A As the sport has grown, four distinct disciplines have emerged. Cross country and marathons are similar, but the latter take place on longer courses and are for adults only. Four Cross is similar to BMX in that it is over a short course and involves tackling obstacles while competing against three other riders. Downhill is similar to skiing in that competitors race against the clock. These four categories have allowed mountain biking to appeal to a wider audience. A rider can earn a living through sponsorship, but not by prize- money alone. Events for our top athletes will have prize funds ranging between £5,000 and £15,000 per event, and that does not go far when it is split between the top 10 competitors.
There are one-off events where riders can earn more than £5,000 for winning, but these are infrequent and will only supplement an income. Salaries are rarely made public, but it is estimated that the top riders around the world earn between £15,000 and £40,000 a year. With cross country now recognised as an Olympic sport, the lucky one or two riders in each country can expect to take an income from the government (UK Sport in Britain) in line with other Olympic disciplines.
Dependent on the success of the athlete, income will vary from £9,000 to more than £20,000. — Roger Wilbraham, MTB event co-ordinator, British Cycling
Q How many players are there in an NFL team? — Barry Filson, Prestwich
A The National Football League has a roster limit of 53 players, 45 of whom can wear playing strip for the game. An ‘emergency quarterback’, who plays only if all the quarterbacks on the 45 are out of the game, is also allowed to ‘suit up’. The players who do not bother getting changed usually include those who are already injured. If it becomes certain that an injured player will not be available for some time, he is put on the injured reserve list and is replaced by another on the active roster. Only 11 players are allowed on the field at any one time; however, a team may substitute any or all of its players between plays. The team is divided into ‘offense’ and ‘defense’, plus a number of specialists, such as kicker, punter and kick-off returner. The offense is led by the quarterback, whose aim is to advance the ball to the opposition’s endzone to score a touchdown, either by offloading it to a running back or by throwing a pass to a wide receiver or tight end. These offense players are assisted by the offensive line, who block the advancing opposition defense and create attacking channels for the running back to exploit. The defense is made up of the defensive line and linebackers, who try to tackle the quarterback or stop the running backs. There are also cornerbacks and safeties, who try to cover passes to the wide receivers. — Andrew Dunne, Dublin
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Q Why is Leyton Orient football club so called? — Keith Ray, Sale, Greater Manchester
A Leyton Orient, one of the oldest football clubs in London, owes its origins to former members of Homerton College, a theological teacher training establishment for the Puritans. In 1881 those members formed a cricket team and soon organised a football section too, in order to stay fit and keep the members together for the winter months. One member worked for the Orient Steam Navigation Company (now P&O Group) at the time it launched its first ship, SS Orient, in 1879. He thought the name could also mean East End of London and would bring some mystique to the club. In the early part of the last century, Clapton Orient, as they became, played in one of the biggest stadiums in the country, the Millfields Road ground in Clapton, London E5. One side of the ground had a large bank that supporters referred to as the Spion Kop. Orient played at Millfields Road until 1930. Until the first world war they were regarded as being as big a club as Spurs and Arsenal. Orient moved to their present Brisbane Road home (now called the Matchroom stadium) in Leyton in 1937, via their old Lea Bridge Road ground. While ground repairs were being carried out at Lea Bridge Road in 1930, Orient played some home league games at Wembley. Of the many books about the club, two in particular are worth reading — first, Leyton Orient: A Complete Record, by Neilson Kaufman and Alan Ravenhill, and the more recent They Took The Lead, by Stephen Jenkins, which tells of how during the first world war the entire Clapton Orient club (41 players and staff) volunteered to serve their country — the first English league club to do so. — Alan Chandler, Solihull
Q Who starred in Monkey On My Back, the biopic of boxer Barney Ross? — Kevin Maguire, Batley
A Cameron Mitchell played Barney Ross in the 1957 black-and-white film, which had limited success and often ran as a supporting feature in the days when cinemas showed two films in one presentation. Mitchell had a long career in films and television, and he was a popular supporting actor in the 1950s and 1960s. He often appeared in westerns, notably the television show The High Chaparral. Monkey On My Back was the true story of Chicago-born Ross, who in 1933 won the world lightweight title by beating Tony Canzoneri on a split decision. Ross enhanced his reputation in a brutal series of three fights for the welterweight title against Jimmy McLarnin. Ross won a ferocious first fight by a split decision, but McLarnin won the return five months later, only to lose the decider when Ross showed his superior technique.
His most courageous fight was his last, in 1938, when he lost over 15 bloody rounds to ‘Homicide Hank’ Armstrong. Ross’s ring career was interrupted by the second world war, when he joined the Marine Corps despite being over the draft age. He was decorated for bravery at Guadalcanal, but was wounded and received morphine to counter the pain. He became addicted to the drug — hence the film title — which caused financial problems and led to the break-up of his marriage. Eventually Ross went ‘cold turkey’ for 120 days. Although he beat his addiction, he lived in pain for the rest of his life until he died in 1967. — R S Frost, Badgworth, Somerset
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Q Is it true that Royal Navy sailors introduced rugby to Fiji and Tonga in the 19th century? — Colin Drury, Dinas, Powys
A The earliest recorded instance of rugby union being played in Fiji was in 1884, when European and Fijian soldiers of the Native Constabulary played at Ba, on Viti Levu Island. By 1900 matches were being reported in Fiji’s press, although most of the players were British expatriates — two of the earliest Fijian rugby clubs being Civil Service and Constabulary. But it is true that early in the 20th century sailors from visiting warships provided teams to take on local opposition. Rugby was brought to neighbouring Tonga, some 350 miles distant, around the same time by sailors and missionaries. The Tonga Rugby Football Union was formed in late 1923. Tonga beat Fiji 9-6 in their first Test in 1924, played in the Tongan capital, Nuku’alofa. Their finest hour was probably their 16-11 win over Australia in Brisbane in June 1973. — Mervyn Hughes, Bridgend
Any Answers?
Send questions or answers to Peter Boyle, Q & A, The Sunday Times Sport, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1ST or e-mail peter.boyle@sunday-times.co.uk
Q Who was the last Frenchman to win the Tour de France? — Peter Jordan, Bournemouth
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Q Who is the youngest footballer to play in a Scottish League game? — Steve Dunbar, Dumfries
Q Is it true that a Raith Rovers party was shipwrecked on a club tour before the second world war? — Peter Gloag, Birmingham
Q Which was the first Major League Baseball team outside the USA? — Don Plummer, Welshpool
Q Has any top-level woman ice hockey player competed with her male counterparts? — Dave Harrison, St Neots