SPORTS CROSSWORD
Test your knowledge just for fun! The answers are below.
1. Liverpool, Real Sociedad and Republic of Ireland striker (8) 6. The ‘.....’, nickname of Birmingham City (5) 7. Geoff ....., West Ham United, Stoke City and England striker (5) 9. .... O’Hair, winner of golf’s 2011 Canadian Open (4) 10. ...... Esteem, winner of the 2000 Guineas in 1996 (4,2) 12. ‘The ......’, a nickname of Crystal Palace (6) 14. .... Nastase, two-time Wimbledon men’s singles finalist (4) 17. ..... Griffiths, snooker’s world champion in 1979 (5) 18. Debbie ....., two-time women’s high jump Commonwealth Games champion (5) 19. Manager of Manchester United (8) 2. ..... Davies, female English golfer who has won 84 professional tournaments (5) 3. .... County, Scottish League club (4) 4. Ben .. ...., Grand National winning jockey in 1984 (2,4) 5. ..... Bakke, Leeds United, Aston Villa (on loan) and Norway midfielder (5) 6. Dave ......., Wimbledon, Sheffield United and Leicester City manager (7) 8. Phil ......., retired Middlesex and England spin bowler (7) 11. ... ... Then, Champion Hurdle winner on three occasions (3,3) 13. Oldham Athletic, Hibernian, Rangers and Scotland goalkeeper (5) 15. ..... Halfpenny, Toulon and Wales full back or wing threequarter (5) 16. .... Bile, winner of the men’s 1500 metres at the 1987 World Championships (4) A DOMINANT Lewis Hamilton delivered another crushing display over his title rival Nico Rosberg to secure pole position for the championship-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Hamilton was in a field of one under the floodlights at the Yas Marina Circuit to finish more than three tenths of a second ahead of Rosberg.
But the German, who is 12 points ahead of Hamilton, will join his Mercedes team-mate on the front row, and should he finish in the top three tomorrow evening, he will be crowned world champion.
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo crossed the line as the best of the rest to line up in third with Kimi Raikkonen fourth on the grid for Ferrari.
Hamilton has been in imperious form in recent races and his pole here never appeared in doubt.
The 31-year-old’s margin of victory was an emphatic one, and will send a strong message to his rival on the opposite side of the Mercedes garage.
Yet a victory on Sunday will not be enough for Hamilton who is being cheered on this weekend by his mother Carmen.
He needs Rosberg to finish outside the top three, but based on today’s result, it would appear only a mechanical issue or first-corner tangle will stop the German from emulating his father Keke, the 1982 world champion.
Ricciardo was a distant third, halfa-second down on Rosberg with Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen even further back. Rosberg is doing all he needs to do.
“It has been a great weekend so far,” said Hamilton after securing the 61st pole of his career. “It has been strange coming here realising this will be the last practice and qualifying sessions with this car. It has been such a privilege driving this car.”
Rosberg said: “I am not ecstatic today. Lewis just did a good job. There will be opportunities for tomorrow. I will try and go for the win.”
Away from the championship battle Jenson Button is treating Sunday’s grand prix as his final in the sport.
The 2009 world champion, who will step aside for McLaren’s highly-rated reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne next year, lines up 12th on the grid for his 305th and probably final race.
Button, 36, missed out on the top-10 shootout by just two tenths of a second, but seemed pleased with his evening’s work. His McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso qualified ninth.
The Spaniard will be joined there on the fifth row by his former Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa. The Brazilian, who missed out on the 2008 title to Hamilton by just one point, is calling time on his career too.