Q How many Olympic swimming medals has Franzi van Almsick won? —
Pam Jones, Abergavenny A Germany’s Franziska van Almsick has won four silvers and six bronze medals spread over four Olympic Games. Born in East Berlin, she was a swimming prodigy from the age of five, but it was not until the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, when she was 14, that she came to the world’s attention. She won four medals in Barcelona, taking silver in the 200m freestyle and medley relay, and bronze in the 100m freestyle and 4 x 100m freestyle relay. She also competed in the 100m butterfly and the 50m freestyle. At the 1994 world championships she broke the eight-year-old world record in the 200m freestyle with a time of 1min 56.78sec that would stand until she set a new mark in 2002. In the 200m freestyle final at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Van Almsick finished second to Claudia Poll of Costa Rica. Four days later she swam the first leg for Germany in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay, winning a second silver. She also won a bronze medal in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay. Four years later in Sydney, she won a bronze in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay and in Athens last year she added two more Olympic bronze medals to her total — one in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay and another in the 4 x 100m medley relay. — Paul Jennings, Huddersfield
Q What is the highest total in first-class cricket not to contain a hundred? — Anthony Roberts, via e-mail
A It is 605, scored by Madhya Pradesh v Haryana in a Ranji Trophy match at Rajnandgaon in March 1999. There were five 50s, the highest score was 90, and the lowest 21 not out, scored by the No 11 batsman. This record was nearly surpassed this month in the Frizzell County Championship match between Gloucestershire and Surrey at Bristol. The visitors scored 603, with seven 50s and a top score of 89 by Azhar Mahmood. In Test cricket, the record is India’s 524 for nine declared against New Zealand at Kanpur in November 1976. Six batsmen scored 50s, the highest score being 70 by Mohinder Amarnath. — J Hugh Thomas, Llandovery, Carms
Q Is it true that at one time Manchester United signed only Catholic players? — Stuart King, Sheffield
A This is completely untrue. — Karen Shotbolt, communications officer, Manchester United
A I have followed United for more than 45 years, and although the club has had many Catholic players, it has also had many non-Catholics. United were formed as Newton Heath LYR in 1878 as the works team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath, becoming Manchester United on April 26, 1902. Another name suggested at the time — and rejected — was Manchester Celtic, as was Manchester Central. For as long as I can remember, United’s supporters have come from all religious backgrounds. Although it is true that they have long had links with Ireland and have signed many Irish players, that is not the same as being an all-Catholic club. What is more, many of United’s best-loved Irish players have been Protestant, including George Best and Norman Whiteside, from Northern Ireland. Duncan Edwards, who died as a result of injuries suffered in the Munich air crash in 1958, was arguably United’ s greatest player. There is a stained glass window, left, dedicated to his memory — in St Francis’s Church of England church in his home town of Dudley, West Midlands. — Trevor Rollinson, Swinton
Q Having recently taken up darts, I wondered why throwing a 20, five and one is called a B&B? — Jon Jones, Sheffield
A The explanation is the same as it was for the old bingo callers’ slang for the number 26. In the good old days of pounds, shillings and pence, a night’s accommodation in a reasonable bed and breakfast establishment cost half-a-crown, or two shillings and sixpence — “two and six”. I trust your correspondent needs no clarification of the origins of that other well-known darts call ‘three in a bed’! — Chris Moran, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
A There are many local slang terms in darts jargon. These include ‘bag o’ nuts’ for throwing a score of 45. It has its origins in the fairground, where a score of 45 on the darts stall in the 1930s would win you a bag of nuts. Another was ‘Connaught Rangers’ for a score of 88. This harks back to the Peninsular War in the early years of the 19th century when the Rangers — or the 88th Regiment of Foot — were a famous unit in the Duke of Wellington’s army. — Jeff Stuart, Stourbridge
Q Are the tennis siblings Marat Safin and Dinara Safina Muslims? — Z Whitehead, London
A Marat Safin and his sister, inset, are Muslim Tatars, an ethnic group now found all across the old Soviet Union, but with large concentrations in the Crimea and Siberia. Historically, the Tatars were the decendants of Genghis Khan’s Mongols, who adopted Islam as their religion in the 14th century. They were a dominant force in what is now Russia and Ukraine until the late 15th century, when the ‘Tatar Yoke’ was lifted by the Muscovite King Ivan III. Safin says that although he was born in Moscow into the Islamic faith, neither he nor his parents practise the rituals, although his grandfather was a practising Muslim. Safin’s mother, Rausa, was a former top-10 Russian tennis player, while his father, Mikhail, a former decathlete, managed Moscow’s Spartak tennis club. Rausa taught Marat to play tennis until the age of 13. When he was 14 Safin moved to Valencia, Spain, to train with coach Rafael Mensua. — Julia Thorpe, Poole
Any Answers?
Send questions or answers to Peter Boyle, Q & A, The Sunday Times Sport, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1ST, or e-mail peter.boyle@sunday-times.co.uk
Q Has any player scored a Premiership hat-trick and still finished on the losing side? — David Gogherty, Llanrumney
Q Who was Alf Ramsey’s first England captain? — Judith Gallimore, Bridlington
Q Did athlete Donna Hartley compete in a Miss Great Britain bodybuilding contest? — Robert Tyrell, Walworth
Q Who was the first Irishman to win an Olympic gold medal? — Andrew Elliott, York
Q Is it true a one-armed Test cricketer once played for England? — D Paterson, Bedford
