Which British Sport? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Snooker

Nicknamed the 'Rocket' because of the speed at which he plays, Ronnie O'Sullivan won the World Championship seven times between 2001 and 2022. He became a professional snooker player in 1992 when he was only sixteen years old and won the UK Championship the following year, just before his eighteenth birthday. This made him the youngest player to win a ranking tournament.

Although snooker isn't just a British sport, it was invented by army officers from the UK's forces in the latter part of the nineteenth century.

Answer: Snooker

Known as the 'jester from Leicester', Mark Selby won his fourth World Snooker Champion title in 2021 (2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021). He reached the final again in 2023 losing to Luca Brecel from Belgium.

Brecel's win was the fourth time the Snooker World Champion wasn't from Great Britain. Previous winners from outside the UK are Cliff Thorburn, from Canada, who won in 1980, Ken Doherty from the Republic of Ireland, winner in 1997, and Australian Neil Robertson, the 2010 champion.

Answer: Snooker

The dominant player of the 1980s, Steve Davis won six of the eight World Snooker Championship finals in which he competed. His titles came in 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988 and 1989. The match in 1985 against Dennis Taylor was one of the most dramatic finals ever, with the deciding frame (with the players having equal numbers of wins) going to the final black before Taylor managed to win his single world title. Among the nicknames Davis was given are 'The Nugget' and 'Interesting' - the latter because he actually came across as quite dull!

Answer: Cricket

Stuart Broad was a very successful fast bowler who played for England between 2006 and 2023, often in partnership with James Anderson. His father, Chris, was also an England test player but as an opening batsman. Broad was known for having spells when he seemed unplayable, taking wicket after wicket.

The Australians, for example, were bowled out for a total of sixty runs in 2015 when Broad took eight wickets while conceding only fifteen runs.

Answer: Cricket

Gooch was an opening batsman and played for England from 1975 until 1995. He captained the team between 1989 and 1993. Gooch was one of the most prolific scorers for England, with his innings of 333 against India in 1990 a particular highlight, particularly when he followed it with 123 in the second innings to give England a winning position.

Answer: Cricket

An opening batsman and former England captain, Alastair Cook played for his country from 2006 to 2018. He captained the side from 2012 until 2017 becoming one of the few captains to win the Ashes in Australia in 2010/11. Unusually, Cook returned to play country cricket for Essex after retiring from test cricket, announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2023.

Answer: Rugby Union

Martin Johnson was the captain who led England to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup when they defeated Australia in Sydney. He also captained Leicester for many years playing as a lock in the second row of the scrum. The tallest players in the team, usually, the locks are often the target in the line out too.

He played for England from 1993 until 2003 - retiring from international rugby as a world champion. He also went on three tours for the British and Irish Lions, the team made up of players from all four nations of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Answer: Rugby Union

Rory Underwood played for England between 1984 and 1996 with most of his appearances being on the wing. His younger brother, Tony, also played for the country between 1992 and 1998, normally on the opposite wing. He was known for his speed and adaptability.

He could play either left or right wing and often changed position to accommodate those partners who could only, or preferred to, play on a particular side. During his career, Rory scored 49 tries, an England record which still stands in the first quarter of the twenty-first century.

Answer: Rugby Union

Jeremy Guscott also appears on the list of England's top try scorers, with a total of thirty from a career which lasted from 1989 until 1999. Guscott played as a centre, often in partnership with Will Carling. He also took part in three Lions' tours, in 1989, 1993 and 1997, famously kicking a drop goal to win the second test and seal a series win over South Africa.

Answer: Football

John Terry played for Chelsea for most of his professional career and was a regular in the England national football team from 2003 until 2012. He played as a central defender, although he did score six goals for England - defenders often score from corner kicks as their height gives them an advantage.

He was captain of England from 2006 until 2012, apart from a brief period when the then manager removed and then reinstated him. His involvement in a court case meant Terry lost the captaincy again in 2012 and he retired from international football soon afterwards.

Answer: Football

You have to cast your mind back a bit for Sir Stanley Matthews, who played professional football from 1932 until 1965 - he continued playing until he reached fifty years of age. Most of his club football was played for Stoke-on-Trent, the city where he was born, with a fourteen year spell with Blackpool.

Matthews played as an outside right, as it was called at the time - one of the attacking players. He was skilled at ball control, giving him one of his nicknames, 'The Wizard of the Dribble'. Matthews played for England from 1934 until 1957 and was picked as the first ever European Footballer of the Year (now the Ballon d'Or) in 1968.

Answer: Football

A renowned midfield player, Paul Scholes spent his whole career with Manchester United - from 1993 until 2013, apart from a brief period of retirement in 2011. He played for England between 1997 and 2004, a shorter period than most as he decided his loyalties lay more with his club and family.

Despite this truncated international career, Scholes scored fourteen goals for England including a hat trick against Poland in 1999. He was much admired by his peers with both Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry (French players) praising his skills as did the Spanish player Xavi.