ON THIS DAY
1892: The first game of basketball was played at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts.
1974: Millwall beat Fulham 1-0 at The Den in the first Football League match ever to take place on a Sunday.
1984: Swimmer and 'Tarzan' actor Johnny Weissmuller died, aged 79. The first man to swim 100 metres in under one minute, he won five gold medals at the Olympic Games in 1924 and 1928. After his swimming career he went on to star in 12 Hollywood Tarzan films.
1987: Italian MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli was born. The Italian tragically died on October 23, 2011 after an accident during the Malaysian Grand Prix.
2001: England's defensive lynchpin Tony Adams announced his international retirement at the age of 34 after winning 66 caps.
2006: Arsenal signed 16-year-old striker Theo Walcott from Southampton for an initial £5million.
2009: England and Bath prop Matt Stevens revealed he had failed a drugs test and was promptly suspended by both club and country.
2011: British sprinter Bernice Wilson had a four-year ban confirmed after losing an appeal against the sanction imposed following her positive test for two anabolic steroids.
2016: World number one Novak Djokovic strenuously denied any connection to match-fixing. Italian newspaper Tuttosport featured allegations surrounding the Serbian's match against France's Fabrice Santoro at the Paris Masters in 2007, that Djokovic described as "absurd" and "not true".
BIRTHDAYS
Colin Calderwood (soccer) - former Scotland and Tottenham defender, now assistant manager of Aston Villa, born 1965.
Marco Gabbiadini (soccer) - former Sunderland and Derby forward, born 1968.
Charlie Swan (racing) - rider of multiple Champion Hurdle winner Istabraq, born 1968.
Francis Stephenson (rugby league) - former Wigan, London Broncos and Hull KR prop, born 1976.
Owen Hargreaves (soccer) - former Bayern Munich, Manchester United and England midfielder, born 1981.
Michael McBride (below) (gaelic games): the St Colm's, Ballinascreen man played for Derry senior footballers, and won a National League title, born 1982.
Jolyon Palmer (motor racing) - British Formula One driver with Renault Sport, born 1991.
QUICK QUIZ BLITZ
1 Who is the only player to have accrued more than 100 caps for England in rugby union?
2 What nationality is golfer Alex Noren?
3 Name the Cavan woman who was on the first ever Ladies Football Allstar team in 1980.
Martina McGuire? Josie Brioty? Bridget Sheridan? Patricia O’Brien?
4 Who was the last Australian tennis player to win a grand slam singles tournament?
5 Former Cardiff, Sheffield Wednesday and Wolves boss Dave Jones returned to management with which League Two club this week?
(See answers at bottom)
SPORT ON TV
Today (Friday, January 20)
FOOTBALL: Sky Bet Championship, Brighton v Sheffield Wednesday - Sky Sports 1 1900; Vanarama National League, Lincoln v Dover - BT Sport 1 1915; African Nations Cup, Ivory Coast v DR Congo - Eurosport 1 1545, Morocco v Togo - Eurosport 1 1845; LaLiga, Las Palmas v Deportivo La Coruna - Sky Sports 3 1940; Ligue 1, Bastia v Nice - eir Sport 1 1930/BT Sport//ESPN 1945; A-League, Sydney FC v Adelaide United - BT Sport 1 0845.
RUGBY UNION: Champions Cup, Montpellier v Northampton - BT Sport 2 1900, Castres v Leinster - Sky Sports 2 1930.
CRICKET: Big Bash League, Brisbane Heat v Melbourne Renegades - BT Sport 2 0830; South Africa v Sri Lanka, first T20 international - Sky Sports 2 1555.
TENNIS: Australian Open - Eurosport 1/Eurosport 2 0000.
GOLF: Abu Dhabi Championship - Sky Sports 4 0700.
SNOOKER: The Masters, quarter-finals - BBC Two/Eurosport 2 1300, Eurosport 2 1845/BBC Two 1900.
BASKETBALL: NBA, Houston Rockets v Golden State Warriors - BT Sport 1 0100 (Sat).
Tomorrow (Saturday, January 21)
FOOTBALL: Premier League, Liverpool v Swansea - BT Sport 1 1200, Manchester City v Tottenham - BT Sport 1 1700; Championship, QPR v Fulham - Sky Sports 1 1200, Barnsley v Leeds - Sky Sports 1 1715; Scottish Cup fourth round, Rangers v Motherwell - Sky Sports 2/Sky Sports 5 1200; African Nations Cup, Ghana v Mali - Eurosport 1 1545, Egypt v Uganda - Eurosport 1 1845; LaLiga, Villarreal v Valencia - Sky Sports 3 1940; Eredivisie, Feyenoord v Willem II - Sky Sports 5 1835; A-League, Wellington Phoenix v Brisbane Roar - BT Sport 1 0630, Perth Glory v Melbourne Victory - BT Sport 1 0900.
RUGBY UNION: Champions Cup, Ulster v Clermont Auvergne - Sky Sports 3 1230, Saracens v Toulon - BT Sport 2 1445, Sale v Scarlets - Sky Sports 2 1500, Munster v Racing 92 - Sky Sports 2 1715.
CRICKET: Big Bash League, Hobart Hurricanes v Perth Scorchers - BT Sport 2 0500, Melbourne Stars v Sydney Sixers - BT Sport 2 0815.
TENNIS: Australian Open - Eurosport 1/Eurosport 2 0000.
GOLF: Abu Dhabi Championship - Sky Sports 4 0830.
SNOOKER: The Masters, semi-finals - Eurosport 2 1300/BBC One 1315, Eurosport 2 1845/BBC Two 1900.
BASKETBALL: NBA, Boston Celtics v Portland Trail Blazers - BT Sport 1 2200, Cleveland Cavaliers v San Antonio Spurs - BT Sport 1 0130 (Sun).
QUICK QUIZ BLITZ answers: 1 Jason Leonard; 2 Swedish; 3 Martina McGuire; 4 Samantha Stosur (2011 US Open); 5 Hartlepool.
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