SPORTS CROSSWORD
Test your knowledge just for fun! The answers are below.
1. Zina ........, losing finalist in the women’s singles final at Wimbledon in 1990 (8) 6. and 6 down. Former Republic of Ireland international who is a pundit on Match of The Day (5,7) 7. Wasim ....., former Lancashire and Pakistan all-rounder (5) 9. Virginia ...., three-day event world champion in 1986 (4) 10. ...... Bale, Real Madrid and Wales winger (6) 12. ...... Rovers, Scottish football club based in Coatbridge (6) 14. .... Walcott, Arsenal and England forward (4) 17. ..... Heskey, Leicester City, Liverpool and England striker (5) 18. ..... Park, home ground of Blackburn Rovers (5) 19. ........ Park, home ground of Crystal Palace (8) 2. ..... Martin, West Ham United, Leyton Orient and England defender (5) 3. Mary ...., women’s long jump Olympic champion in 1964 (4) 4. Former Queens Park Rangers, Arsenal, Manchester City and England goalkeeper (6) 5. Mel ....., Swansea, Middlesbrough, Swindon Town and Wales centre half (5) 6. See 6 across 8. Sajid ......., Lancashire, Essex and England fast bowler (7) 11. Chris ......, Charlton Athletic and Huddersfield Town manager (6) 13. Musical ....., winner of the 1000 Guineas in 1989 (5) 15. Valerie Brisco-....., athlete who won three Olympic gold medals in 1984 (5) 16. South American country whose national football team is sometimes known as ‘The Incas’ (4) F ORMER US Open champion Curtis Strange believes Jordan Spieth will be able to exorcise the demons of last year’s dramatic collapse when he seeks a second green jacket at Augusta National.
Defending champion Spieth held a five-shot lead with nine holes to play in 2016 and looked certain to become only the fourth player, after Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods, to win back-to-back Masters titles.
However, after dropping shots on the 10th and 11th, Spieth hit two balls into Rae’s Creek on the par-three 12th and ran up a quadruple-bogey seven, with Danny Willett taking full advantage with a closing 67 to win by three shots.
Spieth himself admits “it will be nice once this year’s finished” so he does not have to face more questions on the subject.
Strange, though, is confident the 23-year-old will be able to rise to the occasion in an event where he has been second, first and second in three starts.
Speaking on behalf of ESPN.co.uk, Strange said: “I think he’s such a cerebral player, he’s such a solid player, and even if he gets up with a oneshot lead next Sunday, and the pin is in the same position, he’ll learn from what he did last year and he’ll hit the proper shot.
“And when do we ever learn? On mistakes we made. When we screw up. So I think that there’s nothing wrong with remembering when you screwed up the year before or a couple of years before, because you learn from that.
“You say, I’m not going to do that again. If you have to pitch it from the same position again, whatever it is, you learn from it and you don’t do it again. The first time is their fault, the second time is my fault.
“And I think it’s OK. It’s not a negative, it’s actually a learning experience. Let’s not forget, he won a couple of weeks after last year, too, so it’s not like he went in the dark room and stayed for three days.”
Spieth won his ninth PGA Tour title in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, but missed the cut in the Shell Houston Open on Friday after rounds of 69 and 77.