Sports quiz of the week: Arsenal, Ashes, Ange Postecoglou and a new season

Ange Postecoglou, George Williams, Gabriel Magalhães Composite: Getty Images

1. Arsenal have only conceded three goals so far this season, which puts them on course to break the Premier League record 15 in a season. Which club set that record?

   1. Blackburn in 1994-95

   2. Arsenal in 1997-98

   3. Manchester United in 1998-99

   4. Chelsea in 2004-05

2. 

   The Saracens winger Noah Caluori has been invited to train with the England team before the upcoming autumn internationals. Why is that remarkable?

   1. He made his Wales debut last month – but only in a friendly

   2. He has only started one league game for his club

   3. He is also in the England rugby league squad for their series against Australia

   4. He was playing for the Arsenal youth team just three months ago

3. 

   La Liga has scrapped the idea of playing Villarreal v Barcelona in Miami after players, fans and managers protested against the idea of moving a league match abroad. How did the players protest during their matches last weekend?

   1. They wore black armbands that said: “Let’s not enter Miami”

   2. They refused to move for the first 15 seconds of matches

   3. No one celebrated a goal all weekend

   4. Their 20 captains in the league shaved their heads

4. 

   Marco Bezzecchi won the Australian MotoGP sprint race on Saturday after recovering from which setback?

   1. One of his contact lenses fell out mid-race

   2. He hit a seagull

   3. He fell off his bike on the last lap but got up and made it over the line first

   4. One of his boots slipped off with three laps to go

5. 

   Ange Postecoglou was sacked by Nottingham Forest after 40 days in charge, a new Premier League record but not an all-time record for the English top flight. Which manager was sacked by Queens Park Rangers after just 29 days in the 1960s? Clue: he went on to win the FA Cup a decade later.

   1. Bill Nicholson

   2. Tommy Docherty

   3. Alf Ramsey

   4. Brian Clough

6. 

   Sean Dyche has returned to Nottingham Forest, where he started his playing career but never made a first-team appearance. Where did he spend most of his playing career, famously captaining the club and scoring for them in an FA Cup semi-final?

   1. Watford

   2. Chesterfield

   3. Derby County

   4. Millwall

7. 

   Hearts are unbeaten and have a five-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership. Who were the last team other than Rangers or Celtic to win the league?

   1. Aberdeen

   2. Hearts

   3. Dundee United

   4. Motherwell

8. 

   The rugby league Ashes returns this weekend. The three-Test series between England and Australia begins at Wembley on Saturday. It will be the first time the teams have met since the World Cup final in 2017. What was the score in that match?

   1. England 0-6 Australia

   2. England 23-17 Australia

   3. England 30-26 Australia

   4. England 10-50 Australia

9. 

   When did England last win a match against Australia (it was at Wembley in the opening game of a World Cup)?

   1. The 1970s

   2. The 1980s

   3. The 1990s

   4. The 2000s

10. 

    Mjällby won the Swedish league title this week. Why is that a surprise?

    1. The club is based in Hällevik, a village with a population of 1,500

    2. The club was only formed this season

    3. They sacked two managers this season

    4. They lost their first five games of the season

11. 

    Australia, South Africa and England breezed into the Women’s Cricket World Cup semi-finals. Which team will join them in the ​last four – despite losing three games in a row in the group?

    1. New Zealand

    2. India

    3. Pakistan

    4. Sri Lanka

12. 

    Where was this photo taken?

    1. Jakarta

    2. Johannesburg

    3. Jeddah

    4. Jerusalem

13. 

    The Women’s Premiership season begins this weekend. Which team has won the league for the last three seasons?

    1. Saracens

    2. Gloucester-Hartpury

    3. Harlequins

    4. Sale Sharks

14. 

    The British heavyweight boxer Fabio Wardley is fighting Joseph Parker at the O2 on Saturday night. Boxing was not Wardley’s first sport. How did he begin his career?

    1. He was a youth footballer at Ipswich Town

    2. He was a sprinter and still holds the British schoolboy record for the 100 metres

    3. He was a world champion shot putter as a teenager

    4. He played chess for England as a 14-year-old

Solutions

1:D - To put that in some context, West Ham have already conceded 18 this season., 2:B - It was a very good one, to be fair. He scored five tries in a 65–14 win against Sale Sharks., 3:B - Thibaut Courtois was vocal in his opposition to the idea, saying: “This decision distorts the competition. Playing at home is not the same as playing away. In La Liga, playing away is very difficult. Villarreal away is tough. It’s not fair to change the rules mid-season without consulting us.”, 4:B - Bezzecchi was a bit freaked out by the incident but recovered to win the race. “It was pretty hard,” he said. “Because at the beginning I hit a big bird – unfortunately for him, but also for me because I got scared. Fortunately nothing was broken on the bike.”, 5:B - Docherty had a long and varied managerial career. In his five years at Manchester United in the 1970s he experienced relegation, promotion, a defeat in an FA Cup final and a victory in an FA Cup final., 6:B - Dyche scored a penalty as Chesterfield drew 3-3 with Middlesbrough in the semi-finals in 1997. Chesterfield lost the replay 3–0., 7:A - In 1985, when Alex Ferguson was their manager. Hearts host Celtic on Sunday in what feels like a massive game in this season’s title race., 8:A - The three Tests will be played in London, Liverpool and Leeds over the next three Saturdays. , 9:C - England beat Australia in the opening game of the World Cup in 1995, but Australia beat England in the final a few weeks later. , 10:A - They won the title – the first in their history – in style. They wrapped it up with three games to go., 11:B - The hosts were beaten by Australia, South Africa and England in the group but turned it around and scraped into the last four. , 12:A - At the World Gymnastics Championships, which have been taking place in Indonesia this week., 13:B - England captain Zoe Aldcroft also captains the club. , 14:A - Wardley has had an intriguing career – he worked for a recruitment agency while making his way as a boxer.

Scores

1. 1 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

2. 2 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

3. 3 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

4. 4 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

5. 5 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

6. 6 and above.

   Nicely done. Have a great weekend.

7. 7 and above.

   Nicely done. Have a great weekend.

8. 8 and above.

   Nicely done. Have a great weekend.

9. 9 and above.

   Nicely done. Have a great weekend.

10. 10 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Have a great weekend.

11. 11 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Have a great weekend.

12. 12 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Have a great weekend.

13. 13 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Have a great weekend.

14. 0 and above.

    Ah well. Better luck next week.

15. 14 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Have a great weekend.