSBC Sevens World Series, Hong Kong Sevens - Sky Sports 3 0450 and Sky Sports 5 0150.

RUGBY LEAGUE: Betfred Super League, Warrington Wolves v Leeds Rhinos - Sky Sports 3 1930.

MOTOR SPORT: Formula One, Chinese Grand Prix, practice session - Sky Sports F1 0245, eir Sport 1 0255.

TENNIS: Davis Cup, France v Great Britain - BBC Two England 1300; WTA, Monterrey Open - BT Sport 2 2100.

MOTOR CYCLING: MotoGP, GP of Argentina, practice sessions - BT Sport 2 1300, 1545 and 1700.

CYCLING: Basque Tour - Eurosport 1 1430.

HORSE RACING: Grand National Festival - ITV 1400.

BASKETBALL: NBA, Cleveland Cavaliers v Atlanta Hawks - BT Sport 1 0030 (Sat).

BASEBALL: MLB, San Diego Padres v San Francisco Giants - BT Sport//ESPN 2330.

Answers: 1. Phil Mustard; 2. Stephen Curry; 3. Patrik Berger; 4. Basil D'Oliveira; 5. Red Rum.