Sports quiz of the week: prizes, punches, persistence and set-piece perfection

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Sophia Dunkley and Declan Rice. Composite: Getty, Shutterstock

1. 

   Arsenal are four points clear at the top of the Premier League. What percentage of their league goals this season have been scored from set pieces (free-kicks, corners and penalties)?

   1. 33%

   2. 50%

   3. 69%

   4. 85%

2. 

   Jemimah Rodrigues tallied an unbeaten 127 against Australia to lead India to the highest successful run chase in women’s ODI cricket history and set up a World Cup final against South Africa. But what is notable about the Indian player’s tournament prior to her semi-final heroics?

   1. This is her debut international tournament

   2. She was dropped by India in the group stage against England

   3. She lost a toe in a gardening accident just before the tournament started

   4. She also scored 127 in two other matches

3. 

   Why might football fans feel shortchanged this Christmas?

   1. Away fans have been banned from matches on New Year’s Day

   2. The FA Cup third round, which normally starts in early January, has been delayed until February

   3. The Premier League is only planning to play one game on Boxing Day

   4. The January transfer window will only last for one week

4. 

   The rugby union November internationals kick off this weekend. England play Australia in London, Scotland play the USA in Edinburgh, and Ireland play New Zealand in …

   1. .. Dublin

   2. … Chicago

   3. … Johannesburg

   4. … Cardiff

5. 

   Jamie Cureton was playing for Norwich in the Premier League 20 years ago. He is now the first footballer in history to …

   1. … be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

   2. … be elected to the US Senate

   3. … feature on Forbes’ list of billionaires

   4. … have scored in the top 10 tiers of English football

6. 

   Mark Nawaqanitawase made his debut for Australia against England at Wembley on Saturday in the rugby league Ashes. Why is that remarkable?

   1. His son was also in the team

   2. He has now represented Australia in rugby league, rugby union and rugby sevens

   3. He played for England against Australia last year

   4. He has not played a game for his club in 2025

7. 

   Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford met in the clásico at the weekend. When was the last time two Englishmen faced off in a match between Barcelona and Real Madrid?

   1. The 2000s

   2. The 1980s

   3. The 1930s

   4. It had never happened before

8. 

   Luke Littler missed out on playing in the Players Championship tournament in Wigan this week. What happened?

   1. He drove to the wrong venue – the Hindley Leisure Centre rather than the Robin Park Leisure Centre

   2. He injured his foot while riding his younger brother’s tricycle

   3. He was stuck in traffic and arrived too late to register

   4. He injured his thumb while playing on his Nintendo Switch

9. 

   What was unusual about Brighton’s second goal in their 4-2 defeat to Manchester United on Saturday?

   1. It was scored in the 109th minute, making it the latest goal in Premier League history

   2. The player who set it up was 21 years older than the player who scored it

   3. It was scored directly from a corner

   4. It was the first headed goal at Old Trafford for more than a year

10. 

    Jake Pollard fought on the undercard of the Joseph Parker v Fabio Wardley bill at the O2 on Saturday night. What happened in Pollard’s fight?

    1. He threw one punch and knocked out his opponent

    2. The referee stopped the contest as neither fighter was throwing meaningful punches

    3. He lost – for the 100th time in 101 fights

    4. He was knocked down three times in the first round before winning by knockout in the second

11. 

    Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 950th goal of his career this week. He has only scored against one of these teams. Which one?

    1. Italy

    2. Manchester United

    3. England

    4. Real Madrid

12. 

    What did swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan do twice in a week at the Swimming World Cup?

    1. She broke two world records

    2. She finished second in finals by 0.01 seconds

    3. She was disqualified from two finals, having been the pre-race favourite

    4. She won two finals in which her sister finished second

13. 

    Pat Cummins will miss the first Test of the Ashes with an injury. Who will take over as Australia’s captain?

    1. Josh Hazlewood

    2. Steve Smith

    3. Mitchell Starc

    4. Scott Boland

14. 

    The LA Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays are playing in the World Series this week. The winning team will be given the Commissioner’s Trophy. What will the winning players receive?

    1. Dollar bills signed by the president

    2. Rings

    3. Small swords made from white oak

    4. Bronze medals

15. 

    A group of 185 football fans made a 914-mile, 15-hour round trip to watch a National League match on Saturday. It was the longest journey in the history of English league football. Which teams were playing?

    1. Gateshead v Truro City

    2. Carlisle United v Portsmouth

    3. Dover Athletic v Blyth Spartans

    4. Hartlepool United v Torquay United

16. 

    Wembley hosted the first Test of the rugby league Ashes on Saturday. Which football club’s stadium will host the second Test this weekend?

    1. Liverpool

    2. Everton

    3. Wigan Athletic

    4. Leeds United

Solutions

1:C - Eleven of their 16 goals have been from set pieces. They have scored more goals from corners (seven) than from open play (five)., 2:B - Jemimah gave a brilliant post-match interview, too. “Towards the end I was just quoting scripture from the Bible because I had no energy, I was very tired,” she said. “I was quoting one scripture which says, ‘just stand still and God will fight for you’, and that’s what I did. I stood there and he fought for me.”, 3:C - There will only be one game on Boxing Day – which falls on a Friday this year – but a full set of fixtures on the weekend. , 4:B - The game is at Soldier Field, where Ireland beat New Zealand 40-29 in 2016. It was their first win against the All Blacks in 111 years of trying. , 5:D - The 50-year-old has been racking up goals and appearances for the last 32 seasons. His goal for Kings Park Rangers on Saturday means he has scored in the top 10 tiers of English football. “I’ve just loved scoring goals,” he said. “Each one is as special as the next one. I’ve always tried to celebrate any goal I score – whether I was in training, playing on the park or in school when I was young.”, 6:B - Nawaqanitawase played union for Australia at the last Rugby World Cup and he played sevens at the Olympics in Paris last year. , 7:D - They were involved in all three goals in the game: Rashford set up Barcelona’s goal, and Bellingham set up one and scored the other for Real Madrid. , 8:C - Littler did not seem too upset, posting online: “Back to bed it is.” , 9:B - The goal was set up by 39-year-old James Milner and scored by 18-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas (who was born five years after Milner made his Premier League debut). , 10:C - To be fair to Pollard, he is game. He has fought (and lost) 16 times this year. His one victory was against Louis Smithson, who later avenged that defeat. , 11:B - Ronaldo has scored three times against United – twice for Real Madrid and once for Juventus. , 12:A - O’Callaghan was in a league of her own at the event in Toronto., 13:B - This is not his first time captaining the team, as you no doubt remember. , 14:B - The LA Dodgers are the reigning champions and are aiming to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since 2000., 15:A - The match finished 2-2 so at least the fans were treated to some entertainment in the middle of their 914-mile round trip., 16:B - Meanwhile, the third Test will be played at Headingley Stadium in Leeds.

Scores

1. 16 and above.

   That is a spectacular score. Have a great weekend.

2. 1 and above.

   Ah well, better luck next week.

3. 2 and above.

   Ah well, better luck next week.

4. 3 and above.

   Ah well, better luck next week.

5. 4 and above.

   Ah well, better luck next week.

6. 5 and above.

   Ah well, better luck next week.

7. 6 and above.

   Not bad. Not bad at all.

8. 7 and above.

   Not bad. Not bad at all.

9. 8 and above.

   That is a fine score. Have a great weekend.

10. 9 and above.

    That is a fine score. Have a great weekend.

11. 10 and above.

    That is a fine score. Have a great weekend.

12. 11 and above.

    That is a fine score. Have a great weekend.

13. 12 and above.

    That is a spectacular score. Have a great weekend.

14. 13 and above.

    That is a spectacular score. Have a great weekend.

15. 14 and above.

    That is a spectacular score. Have a great weekend.

16. 0 and above.

    Ah well, better luck next week.

17. 15 and above.

    That is a spectacular score. Have a great weekend.