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Which England strikers have scored hat-tricks at the World Cup Finals?

It would be fair to say that England strikers who have scored hat-tricks at the World Cup Finals are few and far between. Of course, the ‘granddaddy of them all’ is Sir Geoff Hurst, who remains the only man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup Final. On July 30, 1966, at Wembley Stadium, Hurst levelled the scores at 1-1 against West Germany after 18 minutes and scored twice more in extra time to secure a 4-2 victory. His second goal, confirmed by the infamous ‘Russian linesman’ Tofiq Bahramov, has remained controversial ever since. There was no doubting his third, though, which caused commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme to exclaim, ‘They think it’s all over. It is now!’

Of course scoring a hat-trick in any game is far from a formality. It’s often seen as an aspiration by footballers due to how difficult it is to achieve. Sometimes footballers find their way into a rich vein of form though, so a potential hat-trick can occasionally be on the cards. For those of you looking for big money sports betting payouts betting on one coming up will typically get you generous odds. That will also be true in the World Cup as there are a finite number of games in the competition.

Interestingly Bruno Fernandes’ Odds for the 2021 – 2022 Premier League golden boot tumbles when he scores a hat-trick in the Manchester United vs Leeds United game (his odds fell from 25-1 to 6-1 – partially on account of his current goal tally, and partly the potential it displayed). There are typically 10+ hat-tricks in the Premier League each year. Broad analysis suggests a little over a 3% chance of a hat-trick being scores in any individual game, so the odds would be reflective of that fact (with more likelihood of course in less competitive games).

 

In any case, I digress.

Next up is Gary Lineker who, on June 11, 1986, scored three times in the first 34 minutes of England’s third and final group game against Poland at the Estadio Tecnológico in Monterrey, Mexico. Following a 1-0 defeat by Portugal and a goalless draw against Morocco, England needed to beat Poland to progress to the knockout stages from Group F – dubbed the ‘Group of Sleep’ by locals, due to the lack of goals – but did so comfortably.

Last, but by no means least, on the list is Harry Kane who, with Lineker, jointly holds the record for the most goals scored at major tournaments. On June 24, 2018, Kane completed an unusual hat-trick in a 6-1 thrashing of Panama in a group game at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Russia. Kane scored his first two goals from the penalty spot, but his third came when a shot by Ruben Loftus-Cheek deflected off his heel and wrong-footed the goalkeeper.

The next big tournament in terms of worldwide attention will be the World Cup (held in Qatar in 2022). It will be interesting to see if any of the world class players in attendance (preferably England players!)  will manage to achieve this uncommon accolade. At the odds you’re likely to get for it, it might be worth a punt.

How many holes-in-one have been recorded in the Masters Tournament?

Traditionally the first ‘major’ of the season, the, Georgia since 1934. The National corresponds to the regulation golf course layout insofar as it features four par-3 holes, which are nos. 4, 6, 12 and 16 on the scorecard. Collectively, they have seen 27 holes-in-one in the history of the Masters Tournament.

Unsurprisingly, the fourth and final par-3 on the golf course, no. 16, a.k.a. ‘Redbud’, has seen 18 holes-in-one or, in other words, exactly two-thirds of the total number recorded in the history of the Masters. Depending on conditions, no. 16 can require anything from a 5-iron to a 9-iron, over a pond, to a severely sloping green. However, on the final day of the Masters, the pin is invariably positioned on the back-left portion of the green, leaving a generous landing area to the right, from which the slope naturally funnels the ball towards the hole. In the 2016 Masters Tournament, Shane Lowry, Davis Love III and Louis Oosthuizen all recorded holes-in-one on no.16.

It can pay to go into such granular detail when it comes to what occurs within a sport, because it really feeds into an idea of likelihood. Once you’re keyed into how likely an outcome it can very much be used to your advantage with regard to golf odds and so on. While football and of horse horse racing betting is big business, it’s good to appreciate that golf is also right up there. That is partly down to the number of participants and also possibilities in the average golf tournament. The former can lead to some really big odds selections that are still in with a shot. The latter, leads to numerous niche betting options that you can use your knowledge to specialise in.

Many top gamblers take the approaches stated enough. Of course in the betting for any event there are a number of ‘mug punters’, but at the same time it doesn’t take a massive amount of people ‘in the know’ to cream off the profits. As such, whether its stats, a keen eye or expertise in value bets, having something to lift you above others placing a wager should always be your number one priority as a pro.

Equally unsurprisingly, granted that it is arguably the toughest hole at Augusta, the first par-3, no. 4, a.k.a. ‘Flowering Crab Apple’, has seen just one hole-in-one in the history the Masters. The tee was moved back 30 yards or so in 2006, thereby lengtening the hole to its current 240 yards, or the equivalent of a 3-iron or 5-wood. However, back in 1992, when the hole measured a ‘mere’ 213 yards, Jeff Sluman holed a 4-iron for an unlikely ‘ace’.

No.12, a.k.a. ‘Golden Bell’, is probably the most famous short par-3 in golf. Measuring just 155 yards, no. 12 is notoriously difficult to judge and has seen just three holes-in-one in Masters history and none since 1988. No. 6, a.k.a. ‘Juniper’, measures 180 yards and represents a bona fide birdie chance, but the pin is only really accessible when positioned on the front-left portion of the green; no. 6 has seen five holes-in-one in Masters history.

What Are the Obstacles Preventing Anthony Joshua Vs Tyson Fury?

Source: Pexels

Boxing was made great by a series of super fights throughout the ages. Mohammed Ali took on Sonny Liston twice, “Smokin’ Joe” Frazier in Manilla, and George Foreman in Zaire. After that, Tommy Hearns and Marvin Hagler faced off, as did Arturo Gatti and Mickey Ward. Let’s not forget about Jake LaMotta and Sugar Ray Robinson.  

Unfortunately for the sport, mega-fights have been hard to come by in recent years. Currently, there’s one that stands out from the crowd – Anthony Joshua Vs Tyson Fury. Both are British and world champions, giving the bout extra spice. However, the obstacles appear to be getting in the way, and they’re quite significant.  

Deontay Wilder & Oleksandr Usyk  

Wilder and Usyk are the respective opponents for Fury and Joshua after Deontay Wilder refused to step aside for the two to meet. Everyone understands the American’s punching power, even if his boxing ability isn’t as strong as Fury’s. The boxing betting ranks the champ as the 3/10 favourite after the Brit knocked him out in their last fight, but it only takes one punch to upset the apple cart. 

Usyk, on the other hand, is somewhat of an unknown quantity. The Ukrainian swept the cruiserweight division when he KOed Tony Bellew, becoming the first cruiserweight in history to hold all four major world championship belts. Again, Joshua is the favourite for their September bout at 4/11.  

However, the odds distort the threat the Ukrainian poses because he’s relatively untried at heavyweight. If he can bring power to the table while keeping his speed, Joshua may struggle to hold on to his titles. Both men will need strong performances if they plan on meeting at some point in 2022.  

The Venue  

The fight is between two British fighters who will potentially hold all the major championship belts in the division. Logically, it makes sense for the matchup to take place in the UK. Joshua, for example, has fought most of his opponents in London. Plus, Wembley Stadium and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have massive capacities, and the demand will be huge.  

But, the word at the moment is that Saudi Arabia will get the first crack of the whip should the fight go ahead. After all, the original contest was due to take place in the kingdom before Wilder won his arbitration case. As a result, Eddie Hearn may feel as if he owes the Saudis one. 

That will leave the British boxing fans devastated. One of the biggest fights in the sport’s history between two Brits should happen on these shores, yet it looks as if it isn’t going to be the case.  

Father Time  

Something that’s out of everyone’s control is time. If Fury and Joshua were in their early or mid-20s, it may be easier to relax and accept the fact that they will touch gloves eventually. Unfortunately, the fighters are in their 30s.  

They will only get older the longer the saga continues, with Fury potentially turning 34 by the time the fight takes place in 2022. The Gypsy King has already spoken about his desire to retire for the sake of his health, so it’s hard to see the boxer carrying on for too many more years.  

In any case, no one wants to watch fighters who are past their primes. We watched Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao and it was a damp squib compared to what it may have been.  

For the sake of the sport, we should cross out fingers and hope that these two great champions get to square off in the ring. It will be a massive disappointment if they don’t. 

Who was the first modern Olympic champion?

Under the auspices of Pierre, Baron de Coubertin, founding member and president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic Games were revived in Athens, Greece in 1896. On April 6, the opening day of the Games of the I Olympiad, 27-year-old James Connolly, representing the United States won the ‘hop, skip and jump’, or triple jump, with a distance of 13.71 metres, to become the first Olympic champion for more than 1,500 years.

According to contemporary reports, Connolly, who jumped last, threw his cap into the landing pit to mark the position of the leading jump, before sailing out to a metre or so beyond it. Just for good measure, later in the Games, Connolly also finished joint-second in the high jump and third in the high jump beyond compatriot Ellery Clark. In those early, pioneering days, just two Olympic medals, silver and bronze, for first and second place were awarded. However, Connolly, along with other Olympic champions in 1896 and 1900, would be awarded a gold medal, restropectively, when the IOC adopted the three-tier medal format a few years later.

 

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