Fancy a beer (or 365)? If so, get your sporting brain in gear for our tricky Christmas quiz

THE LAST WORD

Here, ever-popular yet ever-fiendish, is The Last Word's annualChristmas Quiz, something to keep you alert over the festive season.As ever, I am hugely grateful to master brewers Shepherd Neame, whohave once again agreed to supply a fantastic prize, namely 365bottles of Spitfire Ale, one for every day of 2011.

With such a wonderful prize at stake, and with those confoundedinternet search engines to body-swerve, I have set what I think isan unprecedentedly tough set of questions. Consequently, I don'texpect anyone to get them all right, so do send in your answers evenif you've had a few wild guesses.

You can e-mail your answers to sportsquiz@independent.co.uk. Ifthey're coming by post, send them to me, c/o the Independent SportsDesk, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. You have until noon on Saturday8 January. In the event of a tie, I will invite you to submit anoriginal advertising slogan for Spitfire Ale (inspiration to befound at www.spitfireale.co.uk). And one more thing: one or two ofthe questions below might be construed, by the very pedantic, asambiguous. But my judgement is final.

That's it. Have a wonderful Christmas, and a happy New Year.

1 The first eight in a notable sequence of 24 names are Charlie,David, Fred, Maurice, Joe, Joe, Frank and George. What are the lasteight?

2 Three men have managed more than three current Premier Leaguefootball clubs, although not necessarily in the Premier League. SamAllardyce and Gary Megson are two of them. Who is the third?

3 Who, this year, failed to start his first match since 1992?

4 His first home in England, for five days in 1945, was KemptonPark racecourse. Who?

5 A Swiss football club, and a school on Merseyside, are amongthe institutions claiming historical credit for what famous sportingcolours?

6 Who, this year, used his big night to campaign against theclosure of an adventure playground in north-west London?

7 A qualified cattle inseminator, he decided to retire from hissport this year at the age of 34. Who?

8 Which Yorkshire junior school counts among its former pupils aformer speaker of the House of Commons and a BBC commentator, onceconsidered the "voice" of his sport?

9 Which future legend of the airwaves was rather condescendinglydeemed at the start of his career to have a "vulgar voice" but a"compensatingly interesting mind" by the BBC's head of outsidebroadcasts?

10 Shilton, Madeley, Hughes, Bell, McFarland, Hunter, Currie,Channon, Chivers, Clarke and Peters lined up together only twice forEngland, once in a friendly. Who were the opposition on the other,rather more significant, occasion?

11 Only once, in the past 60 years, has a golfer scored more than75 in one of the four rounds of the Open Championship, yet gone onto lift the Claret Jug. Who, when and where?

12 A celebrated Spaniard gave a pep talk to one team; WayneRooney gave an inspirational speech to the other. What, this year,was the occasion?

13 What connects Roman Abramovich and Rooney with the Kray twins?

14 Which world record has stood since 27 July 1993?

15 American-born, and named after a place in Antigua, he came toBritain and became a superstar. He died in 1986. Who was he?

16 The wife of a top tennis player, the child of a leadingfootballer, for the rest of us it's just a place: which place?

17 Barry Richards and Arthur Morris opened the batting, SachinTendulkar came in at No 4, Wally Hammond brought on the drinks. Whatwas this notional cricket team?

18In 1856, King Otto of Greece received a letter from a wealthyphilanthropist, offering to fund the revival of what?

19A defender, he signed for Hibernian in September 1952, andstayed there for 18 months without making a first-team appearance.He later played for Stirling Albion and Cowdenbeath. Who is hisfamous grandson?

20Which celebrated speed merchant owes his first two names to hisfather's admiration for an American athlete?

21 The highest recorded attendance is 31,090, for a third-roundFA Cup tie with Liverpool more than 30 years ago. To almosteveryone's astonishment, that match finished goalless. Which ground?

22 In what context, at Lord's in 1975, was an F used in thecommentary box, when it should have been an S?

23 On being invited to choose a book on Desert Island Discs,which horseman laughed, and said he'd never read a book in his life?

24 What was remarkably timely about the 1999 wedding, inLincolnshire, of Jo and Bobby Everitt?

25 McDonald had a 0 per cent record. Eight years later, Everest'srecord was 100 per cent. As what?

26 A little boy, watching the film ET: The Extra-Terrestrial in1982, was inspired to take up the sport in which he would laterbecome an Olympic champion. Who is he?

27 They numbered 74 in 1994-95, 175 in 1995-96 and 289, a record,in 2001-02. What did?

28 What was the singular and immortal achievement, in April 1923,of a man called Jack?

29 What world-famous race was once won by Father O'Flynn?

30 Which golfer held the rather unenviable record of appearingmost times in the Open Championship without ever winning the thing?