Gertrude Moran, popularly known as ‘Gussie’ – although she preferred ‘Gussy’ – was an American tennis player who, alongside partner Patricia Canning Todd, reached the final of the ladies’ doubles at Wimbledon in 1949, which they lost in straight sets to compatriots Louise Brough and Margaret Osborne duPont. However, it was during that tournament that Moran was christened ‘Gorgeous Gussie’ by the press, as the result of wearing an outfit that, although unremarkable by modern standards, was considered scandalous at the time.
Seemingly unaware of the all-white dress code at Wimbledon, Moran asked renowned fashion designer Cuthbert ‘Ted’ Tinling to design a tri-coloured outfit, with sleeves of different colours and a skirt of a third colour. Tinling, instead, designed an outfit that complied with the dress code but, nevertheless, led to questions in the Houses of Parliament and led to Tinling being ostricised by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) for decades afterwards.
In those restrained postwar years, when A-line skirts reaching to, or just below, the knees were he order of the day, Tinling opted instead for a short dress, which he paired with ruffled, lace-trimmed knickers, which were clearly visible during play. Moran later recalled, ‘…Life magazine ran a picture calling me Gorgeous Gussie, and the British picked it up and did a real job with it.’
In fact, such was her embarrassment on the one and only occasion she wore the outfit, that she hid her face behind her racket. Nevertheless, Moran, who described herself as ‘ really never anything to write home about’, was accused of bringing ‘vulgarity and sin’ into the game by the AELTC and subsequently reverted to wearing shorts.
Until February 20, 2016, the record for the fastest Test match hundred was held, jointly, by West Indian Sir Vivian Richards and Pakistani Misbah-ul-Haq. Richards needed just 56 balls to reach three figures in the fifth and final Test of the England tour of West Indies at the Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John’s in April, 1986, and hs feat was matched by Misbah in the second innings of the second Test of the Australia tour of the United Arab Emirates at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi in November, 2014.
However, on February 20, 2016, in his farewell Test match, after 100 consecutive previous appearances for the Black Cats, New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum picked an appropriate occasion to claim the record for the fastest Test century as his own. In the first innings of the second Test of the Australia tour of New Zealand at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, needed just 54 balls to reach three figures, including 16 fours and four sixes.
For the record, McCullum brought up his hundred in 79 minutes, or five minutes longer than Misbah, who, in turn, took four minutes longer than Australian Jack Gregory, who made a rapid-fire century in 70 minutes, albeit off 67 balls, in the first innings of the second Test of the Australia tour of South Africa at Old Wanderers, Johannesburg on November 12, 1921. Over a century later (no pun intended), Gregory still holds the record for the fastest Test hundred, in terms of minutes taken.
According to Guinness World records, the fastest knockout in the history of boxing, of any description, was just four seconds. In November, 1947, barely a heartbeat after the opening bell of a Golden Gloves bout in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mike Collins surprised his bemused opponent Pat Brownson with a powerful left hook that knocked him off his feet. The referee immediately stopped the contest, without starting a count, and awarded Collins victory by technical knockout. Of course, the Golden Gloves is an amateur boxing competition, but the fastest knockout in the history of professional boxing was also achieved in the blink of an eye.
On June 15, 2006, in the fourth fight of his short, and ultimately unsuccessful, professional career, Brandon Burke, from Davenport, Iowa, faced local fighter Phil ‘The Drill’ Williams in a light heavyweight contest, scheduled for four rounds, at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Belying his inexperience, as soon as the bell sounded, Burke charged across the ring and attempted to connect with a right hand while Williams had his guard down.
Guard or no guard, Williams easily dodged his onrushing opponent and connected with a right hook of his own, which knocked Burke, face first, to the canvas. Burke did manage to stagger to his feet, but was clearly unfit to continue, so referee Mark Nelson intervened, stopping the contest and awarding victory to Williams, by knockout, after just ten seconds. For the record, Burke did not last long in the professional ranks; he fought just twice more, losing by unanimous decision on both occasions, before retiring in February, 2009, with an uninspiring 0-5-1 professional career record.
On October 12, 2012, Stephen Lee was suspended by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), following reports of suspicious betting activity during a Premier League match against John Higgins, which Lee lost 4-2, the previous day. Of that stage, Lee was already under investigation by the WPBSA as the result of match-fixing allegations made against him in February, 2010, and the governing body said in a statement, ‘…that it would not be appropriate for Stephen Lee to continue to compete on the World Snooker Tour whilst these investigations are undertaken…’.
Lee appealed, unsuccessfully, against the decision and, on February 14, 2013, was charged with seven counts of match-fixing, in four different tournaments, including the 2009 World Snooker Championship. The WPBSA alleged that Lee was in cahoots with several groups who, collectively, placed bets of over £111,000 on the outcome of the suspect matches, or frames within those matches, and made a profit of over £97,000.
His case was heard by an independent disciplinary hearing board appointed by the WPBSA, through Sport Resolutions, over a three-day period between September 9 and September 11, 2013. Lee was found guilty on all seven counts, banned for 12 years, backdated to the start of his original suspension, and ordered to pay £40,000 in costs. Befitting what the WPBSA called ‘the worst case of snooker corruption we have seen’, Lee was handed the longest ban ever imposed on a professional snooker player.
Lee appealed, again unsuccessfully, thereby increasing the costs against him to £125,000, which, at the time of writing, he has yet to repay. His ban is due to end on October 12, 2024, the day on which he turns 50 and, despite John Higgins saying recently, ‘If he serves his ban and decides to come back we will welcome him back with open arms’, the WPBSA may not be quite so accommodating, particularly in light of his unpaid debt.
The footballer who has made most appearances in the top flight of English football is former England international goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Shilton made his debut in the Football League First Division, which preceded the Premier League, for Leicester City, as a 16-year-old, on May 3, 1966. He made his final appearance in the top tier for Derby County, who were relegated that season, at the age of 41, on May 11, 1991. In between times, Shilton made 846 First Division appearances for Leicester City, Stoke City, Nottingham Forest, Southampton and Derby County, making a total of 848 altogether.
Shilton was relegated from the First Division three times, with Leicester City in 1969/70, Stoke City in 1976/77 and Derby County in 1990/91, but won the league title, at the first attempt, with the newly-promoted Nottingham Forest, managed by Brian Clough, in 1977/78. His transfer fee from Leicester City to Stoke City in November, 1974, £325,00, was a record for a goalkeeper.
Following his eventual departure from Derby in February, 1992, Shilton spent three tumultuous seasons as player-manager of Plymouth Argyle, in Football League Division Two, before joining Wimbledon, as an out-and-out goalkeeper, at the age of 45, in February, 1995. Thereafter, Shilton was signed on free transfers by Bolton Wanderers, Coventry, West Ham United and Leyton Orient but, between February, 1995 and November, 1996, when he joined the O’s in Football League Division Three, made just one first-team domestic league appearance. However, he would finish his career at Brisbane Road, officially retiring on July 1, 1997, aged 47, with a total of 1,005 league appearances to his name.