Sports quiz of the week: Ashes, Afcon, Australian Open and moving managers

Simon Yates, Steve Smith and Liam Rosenior. Composite: Getty, Shutterstock

1. Liam Rosenior is the new Chelsea head coach. Which Premier League legend gave him his big break in coaching, appointing Rosenior as his assistant manager when he was just 36 years old?

   1. Frank Lampard

   2. Steven Gerrard

   3. Roy Keane

   4. Wayne Rooney

2. 

   Darren Fletcher has taken over as interim manager at Manchester United. Fletcher has two twins in the United squad: Jack and Tyler. What is remarkable about his sons?

   1. One represents Scotland and the other represents England

   2. They made their Manchester United debuts in the same match

   3. They both played cricket for the England Under-19s

   4. Even though they are twins they were not born on the same day

3. Tyson Fury says he will return to boxing in 2026, bringing an end to his mini retirement. How many boxers have beaten Fury in the ring?

   1. None

   2. One

   3. Two

   4. Three

4. 

   Steve Smith scored a century against England in Sydney this week – his 13th in the Ashes. Only one cricketer has scored more runs in the Ashes than Smith. Who?

   1. Don Bradman

   2. Jack Hobbs

   3. Allan Border

   4. Steve Waugh

5. Who scored three centuries during the series?

   1. Joe Root

   2. Alex Carey

   3. Jacob Bethell

   4. Travis Head

6. 

   Which of the eight teams left in the Africa Cup of Nations has never won the tournament?

   1. Algeria

   2. Cameroon

   3. Côte d’Ivoire

   4. Egypt

   5. Nigeria

   6. Mali

   7. Morocco

   8. Senegal

7. The Australian Open begins this weekend. Which former champion has announced they will retire from tennis at the end of this year?

   1. Stan Wawrinka

   2. Naomi Osaka

   3. Novak Djokovic

   4. Madison Keys

8. 

   Eliud Kipchoge has won world titles, set world records and become an Olympic champion. He is now planning a new challenge. What is it?

   1. To run marathons on all seven continents

   2. To become the first man to run 200 miles in one day

   3. To run around the world in 80 days

   4. To climb the 14 tallest mountains on the planet

9. Which non-league club are hosting the holders in the FA Cup this weekend?

   1. Macclesfield

   2. Weston-Super-Mare

   3. Boreham Wood

   4. Brackley

10. 

    The Masters begins at Alexandra Palace on Sunday. Which three-time winner of the tournament is the trophy named after?

    1. Jimmy White

    2. John Spencer

    3. Paul Hunter

    4. Alex Higgins

11. Nuno Espírito Santo is in danger of becoming the first manager to be sacked by two Premier League clubs in the same season. Who was the first manager to be sacked by two Premier League clubs in the same calendar year?

    1. Mark Hughes

    2. Sean Dyche

    3. José Mourinho

    4. Claudio Ranieri

12. 

    Simon Yates has retired from cycling at the age of 33. He is the reigning champion in the …

    1. Tour de France

    2. Giro d’Italia

    3. Vuelta a España

    4. Paris–Roubaix

13. In which sport did Greece beat Great Britain this week – in a match held in Australia?

    1. Rugby league

    2. Curling

    3. Tennis

    4. Handball

14. 

    Luke Littler has won the last two World Darts Championship finals. In both finals he beat players from …

    1. Scotland

    2. Wales

    3. Northern Ireland

    4. The Netherlands

15. Which sport’s world championships are currently taking place in the English village of Hopton-on-Sea?

    1. Indoor bowls

    2. Tenpin bowling

    3. Chess

    4. Pool

Solutions

1:D - Rooney, who worked with Rosenior at Derby County, said this week: “Liam Rosenior is as good as a coach I’ve ever worked with. He’s more than capable of going into Chelsea and doing a great job. Liam was so important to me.”, 2:A - They have played against each other – Tyler representing Scotland and Jack representing England., 3:B - Oleksandr Usyk – twice. Fury says he is back because he has “nothing better to do than punch men in the face and get paid for it”., 4:A - Smith has scored 3,703 runs in the Ashes. He overtook Jack Hobbs this week but Bradman is still way out in front with 5,028 runs., 5:D - He scored 629 runs for Australia, including centuries in Perth, Adelaide and Sydney. , 6:F - Mali have been drawn against Senegal in the quarter-finals. , 7:A - Wawrinka, who won the tournament in 2014, will celebrate his 41st birthday in March and his retirement at the end of the season. , 8:A - “I am running for purpose,” says Kipchoge, who hopes to raise $1m for his charity and build libraries throughout Kenya. “I want to leave a legacy of education. There is knowledge in books.” , 9:A - The sixth-tier club are managed by John Rooney – the younger brother of Wayne. , 10:C - Hunter won Masters in 2001, 2002 and 2004. On all three occasions, he came from behind in the final and won on a deciding frame. He died from cancer 20 years ago, prompting the organisers of the tournament to name the trophy in his honour., 11:A - He was sacked by Stoke and Southampton in 2018. , 12:B - The Englishman says he is retiring with a “deep pride and a sense of peace” after a 13-year career that delivered wins in two Grand Tours, 11 elite stages and 36 professional races. , 13:C - The two countries met at the United Cup – a mixed gender tournament held in Perth before the Australian Open. Billy Harris and Emma Raducanu lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari., 14:D - Michael van Gerwen in 2025 and Gian van Veen in 2026. , 15:A - The competition has been held at Potters Resorts in Hopton-on-Sea every year since 1999.

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.

   That is a decent score. Well played.

6. 6 and above.

   That is a decent score. Well played.

7. 7 and above.

   That is a fine score. Well played. Have a great weekend

8. 8 and above.

   That is a super score. Well played. Have a great weekend

9. 9 and above.

   That is a super score. Well played. Have a great weekend

10. 10 and above.

    That is a super score. Well played. Have a great weekend

11. 11 and above.

    That is a sensational score. Well played. Have a great weekend

12. 12 and above.

    That is a sensational score. Well played. Have a great weekend

13. 13 and above.

    That is a sensational score. Well played. Have a great weekend

14. 14 and above.

    That is a sensational score. Well played. Have a great weekend

15. 0 and above.

    Ah well. Better luck next week.

16. 15 and above.

    That is a sensational score. Well played. Have a great weekend