Sports quiz of the week: Rory McIlroy, Simone Biles and Jürgen Klopp

Rory McIlroy, Simone Biles and Jürgen Klopp. Composite: Reuters, Getty

1. Rory McIlroy was on top form at the Ryder Cup, winning more points than any other player. As always, it was emotional. McIlroy was furious with the USA team on Saturday night, even arguing with an American caddie in a car park, but he went out on Sunday and played brilliantly. Who did McIlroy credit for putting him in the right frame of mind for the final day?

   1. "My old friend Donald Trump"

   2. "The great Marcus Aurelius"

   3. "The birds in the trees"

   4. "The Ireland rugby team"

2. 

   Patrick Cantlay’s decision not to wear a hat at the Ryder Cup caused a stir. A journalist claimed he was not wearing his cap because he was angry that golfers are not paid to play in the Ryder Cup. Cantlay said this was nonsense and that he did not wear the cap because …

   1. He could not find one that fitted his head

   2. It was not sunny enough for a hat

   3. He was sweating too much with the hat on

   4. He could not see his ball in the air due to the shape of the visor

3. Which golfer won no points at the Ryder Cup in Rome?

   1. Nicolai Højgaard

   2. Rickie Fowler

   3. Scottie Scheffler

   4. Jordan Spieth

4. 

   Ding Junhui turned up late for his match against Ma Hailong at the English Open and had to forfeit the opening frame. Why was he not on time?

   1. He slept in after a night out with Jimmy White and Ronnie Wood

   2. He had gone to the wrong venue, driving to Newport in Wales rather than Newport on the Isle of Wight

   3. He lost track of time while watching the Ryder Cup

   4. He turned up wearing brown trousers and had to find some black ones to play

5. Cheltenham Town have played 11 games in League One this season. What has happened in all 11?

   1. They’ve had a player sent off

   2. They’ve scored an own goal

   3. They’ve drawn after taking the lead

   4. They’ve failed to score a goal

6. 

   Simone Biles inspired the USA women's team to gold at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships this week. Which country won the silver medal, finishing on the podium for the first time in their history?

   1. Brazil

   2. Belgium

   3. Bahamas

   4. Barbados

7. If it was India in 2011, Australia in 2015 and England in 2019, where is it in 2023?

   1. India

   2. New Zealand

   3. Pakistan

   4. Saudi Arabia

8. 

   The football World Cup will be played in six countries in 2030. Which of these continents will not host a game?

   1. Asia

   2. Europe

   3. Africa

   4. South America

9. Surrey have retained the County Championship title. Who are the only county with more titles than Surrey?

   1. Essex

   2. Lancashire

   3. Yorkshire

   4. Middlesex

10. 

    The Cricket World Cup final will be played at the largest cricket stadium in the world, which has a capacity of 132,000 spectators. Who is the stadium named after?

    1. Sachin Tendulkar

    2. Narendra Modi

    3. Mahatma Gandhi

    4. MS Dhoni

11. The new Women’s Super League season kicked off at the weekend. Which club has been promoted to the top flight this season?

    1. Leicester City

    2. Bristol City

    3. Reading

    4. Liverpool

12. 

    Francis Lee died this week at the age of 79. He won two league titles in his career: one with Manchester City and one with …

    1. Liverpool

    2. Manchester United

    3. Nottingham Forest

    4. Derby County

13. Which two teams have scored 96 points in matches at the Rugby World Cup?

    1. Ireland and South Africa

    2. France and New Zealand

    3. England and Japan

    4. Scotland and Wales

14. 

    Where are Josh Warrington and Leigh Wood fighting on Saturday night?

    1. Leeds

    2. Sheffield

    3. Nottingham

    4. Leicester

15. Jürgen Klopp says the Spurs v Liverpool match should be replayed because the officials made a mistake that cost his team. A Premier League game has never been replayed, but Arsenal gave Sheffield United a rematch in the FA Cup in 1999. Why?

    1. Arsenal’s winning goal came off Thierry Henry’s hand

    2. Arsenal had fielded an ineligible player in the original fixture

    3. Arsenal’s winning goal deflected into the net off a beach ball

    4. Arsenal scored while Sheffield United were expecting to get the ball back after an injury

Solutions

1:B - "I read a few quotes from the great Marcus Aurelius so that put me in the right frame of mind," he said. "I am a big follower of stoicism so if anyone was going to get in my head it was going to be Marcus. I thought as a former emperor of Rome and seeing that we are in Rome, it would be a good time to revisit some of his thoughts. So I revisited them on the way to the course.” McIlroy added that he'd also had "some nice words of encouragement" from his wife., 2:A - Xander Schauffele’s father, Stefan, had a brilliant explanation. He said that Cantlay was getting married later in the week and did not want to turn up to his wedding with a tan line on his face. , 3:B - He also conceded the putt that gave Europe their victory., 4:D - Ding arrived in a brown suit, rather than the regulation black, so sent a friend to buy him a new suit. He won the match anyway. “I totally forgot. My memory is not good. I didn’t think about it,” said Ding. “Once I was playing I tried to just concentrate on the match. Luckily, Ma’s safety was not that good and he gave me enough chances to win.”, 5:D - They have played 11 games, scored no goals and conceded 19. Unsurprisingly, they are bottom of the table., 6:A - The USA team is almost untouchable: they have won the women’s team event at the last seven world championships., 7:A - These are the countries that hosted – and won – the last three Cricket World Cup finals., 8:A - Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay are all hosting matches., 9:C - Surrey have won 21 top-flight titles, with Yorkshire out in front with 33., 10:B - The prime minister of India, naturally., 11:B - They are playing all of their games at Ashton Gate., 12:D - Derby won the First Division in 1974-75. Manchester United won the Second Division that season. Different times. , 13:B - France beat Namibia 96-0 and New Zealand beat Italy 96-17., 14:B - Warrington is from Leeds, Wood is from Nottingham and they are meeting in the middle., 15:D - Arsenal won the first game 2-1, with Marc Overmars scoring. They also won the rematch 2-1, with Overmars scoring.

Scores

1. 1 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

2. 3 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

3. 7 and above.

   Not bad. Not bad at all.

4. 8 and above.

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

5. 6 and above.

   Not bad. Not bad at all.

6. 5 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

7. 4 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

8. 2 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

9. 10 and above.

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

10. 9 and above.

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

11. 11 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Well played.

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. 14 and above.

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

15. 0 and above.

    Ah well. Better luck next week.

16. 15 and above.

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