• April 28 down the years

A qualifier shocks the world

Terry Griffiths beat Dennis Taylor in the final to become world champion © Getty Images

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1979
Terry Griffiths became the first qualifier to win the world snooker title and the last player to win it at the first attempt. He began by beating the obscure Bernard Bennett in the qualifying rounds, then overcame some big names to make the final: former runners-up Perrie Mans and Eddie Charlton, with Alex Higgins in between. He beat Slow Eddie 19-17 in an endless semi-final after trailing 17-16. Meanwhile Dennis Taylor also reached the final for the first time, after beating a first-timer called Steve Davis in the first round and defending champion Ray Reardon in the second. At the start of the final day, he and Griffiths were tied at 15-15. In the opening frame, Taylor made a break of 41 and missed another chance to win it, leaving Griffiths to take it on the black. That put him ahead for the first time since he led 8-7. It turned into a day too many for Taylor: from 18-16 down, he lost the last six frames. He had to wait until April 29, six years later for another shot at the big one. Griffiths didn't reach another final for nine years and won the title just this once.

2008 Ronnie O'Sullivan became the first player to make three maximums at the World Championship. It was also his eighth 147 in competition, a record at the time. He compiled it in the last frame of his 13-7 win over former champion Mark Williams in the second round. In 2005, Williams had been the last player before him to make a maximum at the Championship. The Rocket made his other two on April 21, 1997 and April 22, 2003. He went on to win the title in 2008.

2001
The 100th Challenge Cup final was the first held at Twickenham, home of the enemy code. St Helens met Bradford Bulls in a repeat of their epic decider on April 27, 1996. This match ended with far fewer points but the same winners. Saints scored two first-half tries through Tommy Martyn and Kieron Cunningham (who scored in that 1996 final), both from grubber kicks by Sean Long. They led 13-4 at half-time, and torrential rain hampered Bradford's attempts at a comeback. They managed only three goals by Henry Paul and lost 13-6. Man of the match Long won the Lance Todd Trophy for the first of a record three times.

1994
Bradley Stone died after a boxing match. When he was met Richie Wenton for the vacant British super-bantamweight title, he lasted almost ten rounds - which is when the problems usually start. Boxers rarely die after early knockouts. It's the combination of punches and tiredness that seems to cause most ring fatalities. And there's often a delayed reaction. Stone was perfectly lucid after the fight, talking of taking a year off. A few hours later, he was in a coma. Within two days, he was dead. One of his visitors in hospital was Michael Watson, still feeling the effects of his fight with Chris Eubank on September 21, 1991. Wenton retired after his second unsuccessful attempt at the British featherweight title in 2001.

Bradley Wiggins finished fourth in last year's Tour de France © Getty Images

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1980
Bradley Wiggins was born in Belgium, land of great road cyclists, but competed for Britain, land of great track cyclists. Although Chris Hoy deserved his headlines after the 2008 Olympics, Wiggins was Britain's ironman of the Games. He won his second successive gold in the pursuit and added the team title to the silver he'd won in 2004 and the bronze four years before that. He also finished third in the Madison in 2004, and he and Mark Cavendish were favourites for that event after winning the world title earlier in 2008. But a hard schedule caught up with Wiggins and they finished way down the field. At those World Championships, Wiggins also retained the individual and team pursuit titles. He turned his attention to the Tour de France in 2009, finishing fourth overall as he improved dramatically in the mountains. Watch this space.

1966
The Boston Celtics won their eighth straight NBA title, the longest streak in history. In four of those finals, they beat the Los Angeles Lakers, including the previous year and again tonight, when they won the last game to retain the title 4-3.

1974
Niki Lauda won a Formula One race for the first time. Starting from pole, he set the fastest lap on the way to winning in Spain. He won a Grand Prix for the last time 11 years later, one of the longest spans in the sport.

On the same day in 2002, Michael Schumacher also won the Spanish Grand Prix, in his case for the second year in a row and the fourth in all. He won it again in 2003 and 2004 on the way to winning his last two world titles.

1966
John Daly was born in California. At the time of the US PGA on August 11, 1991, he was way down the reserve list and only got in when other golfers dropped out. Then he came out of nowhere to win the event by three shots. Driving the ball consistently further than anyone could remember, he often lived up his nickname of Wild Thing. He took a record 18 shots at one hole on March 22, 1998 and 14 at another during the 2000 US Open. 'Get me to the airport fast,' he told his caddy. When the radar was working, his nerveless putting won him events like the Open on July 23, 1995. But he would have won more than these two Majors but for his life outside golf, which filled the papers with tales of binge drinking and eating, drugs, gambling, fights with wives, and enough Diet Coke to water a golf course. The rest of his life he wasted.

1985
Merlene Ottey became the first woman from a Commonwealth country to run the 100 metres in under 11 seconds, clocking 10.92 in California. She set her seventh and last Commonwealth record in the event 11 years later (it still stands), plus the same number in the 200 (ditto). She failed a drug test in 1999 but won the case on a technicality.

1906
The oldest swimmer to win an Olympic medal. William Henry was an eyebrow-raising 47-years-old when he helped a British quartet finish third in the 4x250 metres relay.

1945
A prime minister played international rugby. When a British Empire XV beat France 27-6 in Richmond, right wing Jacques Chaban-Delmas won his only cap. The match is regarded as an official international by the French. His real name was just Delmas. Chaban was a nom de guerre he used while working for the French Resistance during the War. He was prime minister of France from 1969 to 1972.

1941
Lucien Aimar was born in France. Good going up a mountain, fast coming down, he won the Tour de France in 1966.

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