• March 22 down the years

Sotherton shows her class

Kelly Sotherton picked up plenty of points in the long jump © Getty Images

Enlarge

2006
At the age of 29, Kelly Sotherton won her only major heptathlon gold medal. At the Commonwealth Games, she overcame another dreadful performance in the javelin to finish nearly 100 points ahead of Australia's Kylie Wheeler, who won the silver medal for the second successive time. Sotherton's England team mate, future world champion Jessica Ennis, won the bronze.

1967
Muhammad Ali's last fight for three years. Zora Folley had once been a top heavyweight, with quick hands: he once knocked out Britain's Henry Cooper in the second round. He got this title fight with Ali on the strength of wins over Oscar Bonavena and light-heavyweight Bob Foster, but the truth is Ali was running out of opponents. Accepting a 35-year-old like Folley showed how dry the well had become. The champion spent the first three rounds dancing, knocked Folley down in the fourth with a left-right combination, then finished it off in the seventh. Ali was threatened with jail for refusing to be drafted into the Vietnam War, and didn't have another title fight until March 8, 1971, by which time it wasn't his any more.

2010
Legendary boxing commentator Harry Carpenter, who worked for the BBC for over 40 years, died at the age of 84. Carpenter joined the corporation in 1949, delivering his first boxing commentary in the same year, and retired in 1994. His voice provided the backdrop for several iconic bouts, including the "Rumble in the Jungle" between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman for the heavyweight title in 1974.

2003
Ireland went to Cardiff needing a win to keep alive their chances of a rugby Grand Slam - and seemed to have done just that when Keith Gleeson scored tries just before and just after half-time. But Wales kept whittling down their lead. David Humphreys kicked his fourth penalty to put Ireland 22-14 ahead, but Stephen Jones converted a try and then turned everything upside-down in the second minute of injury time, when his drop goal seemed to have won the match. But there was just enough time for substitute Ronan O'Gara to drop another goal and win the match 25-24. Breathless.

On the other side of the world, Tonga beat South Korea 119-0 in a World Cup qualifier. Their 17 tries were shared by 11 different players. Pierre Hola converted all of them and well as scoring two himself. His total of 44 points is a national record. Four of the tries were scored by No.8 Benhur Kivalu, who went through the Korean defence like a chariot (sorry, irresistible) to equal the world record for most tries in a match by a forward. Some say he broke it by scoring five...

2008
In the 100 metres freestyle at the European Championships, French swimmer Alain Bernard broke the world record for the second day in a row. On the same day, 15-year-old Australian swimmer Emily Seebohm broke the world record for the 50 metres backstroke.

1997
The 14-year-old American Tara Lipinski became the youngest ever world champion in ice skating. She was only 4 foot 8 and 5 stone 5 and lacked other skaters' artistry, but the speed of her triple jumps convinced the judges. Strictly speaking, Lipinski was ineligible, under a rule passed the previous year that skaters had to be 15 the previous July - but she was granted a dispensation because she'd taken part in 1996, before the rule was introduced. Defending champion Michelle Kwan was only 16 herself. She regained the title the following year and won it five times in all. Lipinski never won it again - but, unlike Kwan, she did win Olympic gold, beating her into second place the following year.

1934
The first day's play in the first Masters at Augusta. Or the Augusta National Invitational, as it was called. Bobby Jones came out of retirement to play in the tournament he devised, on the course he helped design. At the end of the first round, Horton Smith shared the lead with Jimmy Hines. They finished eight shots apart on the last day.

Tony Stanger was prolific in the blue of Scotland © Getty Images

Enlarge

1988
Tony Stanger played his last game and scored his last try in international rugby, equalling the national record of 24 set by a much greater wing Ian Smith on February 4, 1933. No-one has scored more tries for Scotland. They were level at half-time today, but lost 34-20 at Murrayfield. England fly-half Paul Grayson scored in all four ways: a try, penalty goal, drop goal, and four conversions.

1998
At the Bay Hill Invitational in Orlando, Florida, John Daly showed why he was known as 'Wild Thing' by taking a record 18 strokes at the 543-yard sixth, including five consecutive shots into a lake.

1908
There was something olde worlde about Jack Crawford, who was born in New South Wales today. His tennis racquets were antiques with flat tops. He wore thick shirts with the sleeves buttoned down, and he looked ten years older. But under all that was a determined competitor and clever matchplayer. His backhand was sliced and his groundstrokes delicate, but they were accurate enough to win most of the big prizes. At Wimbledon in 1932, he was blown away by Ellsworth Vines in the semi-final. When they met in the final the following year, you could have had any odds, especially when Vines won the first set. But gentle Jack saved himself by winning the second 11-9. At 4-4 in the fifth, he suddenly came to the net for the first time, and two games later an exhausted Vines lost his serve to love. Crawford had already won the Australian and French titles that year. After Wimbledon, he went all the way to the US final, where his defeat by Perry cost him the Grand Slam. Perry also beat him in the Wimbledon final the following year and in the deciding singles at the 1936 Davis Cup final on the same court. Crawford reached seven Finals at the Australian, winning four of them, including three in a row before losing in 1934 - in the final of course, to Perry naturally. He beat Perry at last the following year. In the final, of course.

1906
England played France at rugby for the first time. This was only the second match France had ever played, so the 35-8 scoreline (53-12 today) was no surprise. Arthur Hudson scored four of England's eight tries in Paris. France's first was scored by an American, Allan Muhr.

© ESPN EMEA LTD