Monthly Archives for June 2013

AWARDS SHOW: June Grand Quiz Champion unveiled!

FOOTBALL – Just like in May, @G_o_s_h_a emerged our champion with a jaw-dropping 99 out of 100 points. However, it took fending off the excellent @poirot986, who finished runner-up on 98. Since the former had already qualified for our Clausura season final in October, @poirot986 will join him there. Also want to be a monthly winner? Our July competition starts Monday 1st, at 14:00 CET on Twitter (@InfostradaLive).

TWITTER QUIZ: Friday, 28 June

FOOTBALL – Today’s question: QUIZ – Which major competition’s most recent final featured goals by Oribe Peralta and Hulk?

Today’s answer: Olympic Games (2012)

Association quiz answer: Javier Mascherano, born in 1984, has represented among others West Ham United, Liverpool and FC Barcelona and has won two gold medals at the Olympic Games.

 

Points earned in today’s quiz:

5 – @sportzeloot

4 – @imabhi2809

3 – @JChen_95

2 – @GianpaSabat

1 – @mohamad_zein_

Weekly final standings:

29 – @sportzeloot (6 bonus points via association quiz)

18 – @poirot986 (6 bonus points via association quiz)

11 – @CoquelinFrancis (8 bonus points via association quiz)

10 – @marcobinnekamp_

10 – @JoeTheRef (6 bonus points via association quiz)

7 – @ilquerre

4 – @imabhi2809

3 – @JChen_95

2 – @aalsaudi10

2 – @GianpaSabat

2 – @DimJeTong (2 bonus points via association quiz)

1 – @MarkLobbezoo

1 – @eumerba

1 – @Tijmenl

1 – @omobobo

1 – @mohamad_zein_

 

INFOGRAPHIC: Cavendish aiming for more stage wins

CYCLING – Mark Cavendish needs one more stage win in a Grand Tour to surpass Bernard Hinault in fifth place for most stage wins in all three Grand Tours. In this year’s Giro d’Italia he already surpassed Rik Van Looy, Learco Guerra and Delio Rodríguez. The Infographic below shows who are still ahead of the Briton. Pink stands for Giro stage wins, yellow for Tour de France stage wins and red for Vuelta a España stage wins.
image

 

PREVIEW: Australia v British & Irish Lions – 2nd Test

RUGBY UNION – The following is a preview for the second Test match of the British and Irish Lions Tour of Australia.

Head-to-head
> The Lions have now won two successive Tests, the opening Test of their 2013 tour of Australia and the final Test of their 2009 tour of South Africa. They had not won back-to-back Tests since winning the first two of their 1997 tour of South Africa, which was also the last Test series won by the Lions. Last week, the Lions fielded a starting XV comprising of a record 796 Test caps.
> The Lions have not won three consecutive Tests since winning the first three of their 1974 tour of South Africa.
> Last Saturday, the Lions recorded only their second ever Test victory in a match in which the opponents scored 20 or more points, following a 23-22 triumph over South Africa on 6 August 1955. Their record in these matches is now two wins, one draw and 27 defeats in 30 Test matches. 
> This will be only the Lions’ second Test match in Melbourne, following a 35-14 defeat to the Wallabies on 7 July 2001. That match took place at Colonial Stadium, later renamed Telstra Dome, until the present name of Etihad Stadium was attached to it.
> In 21 Test matches against Australia, the Lions have recorded 16 triumphs, no draws and five defeats. The Wallabies are the only Test adversaries that the Lions have a winning record against.
> The team that has won the first Test of the Lions tour has won the series on four of the previous six occasions. The exceptions in this span were the Lions tours of Australia in 1989 and 2001.
> The Wallabies’ starters have a combined experience level of 486 Tests (32.4 on average) coming into this match. Four of their 15 starters will be playing in only their second Test.
> The Lions’ starters have a combined experience of 702 Test matches (46.8 on average) under their belt coming into this match.

Australia
> Last Saturday, Israel Folau became the first Test debutant to score multiple tries against the Lions since New Zealand’s Ralph Caulton on 15 Aug 1959.
> Folau became only the fourth Wallaby to score two tries in a Test facing the Lions following doubles by Lonnie Spragg (05 Aug 1899), Joe Roff (07 Jul 2001) and Dan Herbert (14 Jul 2001).
> Spragg recorded three tries in total against the Lions and is the only Wallaby to have achieved that. Folau needs one more try to equal that.
> Folau was 17 years and 347 days old when he started his professional career in Rugby League, playing for the Melbourne Storm. On Saturday, Folau returns to the city where it all started for him.
> At 24, Folau is the only player from Australia that has played all three codes (Rugby Union (Super Rugby), Rugby League (NRL) and Aussie Rules (AFL)) at the highest level in Australia.
> Ben Alexander will pick up his 50th Test cap. He will be the 38th Wallaby to reach the half century. Alexander made his Test debut on 28 June 2008 against France. He will be the fourth Wallaby prop to reach the milestone, following Al Baxter (69), Benn Robinson (57) and Ewen McKenzie (51).
> The Wallabies have already handed three players their Test debut in these series against the Lions and Jesse Mogg can become the fourth. In 2001, the Wallabies also fielded four Test debutants in the series against the Lions – Nick Stiles, Ben Darwin, Brendan Cannon and Justin Harrison.
> Michael Hooper (21 years and 243 days old on Saturday) and Liam Gill (21-021) can become the youngest try scorers in a Test match against the Lions in the professional era, in any case the youngest since Scott Gourley (20-348) on 1 July 1989. 
> Liam Gill is a Melbourne native.

British and Irish Lions
> Brian O’Driscoll will be 34 years and 159 days old on Saturday, 22 June. He can become the oldest try scorer in Lions history. The record now belongs to Bill MacLagan who crossed over against South Africa aged 33 years and 153 days on 5 September 1891, 122 years ago.
> Four Lions players have scored tries in more than one Lions tour: Tony O’Reilly (1955-1959), Ken Jones (1962-1966), J.J. Williams (1974-1977) and Andy Irvine (1974-1980). In this respect, four of the current Lions can join them: Mike Phillips, Tom Croft, Rob Kearney and Brian O’Driscoll. Of this quartet, only Croft and O’Driscoll have been included in Saturday’s 23.
> O’Driscoll scored his only Lions Test try against Australia in 2001. He can shatter Andy Irvine’s record for most years (six) between first and last Lions Test try.
> Last Saturday, Brian O’Driscoll equalled Willie John McBride for the longest Lions Test career. McBride also played his last Lions Test 4,375 days after his first. This Saturday, O’Driscoll will improve on that mark and register the longest ever Lions Test career.
> One opposition player, New Zealand’s Colin Meads, played his last Test against the Lions 4,382 days after his first. O’Driscoll can equal that mark on Saturday.
> O’Driscoll will make his 132nd start in a Test match, leaving him one shy of the world record of 133 starts by former Australia scrum-half George Gregan. 
> In terms of total Test appearances, O’Driscoll’s total will rise to 133 (132 starts, 1 substitute appearance). That total will be six shy of Gregan’s 139 total (133 starts, 6 appearances as a substitute).
> Mako Vunipola (22 years and 167 days old this Saturday) can become the youngest try scoring forward for the Lions in 110 years, since William Cave crossed over for Great Britain against South Africa at age 20 on 26 August 1903.
> George North and Alex Cuthbert scored tries in their Lions debut last Saturday. They can become the first Wales players to score tries in each of their first two Lions tests since Percy Bush and Willie Llewellyn both managed the feat nearly 99 years ago (23 Jul 1904).
> They can become the first Lions players to score tries in their first two Tests for the team since Jeff Butterfield nearly 58 years ago (20 Aug 1955).
> The Lions have made five changes to their starting XV, compared to the first Test. Since their 2001 tour of Australia they have not made fewer than five changes from one Test to the next within the same series. In 2005, they made seven changes (1st-2nd Test) and five changes (2nd-3rd). In 2009, they made five changes (1st-2nd) and seven changes (2nd-3rd).
> Last week, Tom and Ben Youngs became the first brothers to play in the same Lions Test match since Scott and Gavin Hastings on 15 July 1989. This Saturday, the Youngs brothers will become the first siblings to start in the same Lions Test since the Hastings in that same match on 15 July 1989.
> If George North scores another try this Saturday, he will become the youngest player to have scored multiple Test tries for the Lions since Tony O’Reilly in 1955. O’Reilly would ultimately emerge as the Lions’ all-time leading try scorer (six Test tries).
> Last Saturday, all 23 points for the Lions were scored by Wales players. This equals a Lions Test record (on tour) for highest total of points scored exclusively by representatives from one national team –  on 14 July 2001 all 23 points were scored by England players.
> Brian O’Driscoll will play in his eighth Lions Test, the most by one player since Martin Johnson featured in his eighth in 2001.
> Should O’Driscoll play in a ninth Test it will be the most for one player since Graham Price exceeded eight in 1983.
> No Scotland player made an appearance in the first Test. Sean Maitland was part of the 23, but remained on the bench. In the second Test, no Scotland player will start and prop Ryan Grant is the only Scotland player among the reserves.

TWITTER QUIZ: Thursday, 27 June

FOOTBALL – Today’s question: QUIZ – In 2013, Chelsea won the Europa League. Which was the last English team before them to win the Europa League (UEFA Cup)?

Today’s answer: Liverpool

Want to guess the association? Click this Link.

Points earned in today’s quiz:

5 – @marcobinnekamp_

4 – @sportzeloot

3 – @CoquelinFrancis

2 – @poirot986

1 – @omobobo

Weekly standings:

18 – @sportzeloot

12 – @poirot986

10 – @marcobinnekamp_

7 – @ilquerre

4 – @JoeTheRef

3 – @CoquelinFrancis

2 – @aalsaudi10

1 – @MarkLobbezoo

1 – @eumerba

1 – @Tijmenl

1 – @omobobo

 

TWITTER QUIZ: Wednesday, 26 June

FOOTBALL – Today’s question: QUIZ – Which was the first European club that Diego Maradona played for?

Today’s answer: FC Barcelona

Want to guess the association? Click this Link.

Points earned in today’s quiz:

5 – @ilquerre

4 – @sportzeloot

3 – @poirot986

2 – @marcobinnekamp_

1 – @Tijmenl

Weekly standings:

14 – @sportzeloot

10 – @poirot986

7 – @ilquerre

5 – @marcobinnekamp_

4 – @JoeTheRef

2 – @aalsaudi10

1 – @MarkLobbezoo

1 – @eumerba

1 – @Tijmenl

 

TWITTER QUIZ: Tuesday, 25 June

FOOTBALL – Today’s question: QUIZ – At the European Championship in which year did one player manage to score two hat-tricks?

Today’s answer: 1984 (Michel Platini)

Want to guess the association? Click this Link.

Points earned in today’s quiz:

5 – @sportzeloot

4 – @poirot986

3 – @marcobinnekamp_

2 – @aalsaudi10

1 – @eumerba

Weekly standings:

10 – @sportzeloot

7 – @poirot986

4 – @JoeTheRef

3 – @marcobinnekamp_

2 – @ilquerre

2 – @aalsaudi10

1 – @MarkLobbezoo

1 – @eumerba

 

TWITTER QUIZ: Monday, 24 June

FOOTBALL – Today’s question: QUIZ – Which club was Bobby Moore playing for when he won the 1966 World Cup as England captain?

Today’s answer: West Ham United

Want to guess the association? Click this Link.

 

Points earned in today’s quiz:

5 – @sportzeloot

4 – @JoeTheRef

3 – @poirot986

2 – @ilquerre

1 – @MarkLobbezoo

Weekly standings:

5 – @sportzeloot

4 – @JoeTheRef

3 – @poirot986

2 – @ilquerre

1 – @MarkLobbezoo