Sports quiz of the week: heat, animals, money and a big week at the World Cup

Jack Draper, Merlin the Duck, Alice Capsey Composite: Getty Images, Reuters

1. Merlin the duck has become Mexico’s unofficial mascot during the World Cup, but why did he not attend their game against Czechia in Mexico City?

   1. The duck was spotted protesting against hydration breaks

   2. He bit the Mexican president

   3. Animals are not permitted inside stadiums

   4. His owner was sold a fake ticket

2. 

   Three players have now appeared in six World Cups. Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and …

   1. Luka Modric

   2. Manuel Neuer

   3. Edin Dzeko

   4. Guillermo Ochoa

3. World Cup winner Ronaldinho has come out of retirement after a decade to sign for a club in which country?

   1. Italy

   2. Brazil

   3. United States

   4. Saudi Arabia

4. 

   Which rugby player scored two tries in the Prem final as Northampton Saints beat Exeter Chiefs to win the title?

   1. George Hendy

   2. Henry Pollock

   3. Fin Smith

   4. George Furbank

5. Jack Draper has returned from a series of injuries in time to play at Wimbledon. Who is his coach?

   1. Andy Murray

   2. Venus Williams

   3. Tim Henman

   4. Greg Rusedski

6. 

   Serena Williams is in the draw for the women’s singles at Wimbledon. When was her first appearance?

   1. 1998

   2. 2000

   3. 2002

   4. 2004

7. Saracens and Trailfinders meet in the Women’s Premiership Rugby final this weekend. Who has been the top points scorer in the league this season?

   1. Zoe Harrison

   2. Emma Sing

   3. Mia Venner

   4. May Campbell

8. 

   England have reached the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals. Alice Capsey has been one of the team’s stars in the tournament. What did she do before becoming a professional cricketer?

   1. She was a professional footballer

   2. She worked on her parents' dairy farm

   3. She was in the pop group Fifth Harmony

   4. She was a cricket umpire

9. Who said: “New York didn’t really like me”?

   1. Casemiro

   2. Ismaïla Sarr

   3. Wyndham Clark

   4. Victor Wembanyama

10. 

    For the first time in history, athletes are being paid to compete at the Olympics. How much?

    1. $500

    2. $10,000

    3. $20,000

    4. $100,000

11. Who – or what – interrupted two games of golf this week in County Durham?

    1. Boa constrictor snakes

    2. Climate protesters

    3. Kangaroos

    4. Donald Trump

12. 

    Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is in the India team for their forthcoming matches in the UK. What will be unusual about his experience of the matches?

    1. His Xbox has been installed on the team bus

    2. He will be required to use his own dressing room

    3. He will be personally chaperoned by India’s prime minister

    4. Photographers will not be allowed to take his picture during the matches

13. Joe Root has become the second cricketer in history to score more than 14,000 Test runs. Who was the first?

    1. Don Bradman

    2. Alastair Cook

    3. Sachin Tendulkar

    4. Ricky Ponting

14. 

    Why was cyclist Mathieu van der Poel fined during the Tour de Suisse?

    1. He took his shirt off after his time trial

    2. He tried to take a shortcut

    3. He took an illegal vehicle tow

    4. He urinated in public

15. Manchester City are signing Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116m – a record for a British player. Which club did Forest sign him from two years ago for £35m?

    1. Newcastle

    2. Middlesbrough

    3. Bristol City

    4. Leicester

Solutions

1:C - The Mexican feathery fan was not allowed to attend the game due to Fifa restrictions on animals in stadiums. (He did bite the Mexican president but this was not the reason he was barred.), 2:D - The 40-year-old Mexico goalkeeper made a cameo in their win against Czechia. Ronaldo is the only player to have scored in six World Cups., 3:A - The 46-year-old Brazilian legend has signed with Serie C club Ravenna. “I cannot wait to dance with the ball,” he said. “Football has always been joyful for me, and I’m excited to bring that spirit to Ravenna. Let the magic begin.”, 4:A - Despite his standout display at Twickenham, Hendy was not picked in England’s squad for the Nations Championship. , 5:A - Murray is excited about their partnership: “His tennis is bloody good. He’s really good. Obviously he’s had lots of issues the last year with various injuries. I feel like he’s starting to come out the other side of that now. The next step is getting on the match court and getting a consistent run of tournaments and weeks under him and building trust again in his body.”, 6:A - She has won seven Wimbledon singles titles. , 7:A - The England fly-half picked up an impressive 156 points over the season, 8:B - Capsey grew up on a farm in Surrey and still returns home to help out – but it's not for her in the long term. "I’d help out with the milking, doing the calving, moving fences," she says. "It’s hard. Getting up at 3.30am. I couldn’t hack it. I think I’ll stick to cricket.", 9:C - Clark, who won the US Open at Shinnecock Hills on Sunday, was not a particularly popular champion with local golf fans. , 10:B - "This grant will be available to every Olympian,” says the IOC. “Not just medal winners, not just athletes from certain countries, every Olympian. Because while every athlete’s journey is different, every Olympian has made sacrifices to reach the Olympic stage, years of dedication, years of hard work, years of believing in a dream.", 11:A - Two boa constrictors were found on Blackwell Grange golf club in Darlington one week apart, with the first being found during a children’s golf lesson when a 12-year-old girl’s shot landed directly on a snake., 12:B - The 15-year-old, who has his own changing room for safeguarding reasons, is expected to become India’s youngest international cricketer in a Twenty20 against Ireland in Belfast, before playing in a five-match T20 series against England., 13:C - Since making his Test debut against India in 2012, Root has maintained a career batting average of 50.77, amassing 41 centuries and 66 half-centuries. Tendulkar scored 15,921 Test runs at 53.78, with 51 tons and 68 fifties., 14:A - He was fined 500 Swiss francs (£470) for wearing “inappropriate attire while on the hot seat” – even though it was 30C. , 15:A - Anderson has enjoyed an extraordinary rise over the past few years. He was on loan at fourth-tier Bristol Rovers in the second half of the 2021-22 season and is now an England regular and a £116m player.

Scores

1. 2 and above.

   Ah well. Have a great weekend

2. 1 and above.

   Ah well. Have a great weekend

3. 3 and above.

   Ah well. Have a great weekend

4. 4 and above.

   Ah well. Have a great weekend

5. 5 and above.

   That's a decent score. Have a great weekend

6. 6 and above.

   That's a decent score. Have a great weekend

7. 7 and above.

   That's a good score. Have a great weekend

8. 8 and above.

   That's a good score. Have a great weekend

9. 9 and above.

   That's a fantastic score. Have a great weekend

10. 10 and above.

    That's a fantastic score. Have a great weekend

11. 11 and above.

    That's a fantastic score. Have a great weekend

12. 12 and above.

    That's a fantastic score. Have a great weekend

13. 13 and above.

    That's a fantastic score. Have a great weekend

14. 14 and above.

    That's a fantastic score. Have a great weekend

15. 0 and above.

    Ah well. Have a great weekend

16. 15 and above.

    That's a fantastic score. Have a great weekend