• November 30 down the years

Sampras and co stunned in Davis Cup

Josh Lewsey celebrates with the World Cup © Getty Images

Enlarge

1997
In the Davis Cup final, a Sweden team with no stars (all due respect to Jonas Bjorkman, Magnus Larsson and Nicklas Kulti) completed a 5-0 whitewash over a USA squad featuring Pete Sampras, Michael Chang and Todd Martin.

2008
Austria's Hermann Maier won a World Cup skiing race for the last time, the super giant slalom at Lake Louise in Canada. The Hermannator's total of 53 World Cup wins is second only to the unapproachable 86 achieved by Ingemar Stenmark on February 19, 1989.

1976
Josh Lewsey was born. A strong runner from deep, he was England's full-back when they won the rugby union World Cup in 2003. His five tries against Uruguay in that tournament equalled the national record, and his second-minute try against France in the 2007 semi-final was the difference between the sides. He won 55 caps for England, scoring 22 tries, and toured New Zealand with the Lions in 2005.

1956
Floyd Patterson won the vacant world heavyweight title by stopping Archie Moore in the fifth round. Patterson was 21, the youngest world champion at the weight before Mike Tyson (on November 22, 1986). Moore was 39 according to his mother and 42 according to him. One of the all-time great punchers, he was world light-heavyweight champion for ten years but never won the heavyweight title.

2010
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho was banned for one European match by UEFA after he conspired to get two of his own players sent off in their Champions League clash against Ajax. Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos, who purposefully picked up a second yellow card for time wasting in order to go into the knockout phase of the Champions League with a clean disciplinary slate, were both fined €20,000.

1962
In Perth, Australia, Britain's reigning Olympic breaststroke champion Anita Lonsbrough won the 440 yards individual medley, her third solo gold of the Commonwealth Games.

1979
Until he lost the world middleweight title to Sugar Ray Leonard on April 6, 1987, this is the last time an opponent comes away with anything from an encounter with Marvin Hagler. In his first shot at the world crown, he was unlucky to come away with just a draw against champion Vito Antuofermo. Spookily, this was exactly the same day Leonard won his first world title, stopping classy unbeaten welterweight Wilfred Benítez in the 15th round.

1909
The last goal ever scored in the Eton Wall Game. Don't ask.

1969
Trina Gulliver was born. Far and away the most successful woman darts player of all time, she reached the first nine World Championship finals, winning the first seven before losing in 2008 and 2009.

2003
Australia beat Spain 3-1 to win the Davis Cup final in Melbourne. Mark Philippoussis lost on the first day but won the deciding match on the third, 6-0 in the fifth set against Juan Carlos Ferrero.

1912
Wingers Boetie McHardy and Jan Stegmann scored three tries each and centre Jackie Morkel scored two as the touring South Africans thrashed Ireland 38-0 (worth 58-0 today) in Dublin despite converting only four of their ten tries.

2007
The first day's play in the Indian Cricket League (ICL), which has changed cricket so much, and not just financially. In a day-night 20:20 match in Panchkula, the Chandigarth Lions beat the Delhi Jets by 8 runs.

1928
The first day of Don Bradman's Test career wasn't the best he ever experienced. In the opening match of the 1928-29 series, he fielded all day as England made a steady 272-5. Australia were all out for 122 and 66 and lost by a preposterous 675 runs. Bradman made 18 and 1 and was dropped. After that, the only way was up.

1928
Bert Ironmonger made his Test debut at the age of 46 years 238 days. Two weeks later (December 14, 1928) Don Blackie broke his Australian record by being capped when he was even older. Ironmonger was the most elderly bowler to take five wickets in a Test innings, which he achieved three times when he was 49.

© ESPN EMEA LTD