ON THIS DAY
1874: Major Walter Clopton Wingfield patented his game of “Sphairistike”, which later became known as lawn tennis.
He had demonstrated the new game to friends on the lawn of a house at Nantclwyd, Wales, during a Christmas party two months earlier.
1979: Pakistan wicketkeeper Wasim Bari caught seven New Zealand batsmen during the Auckland Test – a record which Derbyshire’s Bob Taylor equalled for England a year later against India.
2001: Sprinter John Skeete was withdrawn from the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Lisbon after testing positive for the banned substance stanozolol. He took the substance innocently but was later suspended for two years by the IAAF.
2003: Canada opener John Davison hit what was then the fastest hundred in World Cup history against the West Indies in Pretoria, bringing up three figures off only 67 balls.
2005: Olympic silver medallist Amir Khan withdrew from the Amateur Boxing Association after a row over ticket allocation. 2009: British tennis star Anne Keothavong broke into the world’s top 50 for the first time. The 25-year-old moved from 52nd to 48th place, becoming the first British woman since Jo Durie in 1993 to feature in the top 50.
2010: Australia fast bowler Brett Lee announced his retirement from Test cricket.
2017: Wayne Rooney announced he would remain at Manchester United until the end of the season amid speculation he was planning a move to China. His transfer to Everton was announced that July.