ON THIS DAY
1927: Bill Ponsford, playing for Victoria against Queensland in Melbourne, scored 437 runs to beat his own world record of 429 set nearly five years earlier.
1937: Australian media magnate Kerry Packer, who turned the world of cricket upside down in 1977 by announcing plans to launch a world series on his television station, was born. He died aged 68 in December 2005.
2000: Danny Murphy scored the goal which ended Manchester United's two-year unbeaten home record in the Premier League as Liverpool recorded a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford.
2001: Liverpool striker Michael Owen became the first Englishman to be named European Footballer of the Year since Kevin Keegan in 1979.
2008: Blackburn appointed Sam Allardyce as manager on a three-year contract.
2012: England won a Test series in India for the first time since 1985 after drawing the final Test in Nagpur to seal a 2-1 victory.
2013: England lost the Ashes to Australia before Christmas with a third successive landslide defeat, despite Ben Stokes' maiden Test century. Australia regained the urn with a 150-run win to take an unassailable 3-0 lead.
2014: US lawyer Michael Garcia resigned as FIFA's independent ethics investigator after losing his appeal challenging the findings to clear Russia and Qatar to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
2015: Chelsea parted company with manager Jose Mourinho following two days of crisis board meetings. He became the first Premier League manager to leave a club the year after winning the title.
BIRTHDAYS
Ray Wilson (soccer) - member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning team, born 1934.
Rocco Mediate (golf) - American golfer with numerous wins on the PGA Tour, born 1962.
Paula Radcliffe (athletics) - marathon world record holder, born 1973.
Paul Flynn (Gaelic games) – retired Waterford hurler who won three Munster titles.
Arnaud Clement (tennis) - French former Australian Open finalist, born 1977.
Manny Pacquiao (above) (boxing) - eight-division world champion from the Philippines, born 1978.
Charlotte Edwards (cricket) - former England women's captain, born 1979.
Stephen Cluxton (gaelic games) – Dublin goalkeeper and five-time Allstar, born 1981.
Tim Wiese (soccer) - former Germany goalkeeper, now a professional wrestler, born 1981.
David Rudisha (athletics) - 2012 and 2016 800 metres Olympic champion, born 1988.
Noel McGrath (gaelic games) – Tipperary hurler and former Young Player of the Year, born 1990.
Quinton de Kock (cricket) - South Africa batsman and wicketkeeper, born 1992.
QUICK QUIZ BLITZ
1. Name the only footballer to have played for Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United?
2. Who is the current longest-serving inter-county player in gaelic football?
3. The Millennium Trophy is contested annually between England and which other country?
4. How many Cheltenham Gold Cups did Desert Orchid win?
5. How many times have Ulster won the GAA Interprovincial Football Championship?
(See answers at bottom)
SPORT ON TV
Today (Saturday, December 17)
SOCCER: Premier League, Crystal Palace v Chelsea - Sky Sports 1 1130, West Brom v Manchester United - BT Sport 1 1700; Championship, Birmingham v Brighton - Sky Sports 1 1715; National League, Macclesfield v Bromley - BT Sport 1 1145; Welsh Premier League, Connah's Quay v The New Saints - S4C 1700; LaLiga, Sporting Gijon v Villarreal - Sky Sports 5 1155, Granada v Real Sociedad - Sky Sports 5 1730, Sevilla v Malaga - Sky Sports 5 1940; Serie A, AC Milan v Atalanta - eir Sport 1 1655; Bundesliga, Wolfsburg v Eintracht Frankfurt - BT Sport 2, 1730; Eredivisie, Feyenoord v Vitesse - Sky Sports 4 1835; A-League, Wellington Phoenix v Western Sydney Wanderers - BT Sport 2 0630, Melbourne City v Melbourne Victory - BT Sport 2 0845, Perth Glory v Sydney FC - BT Sport 2 1100.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL: NFL, New York Jets v Miami Dolphins - Sky Sports 1 0100 (Sun).
BASKETBALL: NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder v Phoenix Suns - BT Sport 1 2200.
CRICKET: First Test, Australia v Pakistan - BT Sport 3 0230; Fifth Test, India v England - Sky Sports 2 0345.
DARTS: PDC World Darts Championship - Sky Sports Darts 1300.
HORSE RACING: Channel 4 Racing - Channel 4 1330, eir Sport Race Day Live - eir Sport 1 1400.
UFC: Fight Night - BT Sport 2 2200.
RUGBY UNION: European Rugby Champions Cup, Bordeaux-Begles v Exeter Chiefs - Sky Sports 2 1230, Leicester v Munster - BT Sport 2 1500, Connacht v Wasps - Sky Sports 2 1700, Leinster v Northampton - BT Sport 2 1930.
SKIING: Alpine Skiing, World Cup - Eurosport 2 0915; Cross-Country Skiing,
World Cup - Eurosport 1 1000; Nordic Combined Skiing, World Cup - Eurosport 2 1245; Biathlon, World Cup - Eurosport 2 1345, Ski Jumping, World Cup - Eurosport 2 1445.
SNOOKER: Scottish Open - Eurosport 1 1245.
Tomorrow (Sunday, December 18)
AWARD CEREMONY: Sports Personality of the Year 2016 - BBC One, 1840.
SOCCER: Premier League, Bournemouth v Southampton - Sky Sports 1 1230, Manchester City v Arsenal - Sky Sports 1 1530; Championship, QPR v Aston Villa - Sky Sports 2 1145; LaLiga, Leganes v Eibar - Sky Sports 5 1500, Deportivo La Coruna v Osasuna - Sky Sports 5 1725, Barcelona v Espanyol - Sky Sports 1 1930; Serie A, Sassuolo v Inter Milan - eir Sport 1 1125, BT Sport 1 1130, Napoli v Torino - BT Sport 2 1345, Chievo v Sampdoria - eir Sport 1 1355, Genoa v Palermo - eir Sport 1 1940; Bundesliga, Darmstadt 98 v Bayern Munich - BT Sport 1 1415, Bayer Leverkusen v Ingolstadt 04 - BT Sport 1 1630; Ligue 1, Marseille v Lille - eir Sport 1 1555, Monaco v Lyon - BT Sport 1 1930; Portuguese Liga NOS, Sporting Lisbon v SC Braga - BT Sport 2 2045; A-League, Central Coast Mariners v Brisbane Roar, BT Sport 1 0600.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL: NFL, TBC - Sky Sports 2 1730, TBC - Sky Sports 2 2100, Cincinnati Bengals v Pittsburgh Steelers - Sky Sports 1 0130 (Mon).
BASKETBALL: NBA, Washington Wizards v Los Angeles Clippers - BT Sport//ESPN 2030.
CRICKET: Fifth Test, India v England - Sky Sports 2 0345.
DARTS: PDC World Darts Championship - Sky Sports Darts 1300.
RUGBY UNION: European Rugby Champions Cup, Scarlets v Toulon - Sky Sports 4 1230, Clermont Auvergne v Ulster - Sky Sports 4 1500, Sale Sharks v Saracens - BT Sport 2 1715.
SKIING: Alpine Skiing, World Cup - Eurosport 2 0815, Nordic Combined Skiing, World Cup - Eurosport 1 1015, Live Biathlon, World Cup - Eurosport 2 1045, Ski Jumping, World Cup - Eurosport 2 1245.
SNOOKER: Scottish Open - Eurosport 1 1245.
QUICK QUIZ BLITZ answers: 1. Peter Beardsley 2. Sligo’s Martin Breheny 3. Ireland. 4. One 5. 31
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