On the 27 June,1890, the Canadian professional boxer, George Dixon [1870-1908], became the first black boxer to win a World Championship in any sport, knocking out England’s Nunc Wallace in 18 rounds

Born in Africville, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Dixon won the world bantamweight championship in a bout with ‘Spider’ Kelly in 1888, but he was not officially recognised as the world champion until two years later in 1890.

In 1891, Dixon beat Cal McCarthy in 22 rounds to win the world featherweight title. He lost the title in a rematch with Solly Smith in 1897, who he had previously defeated by a 7th round TKO.

In 1898, Dixon lost his featherweight title to the British Champion Ben Jordan, at New York’s Lenox Club, in a close bout over twenty five rounds by a points decision. In 1898, Dixon reclaimed the world featherweight title by decisively defeating Dave Sullivan in a tenth round disqualification. Sullivan had held the title for just forty-six days, after winning the world title with a surprise win over Smith, when the bout was stopped in the fifth round after Smith sustained a broken arm.

Dixon lost his featherweight title once again in a 15-round decision to Abe Attell in 1901, although some sources credit his loss of the title to Terry McGovern in 1900.

George Dixon, who is credited for having developed ‘shadow boxing’, stood just 5 feet 3.5 inches tall, and weighed in at 87 pounds, when he began his professional boxing career,.

In later life, Dixon established a vaudeville troupe he called the ‘George Dixon Specialty Co.’ which performed on tour in Canada and the United States.

Not long after his last fight, Dixon tragically died, poor and homeless, in the alcohol ward of Bellevue Hospital in 1908, aged 37.

26.June, 2019

On the 26 June 1972, on his Test cricket debut, the right-arm swing bowler Robert Arnold Lockyer Massie (born 1947), took 8 wickets for 84 runs in the first innings, and 8 for 53 in the second, on his Test cricket debut, for Australia against England at Lords. This was a world record for a Test debutant until beaten by India’s Narendra Hirwani, who took 16 wickets for just 1 run less.

Nicknamed ‘Ferg’, after the well known tractor brand Massey-Ferguson, he had a relatively short international career, and played in only six Tests and three One Day Internationals, from 1972 until his last Test against Pakistan in 1973.

Born in Subiaco, Australia, Massie began playing cricket at age 10 and made his debut for against South Australia Western Australia in 1965–1966 season. He made a duck in his first innings and conceded 81 runs without taking a wicket.

Massie also trialed for Northampton in English County cricket, but was not signed after two matches in the second XI.

Massie’s health failed him on the 1973 West Indies tour, and played only a further five first class matches before retiring.

A banker by profession, later he became a radio commentator.

26 June, 2019

On the 25 June,1991, the Wimbledon  Ladies Champion, Martina Navratilov, won her record breaking 100^th singles match at Wimbledon, defeating Elna Reinach, South Africa, 4-6; 6-2, 6-4 in the first round, but lost her title in the quarterfinals to Jennifer Capriati, USA, after splitting the first two sets. The 1991 Ladies’ Singles tennis title was won by the number one seed Steffi Graff, Germany.

Martina reached the Wimbledon singles final 12 times, including nine consecutive years from 1982-1990.

Born Martina Šubertová in Prague, Czechoslovakia, her parents divorced when she was three. In 1962 Martina married Miroslav Navrátil, who became her first tennis coach. Martina took the name of her stepfather, adding the feminine suffix ‘ová’. Her father, Miroslav Šubert, was a ski instructor, who committed suicide when she was eight years old.

At the age of 18, Martina was stripped of her Czechoslovakian citizenship when in 1975 she sought political asylum and was granted temporary residence in the United States. Navratilova became a US citizen in 1981, and in 2008 re-acquired her Czechoslovakian citizenship, although making it clear she did not plan to renounce her US nationality.

In her career Martina won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, an all-time record 31 major women’s doubles titles, and 10 major mixed doubles titles. She was ranked world No. 1 for a total of 332 weeks in singles, and a record 237 weeks in doubles, making her the only player in history to have held the top spot in both singles and doubles for over 200 weeks.

Navratilova one of only three women to have accomplished a career Grand Slam in women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles, known as a ‘Grand Slam Boxed Set’, a distinction she shares with only iwo other tennis players, Margaret Court and Doris Hart.

In 2005, ‘Tennis’  magazine named her as one of the greatest female tennis players of all time. 

25 June, 2019

On the 24 June, 1912, the esteemed cricket commentator, author, television presenter and cake connoisseur, Brian Alexander Johnston, CBE, MC, was born at The Old Rectory, Little Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire.

The youngest of four children, Johnston’s early education was at Temple Grove Preparatory School, he then went on to Eton, where he played cricket for the school second XI. Later he continued his studies at New College, Oxford ,where he kept wicket his college team, Oxford Authentics. Although an enthusiastic cricketer, he never managed to make the Varsity side.

Nicknamed ‘Johnners’ his career, for the most part, his career was spent working for the BBC, continuing from 1946 until his death in 1994. ‘Johnners’ began his cricket commentating career for BBC Television at Lord’s in June 1946, reporting on the England v India Test match. That same year Johnston was awarded the Military Cross for his military service.

In 1972, Johnston was dropped from the TV commentary team and retired from the BBC on his sixtieth birthday. Continuing to appear in a freelance capacity for Test Match Special for the next 22 years. He once complained that he had missed his cake at tea during one match, and was inundated with cakes from listeners for years to come.

In 1993 Johnston began entertaining live audiences in a series of UK theatre tours, and the same year  suffered a massive heart attack.

Brian Johnston died in January 1994, at the King Edward VII Hospital, London. Prime Minister, and critic fanatic, John Major, alleged that ‘Summers simply won’t be the same without him’. A memorial service was held in Westminster Abbey in May 1994, with over 2,000 people present.

24 June, 2019

On the 23 June, 1891, the English cricketer George Parr died in Radcliffe on Trent, Nottinghamshire, aged 65.

Popularly known as the ‘Lion of the North’, Parr’s first-class career lasted from 1844 to 1870, when he played mainly for Nottinghamshire, and was club captain from 1856 to 1870.

A right-handed batsman, who occasionally bowled underarm, Parr also made occasional appearances for Surrey, Sussex and Kent, and the MCC.

Born in Radcliffe on Trent in 1826, he was a stalwart of the All-England XI, he captained the first England unbeaten touring team of North America and Canada in 1859. He also captained England’s second tour to Australia and New Zealand in 1864, again returning home unbeaten.

Parr played in 207 first-class matches and had 358 innings, in 30 of which he was not out, scoring a total of 6,626 runs, at a time when conditions greatly favoured bowlers.  Parr took 29 wickets in his career with a best analysis of 6 for 42.

Considered the best cricketer in the world in his time, his highest score and only century only century came against Surrey at The Oval in 1859, when he scored 130 for Nottinghamshire.

Named in his honour, the Parr Stand, was replaced in 2007 with a new stand in the redevelopment at Trent Bridge.

23 June, 2019 

On the 22 June, 1713, the notorious rake, Lord John Philip Sackville (1713 – 1765) was born. 

A Member of Parliament for Tamworth from 1734 to 1747, he was a keen cricketer connected for Kent, was first recorded in the 1734 season, when he and his brother Lord Middlesex, played for Kent v Sussex at Sevenoaks Vine.             

In 1739, Sackville played for the London Cricket Club which was having selection problems at the time. 

In the 1744 season, Lord John challenged an All-England side to play against his Kent team, which Kent won with one wicket to spare. The match details are preserved in what is now cricket’s second oldest known scorecard.

Sackville became the main patron of the Kent team and captained the side in many matches until 1745 at least, but is not mentioned in records after that.

Sackville was compelled to marry Lady Frances Leveson-Gower, daughter of the 1st Earl Gower, the sister of the Duchess of Bedford  in 1744, after she gave birth to his child at Woburn.

They eventually had two sons and one daughter, their son, John Frederick, later the 3rd Duke of Dorset, was a member of the famous Hambledon Club, and a leading supporter of cricket in the latter half of the eighteenth century.

Sackville refused to join the Guards when sent abroad, and was committed to a private lunatic asylum circa 1746. It is reported he became insane later in life, dying Geneva, Switzerland, aged 52.

22 June, 2019

On the 21 June, 2009, the England Women’s cricket team defeated the New Zealand Women to win the inaugural event in the ICC Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup at Lord’s, by 6 wickets. 

The Women’s Twenty20 International is a biennial international cricket championship, organised by the the International Crciket Council , the sport’s governing body. For the first three tournaments, there were 8 participating teams, but from 2014 this number was increased to 10. Qualification is determined by the ICC Women’s Twenty20 international rankings and the Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier.

A unique feature of the  ICC Women World Twenty20, is that it is run simultaneously with the men’s ICC T20 World Cup, with the men’s and womens’ semi-finals and final run on the same day.

All the group matches of the women’s event played at the Taunton County Cricket club ground.

The teams were divided into two groups. Group A: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies – Group B: England, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.

The England Team was: Charlotte Edwatds [C], Caroline Atkins, Katherine Brunt, Holly Colvin, Lydia Greenway, Isa Guha, Jenny Gunn, Danielle Hazell, Laura Marsh, Beth Morgan, Ebony-Jewel Rainford-Brent, Nicki Shaw, Claire Taylor, Sarah Taylor [W].

Holly Colvin played in 5 matches, and was the best bowler in the tournament, taking a total of  9 wickets at an average of 11.77. Her best performance being 3 for 18 in 4 overs against Pakistan. Aimee Watkins [New Zealand] performed best overall with the bat scoring 200 runs in 5 appearances, her best score being 89 not out. Claire Taylor was England’s best batswoman, scoring a total of 199 runs in 5 innings. Her best score being 76 not out.

Since the inaugural event, Australia have won the tournament 4 times, and the West Indies once.

21 June, 2019

On the 20 June, 1974, the Australian professional snooker and billiards player, Horace Lindrum, passed away. 

Born Horace Norman William Morrell in 1912 in Paddington, Sydney. New South Wales.

Horace made his first snooker century at the age of 16, and in 1934, won the Australian Professional Billiards Championship, defeating his uncle Fred who had held the title since 1908.

Lindrum arrived in England in 1935 and stayed until his return to Australia in1939. On his arrival he played a week-long billiards match against Tom Newman at Thurston’s Hall, which he won by 8,348 to 7,883 after conceding Newman a 2,000 head start.

Lindrum, who made over a 1,000 century breaks in his career, was regarded the second best snooker player in the world behind Joe Davis, and played in the major British tournaments, including three World Championship finals against Davis, in 1936,1937 and 1946, losing all three.

In 1952 Lindrum comfortably won the 145-frame World Championship, Lindrum by 94–49, which was only contested by himself and New Zealander, Clark McConachy, following a dispute between the Professional Billiards Players’ Association (PBPA) and the Billiards Association and Control Council (BACC).

Lindrum died at the Delmar Private Hospital, Dee Why, Sydney from bronchial carcinoma aged 62.

20 June, 2019

On the 19 June, 1936, the one-eyed England bowler, John William Sharpe, died.

Born in 1866, in Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, Sharpe partnered George Lohmann in the formidable Surrey sides that dominated the early years of the official cricket County Championship.

Sharpe was a fast-medium bowler, who could make the ball break back on hard pitches, and his extra-fast yorker was deadly. Having lost an eye, he had no pretensions as a batsman, but was quite active in the field for a player in that time.

Though born in Nottinghamshire, Sharpe was overlooked by his native county in the 1880s, eventually emerging in 1889 when he collected 5 wickets for 5 runs against Oxford University. However, his reputation was such that he was an automatic choice for the 1891-1892 Ashes Tour, when in played in three Test matches. 

He played for Nottinghamshire a couple of times in 1894, and retired at the remarkably young age of 28.

Sharpe bowled 14,855 ball in first-class cricket, taking 338 wickets at an average of 16.06, his best figures being 9 for 47.

19 June, 2019

On the 18 June, 1960, US golfer Arnold Palmer staged one of the greatest comebacks in golfing history, when he clawed back a 7 stroke final round deficit to win the 60^th US Open Championship by two strokes from Jack Nicklaus.

Held at the Cherry Hills Country Club, in Englewood, Denver, Colorado, three of the greatest players in the history of golf were in contention for the title in the final round, Arnold Palmer, (1929-2016) regarded as one of the most charismatic players in the sport’s history, William Ben Hogan (1912-1997), and Jack Nicklaus (born 1940), who at the time was still an amateur. 

With a 72 hole total score of 280 [-4]], this was Palmer’s only victory at the U.S. Open.  He finished second four times, including three play-offs losses in 1962,1963, and 1966.

150 players competed for a prize fund of $60,720, from which Arnold collected $14,400.

By comparison, at this year’s Open, the 119th, held at Pebble Beach Golf Links, California, where the prize fund was be the richest ever seen in golf at a staggering $12.5 million. The winner, Gary Woodland, won his first majot championship by three strokes, and pocketed a cool $ 2.25 million.

18 June, 2016