The Joy of Six: smoking sports stars | Sport | The Guardian The Joy of Six: smoking sports stars From equality in tennis to the pipe smokers of the year, the relationship between sport and snout Cesar Luis Menotti enjoys a salmon. Photograph: Bob Thomas/Bob Thomas/Getty Images Friday 6 December 2013 06.32 EST First published on Friday 6 December 2013 06.32 EST 1. Tennis Rosie Casals in Virginia Slims branded dress. Photograph: Colorsport/REX The Marlboro Man was one of the 20th century's most enduring icons of old-school machismo: the granite jaw, the muscles of steel, the iron lung. But it's often forgotten that the wheezing old bugger did a little bit for the feminist movement too. In 1968, Phillip Morris - that's the real name of the Marlboro Man, and a rather disappointing one at that, big-leggy cowboys simply shouldn't be called Pip - launched a brand of cigarettes called Virginia Slims.

Marketed at young women, the accompanying advertising campaign - "You've come a long way, baby / To get where you've got to today / You've got your own cigarette now, baby / You've come a long, long way" - didn't quite manage to distil all the philosophies and ideologies driving Emmeline Pankhurst, Simone de Beauvoir and Betty Friedan's century-long struggle against oppression into one catchy 30-second jingle. It's also questionable whether equal-opportunity health hazards are desirable in anything other than strict theoretical terms. But Pip and his pals weren't just cynical bandwagon-hitching opportunists: Virginia Slims would also play a small but significant part in a genuine advance. Pip's wares. Photograph: Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images 1968 was also the year in which tennis went open, and prize money for professionals went through the roof. If you were a man. The women were ludicrously under-valued, and when Jack Kramer - a former Wimbledon and US Open champion turned promoter - refused to pony up more than 15% of the prize purse he was paying the men in a 1970 tournament, Billie Jean King led a walkout.

The United States Lawn Tennis Association, she reasoned, could go whistle. King, along with eight other players - Rosie Casals, Nancy Richey, Peaches Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon, Valerie Ziegenfuss, Julie Heldman, Kerry Reid and Judy Dalton - formed a rebel tour. With the help of magazine publisher Gladys Heldman, who prized a sponsorship deal from Pip Morris, the Virginia Slims Circuit was born. The circuit - the first professional women's tour - was a glorious success. Within three years of its launch, it led to the formation of the Women's Tennis Association, the main overseers of the game today. And three months after the ink had dried on that deal, the 1973 US Open became the first major event to offer women and men equal prize money. The Australian Open followed suit in 2001, before the French Open and Wimbledon finally did the decent thing in 2007. Old-fashioned attitudes at Wimbledon clearly took a while to shift, then.

They may or may not have become entrenched in 1972, when Casals opted to wear a mauve and white dress for her semi-final against King that was patterned with a series of VS motifs. She lost the match 2-6, 4-6, but was still in the running for the mixed doubles with Ilie Nastase, and so a letter arrived on her doorstep the morning after from referee Captain Mike Gibson, ordering her to desist with the sly advertising. Given that Virginia Slims were involved in tennis in the first place only because the likes of Wimbledon were refusing to pay the women anything close to equal money, it could be argued that the Captain was being a cheeky bastard. Happily, Casals was having none of his sorry nonsense. She dismissed the Captain's morning log as "the biggest laugh I have had for a long time", and came onto No1 court for her mixed-doubles appointment sporting another VS-inspired outfit. This one, in red, yellow and green, pictured a woman, 18 inches high, holding a tennis racquet in one hand and a cigarette holder in the other.

A slogan read: "You've come a long way, baby." The Captain - either interested in crisp, clear, traditional costume design or hell-bent on reinforcing the patriarchy, you make the call - ordered Casals to return to the dressing room and slip into something a little more comfortable for him. The player protested that she had already worn the dress twice at the championships. "I said it must have been on a back court and had not been drawn to my attention," sniffed the Captain later, "because had it been, I would have ordered her to change it." He clearly wasn't in the habit of looking very hard, because on the other side of the net Betty Stove of Holland was wearing a similar design, but with Casals in the firing line, she slipped under the Captain's radar. Casals changed costume, but a little victory in the bigger war had been won: her VS dress, its unsubtle advertising, and the point it was rather more subtly making, made the front of several national newspapers for two days running. ("A star's choice of dress when she goes onto court is a personal matter," noted its designer, the former player-turned-fashion guru, Teddy Tinling.

"It is entirely her own business.") Casals also went on to win the tournament with Nastase, and if her profile in the Observer back in 1968 was anything to go by, celebrated well that evening: "Sometimes I drink a rum and coke, or a Bloody Mary. Oh, and Creme de Menthe, that's my favourite drink. And I like a beer after dinner, when I have the one cigarette of the day." 2. Golf Before we go any further, and so our consciences are clear, it'd be remiss of us not to hammer home the obvious: the devil weed can be extremely injurious to your health. Here's Tony Lazzeri, one of the star names in the legendary New York Yankees team from the 1920s that also boasted Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, shilling tabs from the impossibly glamorous pages of a magazine. "After a tough day at the ball park one needs mental as well as physical relaxation. I get mine through smoking Lucky Strike cigarettes. I smoke one of them; two of them; three of them; and I like 'em.

They never bother my throat." Sure enough, a heart attack did for Lazzeri at the tragically young age of 42. Then there's the winner of the 1946 US Open golf tournament, Lloyd Mangrum. One of the greatest players of the immediate post-war era, Mangrum recorded another 25 top-ten finishes in the majors. Usually seen with a cigarette hanging from his lip mid-swing, Mangrum was said to chain his way through several packs a day. He was once bollocked by a spectator, who shouted from the gallery that "athletes shouldn't smoke". His pat response? "I'm no athlete, lady, I'm a golfer." Mangrum died of a heart attack - his 12th(!) - aged only 59. So those are the dangers writ large. But in the interests of balance, here's the morally problematic flipside: some people really do look darn wonderful when they've got a fag on. Here's Mangrum, the Rhett Butler of the fairways, making his way round Augusta National at his own pace during the late 1940s.

Lloyd Mangrum lights up a smoke during a 1940s Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Photograph: Augusta National/Augusta National/Getty Images The fags also helped this smoothie smooth out his game. Not only was his swing one of the most effortless on tour, each gentle draw helping to shape each gentle draw, he was also a super-sharp cherooter on the greens: he put down his nerveless putting stroke to his habit of taking the edge off beforehand with a long, deep, rich, calming drag. He won the 1946 US Open by rattling in a very missable snaky seven-footer which, like the smoke, didn't even touch the sides. Mangrum, of course, picked up his habit in an era before the true dangers of smoking were scientifically proven, and everyone was merely in thundering denial regarding the root cause of that persistent hack. But plenty of golfers have nevertheless since used cigarettes or cigars as both relaxant and emotional crutch. "There are some players that have sports psychologists," explained Angel Cabrera upon winning the 2007 US Open.

"I smoke." Add Mangrum and the carefree Argentinian to the following list, illustrative rather than definitive, of golfers who have been spotted sucking them down on the links at one time or another: Lee Trevino, Tony Jacklin, Brian Barnes, John Daly, Darren Clarke, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Ian Woosnam, Jumbo Ozaki, Thomas Bjorn, Sam Torrance, Fuzzy Zoeller, Ben Hogan, Walter Hagan, Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus. Total majors between that little lot: 66. And if we throw in the majors won by a certain modern superstar rumoured to enjoy the odd equilibrium-enhancing snout: 80. You do the math. Miguel Angel Jimenez enjoys a burn. Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters 3. The Olympic Games Having established that tobacco can be good for you - well, OK, but y'know - here's a stash of the stuff getting one of the 20th century's most legendary sports stars into a whole heap of trouble. Ricardo Zamora is remembered as one of the greatest players to ever have played for Spain. He kept goal for both Barcelona and Real Madrid.

He won a silver medal with Spain at the 1920 Olympics. He starred in Spain's famous 4-3 win over England in 1929, the first time the English national team had been defeated by a team from the continent. The trophy which is given to the keeper of the season in La Liga is named in his honour. And yet despite it all, he's arguably best remembered as something of a bon viveur. As Sid Lowe reports in Fear and Loathing in La Liga - if you haven't done so already, get on it in time for Christmas - Zamora was "a friend of the tango singer Carlos Gardel, consumer of three packets of cigarettes a day and countless cognacs" and "a famous night bird during the 1920s when Barcelona became the most fashionable city in Spain". Ricardo Zamora and his little friend. Photograph: Bob Thomas/Popperfoto/Popperfoto/Getty Images Zamora lived life to the full, though he would take it too far in the wake of Spain's aforementioned success at the 1920 Olympics.

Spain were knocked out by the hosts and eventual champions Belgium in the quarter finals, but the tournament's bizarre structure (no point asking, life's too short) gave them a second chance at the silver and bronze medals. Spain made it through to the final of the consolation round - Zamora had been sent off against Italy en route, having planted one on an Italian opponent - and they beat the Netherlands to the silver medal. (In a pleasing symmetry, Spain's crowning goal in a 3-1 win was scored by Rafael Moreno, aka Pichichi, whose name, like the man guarding the Spanish net, would later adorn a memorial trophy handed out for La Liga excellence in his position . Zamora, along with the rest of the team, celebrated their silver medal with extreme prejudice. The rest of the team, however, did not decide to purchase several cases of contraband Havana cigars to take back home with them. Zamora stashed the lot under his train seat, and would probably have got away with it, had he not decided to light up a fat one in the carriage and hang out of the window puffing it in a fashion popularised years later by Charles Kennedy .

The fact that he was sucking it down right by the border, when a customs officer was sniffing around, further complicated matters, but did at least illustrate his devil-may-care attitude. Zamora was fined 500 pesetas and thrown in the jug for the night, the customs officer making off with his smokes. Ah well, at least he still had something to show for the trip, with his medal. 4. Cricket Tennis is not the only sport to have benefitted from an injection of tobacco. Formula One has been fuelled by smoke, overtly or otherwise, for most of its existence. Rugby league's big day out was known for years as the Silk Cut Challenge Cup. The World Snooker Championship will always be known to a certain generation as the Embassy, and hasn't been the same since legislation spirited away its yellow-stained glamour. While darts is, well, darts: Embassy gave each competitor in the very first world championship, held in Nottingham in 1978, a carton of 200 fags, or 20 slim panatela cigars. Per day. Eric Bristow enjoys a brown while throwing a dart.

Photograph: Bob Thomas/Bob Thomas/Getty Images Cricketers too have benefitted from the largesse of the tobacco conglomerates: Benson & Hedges would also regularly dole out free cartons of 200 to participants ahead of matches in their eponymous Cup. As we've seen with the golfers, the benefits to cricketers of such gifts are more psychological than cardiovascular. John Crawley was reckoned to have gone through two packets while waiting to go into bat against the West Indies in 1998. Meanwhile poor Tony Greig, reaping what he'd sown during Grovelgate, as it wasn't known back in 1976, spent lunch chain-smoking after the Windies directed a hurricane of misery towards his noggin - with a little help from his team-mates who were lighting the fags, a job beyond their captain, who was reportedly shaking so much that the simple operation of a box of Swan Vestas was way beyond him. 5. The World Cup Smoking has not been a barrier to footballing excellence.

You'd be able to pick a decent enough XI out of this lot: Dino Zoff, Johan Cruyff, Garrincha, Gérson, Socrates, Zinedine Zidane, Nat Lofthouse, Dixie Dean, Jack and Bobby Charlton, Ossie Ardiles, Paul Gascoigne, Fabien Barthez, Billy Bremner, Jimmy Greaves, Carlo Ancelotti, Gordon Banks, Alfredo Di Stefano and, eh, Jack Wilshere. Cesar Luis Menotti and Enzo Bearzot can fight it out for the right to puff away pensively in the dugout. Mind you, Gérson's habit could easily have cost football's most famous team their signature World Cup. Every winner, no matter how talented, needs a little bit of luck, and the 1970 Brazil side was fortunate that the World Cup that year was played in Mexico, where the heat and altitude slowed the game right down.

That allowed Gérson - the brain behind the team who was on 40 a day and had been comprehensively outpaced against Hungary in England in 1966 - to take things at his own speed, something he would have been unable to do were the tournament being played in cooler climes, at sea level, and against players whose lungs were able to function at their usual, full capacity. In the final, Gérson kept quiet for the first 50 minutes or so. "He discovered before half-time that he could move up and put Italy in trouble," a highly impressed Bill Shankly told the Observer's Hugh McIlvanney, "but he knew if he did too much of it they would see what was happening and try to find a solution at the interval. So he waited until the second half. Then the Italians had no chance to discuss the problem. They were sunk." Gerson went on to score what was effectively the winner, then dictated terms for the rest of the match.

A rope-a-dope masterclass, albeit one for which Shankly had perhaps given Gérson a soupçon too much credit, given that it had been also designed with the purpose of eking out their spluttering midfielder's contribution for as long as possible. It'd be nice to think that Gérson, upon coming up with the fiendish plan beforehand, had scrawled it on the back of a cigarette packet. 6. Bowls (and the Indoor League) David Bryant wins Westminster International bowls at Paddington Sports Club in 1989, while enjoying a pipe. Photograph: Mike King/taken from picture library The most distinguished carriage for tobacco product, the pipe has lent gravitas to many a sports star. There's Fred Trueman on Indoor League , oozing effortless authority and poise despite being half-cut on Sid Waddell's Yorkshire Television expense account. Jimmy Greaves was often spotted during his mid-60s pomp with a stem clamped between his teeth. Meanwhile Ian Botham has shilled Hamlet cigars and skinned up once or twice in his day, but it's his 1988 Pipe Smoker of the Year award of which he'll surely be most proud.

However, in the world of sport, and arguably further afield, there is only one true pipe smoker. David Bryant won six world bowls titles - three outdoors, three indoors - between 1966 and 1988, plus five golds in the Commonwealth Games between 1962 and 1978. More often than not, he did it with a pipe sticking out of his ice-cool coupon. Mind you, it was rarely lit during actual competition, and never on the indoor greens, where the carpet would have been ruined by the constant dropping of ash. Bryant was nothing if not a considerate man. (After winning his 1978 Commonwealth title, Frank Keating congratulated the 46-year-old Bryant by "jokingly suggesting his victory was another nice encouragement to the old and ageing ... He remained polite, of course, but he tapped out his pipe on his heel sharply enough to convey that he was momentarily miffed.") Like Botham, Greaves (1985) and Trueman (1974, the height of Indoor League's popularity), Bryant also picked up the Pipe Smoker of the Year award, in 1986.

He's in decent company: other winners of the prize include Harold Wilson, Eric Morecambe, Henry Cooper, and JB Priestley. Also Dave Lee Travis, but let's not cloud the issue here. Past winners of the SJA British Sports Awards – Sports Journalists' Association MY ACCOUNT Past winners of the SJA British Sports Awards The SJA’s British Sports Awards are the oldest of their kind in Britain. The 2015 edition, on Decemer 17 at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London’s Covent Garden, will be the 67th staging. The SJA’s awards have innovated throughout their history, establishing the country’s first award specifically for sportswomen, and in 1963 having the first award for what today is called paralympic sport. Since 2012, the SJA’s British Sports Awards have been generously sponsored by The National Lottery, who through two decades and £6 billion of funding, have transformed the fortunes of many of Britain’s sports.

Sportsmen of the Year Sir Michael Parkinson, the SJA President, with two of the winners at the 2010 British Sports Awards, Colin Montgomerie (left), captain of the Team of the Year, Europe’s Ryder Cup-winners, and 15-time champion jockey, AP McCoy 1949. James Dear (Rackets), Reg Harris (Cycling), Johnny Leach (Table tennis), Freddie Mills (Boxing), Tommy Price (Speedway) (no outright winner). 1950. Reg Harris (Cycling) Runners-up: Jack Holden (Athletics), Harry Llewellyn (Showjumping), John Parlett (Athletics), Geoff Duke (Motor cycling), Reg Parnell (Motor racing). 1951. Randolph Turpin (Boxing) Runners-up: Reg Harris (Cycling), Roger Bannister (Athletics). 1952. Len Hutton (Cricket) Runners-up: Jack Wardrop (Swimming), Manny Mercer (Horse Racing) 1953. Gordon Pirie (Athletics) Runners-up: Alec Bedser (Cricket), Don Cockell (Boxing). 1954.

Roger Bannister (Athletics) Runners-up: Chris Chataway (Athletics), Don Cockell (Boxing). 1955. John Disley (Athletics) Runners-up: Peter May (Cricket), Cliff Morgan (Rugby Union). 1956. Chris Brasher (Athletics) Runners-up – Jim Laker (Cricket), Dick McTaggart (Boxing) 1957. Derek Ibbotson (Athletics) Runners-up: Stirling Moss (Motor racing), Peter May (Cricket) 1958. Ian Black (Swimming) Runners-up : Mike Hawthorn (Motor Racing), Arthur Rowe (Athletics) 1959. John Surtees (Motor cycling) Runners-up: Donald Campbell (Powerboating), Ronnie Dawson (Rugby Union) 1960. Don Thompson (Athletics) Runners-up: Peter Radford (Athletics), John Surtees (Motor cycling) 1961. Terry Downes (Boxing) Runners-up: Johnny Haynes (Football), Stirling Moss (Motor racing) 1962.

Brian Kilby (Athletics) Runners-up: Brian Phelps (Diving), Graham Hill (Motor racing). 1963. Jim Clark (Motor racing) Runners-up: Bobby McGregor (Swimming), Tommy Simpson (Cycling) 1964. Lynn Davies (Athletics) Runners-up: Ken Matthews (Athletics), John Surtees (Motor racing) 1965. Tommy Simpson (Cycling) Runners-up: Jim Clark (Motor racing), Mike Hailwood (Motor cycling) 1966. England World Cup XI Runners- up: Lynn Davies (Athletics), Walter McGowran (Boxing). 1967. Mike Hailwood (Motor cycling) Runners-up: Bobby McGregor (Swimming), Harvey Smith (Show jumping). 1968. David Hemery (Athletics) Runners-up: Chris Finnegan (Boxing), Graham Hill (Motor racing) 1969. Tony Jacklin (Golf) Runners-up: Jackie Stewart (Motor racing), Lester Piggott (Horse racing). 1970.

Tony Jacklin (Golf) Runners-up: Ian Stewart (Athletics), David Broome (Show jumping). 1971. Ken Buchanan (Boxing) Runners-up: Jackie Stewart (Motor racing), David Bedford (Athletics). 1972. Richard Meade (Eventing) Runners-up: David Hemery (Athletics), Hugh Porter (Cycling). 1973. Jackie Stewart (Motor racing) Runners-up: Hugh Porter (Cycling), David Wilkie (Swimming) 1974. John Conteh (Boxing) Runners-up: Brendan Foster (Athletics), Ian Thompson (Athletics). 1975. David Wilkie (Swimming) Runners-up: Alan Pascoe (Athletics), Brendan Foster (Athletics). 1976. James Hunt (Motor racing) Runners-up: John Curry (Ice skating), David Wilkie (Swimming). 1977. Barry Sheene (Motor cycling) Runners-up: Steve Ovett (Athletics), Geoff Boycott (Cricket). 1978. Daley Thompson (Athletics) Runners-up: Ian Botham (Cricket), Kevin Keegan (Football).

1979. Sebastian Coe (Athletics) Runners-up: Ian Botham (Cricket), Kevin Keegan (Football). 1980. Sebastian Coe (Athletics) Runners-up: Steve Ovett (Athletics), Robin Cousins (Ice skating). 1981. Sebastian Coe (Athletics) Runners-up: Ian Botham (Cricket), Bob Champion (Horse racing) 1982. Daley Thompson (Athletics) Runners-up: Steve Cram (Athletics), David Moorcroft (Athletics). 1983. Steve Cram (Athletics) Runners-up: Daley Thompson (Athletics), Nick Faldo (Golf). 1984. Sebastian Coe (Athletics) Runners-up: Daley Thompson (Athletics), Steve Davis (Snooker). 1985. Steve Cram (Athletics) Runners-up: Barry McGuigan (Boxing), Sandy Lyle (Golf). Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson presents Joe Calzaghe with his 2006 Sportsman of the Year award 1986.

Lloyd Honeyghan (Boxing) Runners-up: Nigel Mansell (Motor racing), Steve Cram (Athletics). 1987. Nick Faldo (Golf) Runners-up: Ian Woosnam (Golf), Terry Marsh (Boxing). 1988. Sandy Lyle (Golf) Runners-up: Adrian Moorhouse (Swimming), Malcolm Cooper (Shooting). 1989. Nick Faldo (Golf) Runners-up: Steve Backley (Athletics), Linford Christie (Athletics). 1990. Nick Faldo (Golf) Runners-up: Steve Backley (Athletics), Graham Gooch (Cricket). 1991. Kriss Akabusi (Athletics) Runners-up: Graham Gooch (Cricket), Will Carling (Rugby Union). 1992. Linford Christie (Athletics) Runners-up: Nigel Mansell (Motor racing), Nick Faldo (Golf). 1993. Linford Christie (Athletics) Runners-up: Colin Jackson (Athletics), Nigel Mansell (Motor racing) 1994.

Colin Jackson (Athletics) Runners-up: Damon Hill (Motor racing), Linford Christie (Athletics) 1995. Jonathan Edwards (Athletics) Runners-up: Frank Bruno (Boxing), Colin Montgomerie (Golf) 1996. Steve Redgrave (Rowing) Runners-up: Damon Hill (Motor racing), Roger Black (Athletics) 1997. Greg Rusedski (Tennis) Runners-up: Lennox Lewis (Boxing), Steve Redgrave (Rowing) 1998 (50th anniversary year). Iwan Thomas (Athletics) Runners-up: Steve Redgrave (Rowing); Michael Owen (Football). 1999. Lennox Lewis (Boxing) Runners-up: Steve Redgrave (Rowing), Carl Fogarty (Motor cycling) 2000. Steve Redgrave (Rowing) Runners-up: Matthew Pinsent (Rowing), Dean Macey (Athletics) 2001. David Beckham (Football) Runners-up: Jonathan Edwards (Athletics); Michael Owen (soccer) 2002.

Lennox Lewis (Boxing) Runners-up: AP McCoy (Horse racing); Dwain Chambers (Athletics) 2003. Jonny Wilkinson (Rugby Union) 2004. Matthew Pinsent (Rowing) Runners-up: Andrew Flintoff (Cricket); Bradley Wiggins (Cycling) 2005. Andrew Flintoff (Cricket) Runners-up: Michael Vaughan (Cricket), Steven Gerrard (Football) 2006. Joe Calzaghe (Boxing) Runners-up: Andrew Murray (Tennis), Ricky Hatton (Boxing) 2011’s SJA award winners with the Association’s chairman, Barry Newcombe (second from right). From left: taekwondo world champion Sarah Stevenson, cycling world champion Mark Cavendish and Ironman Triathlon world champion Chrissie Wellington 2007. Lewis Hamilton (Motor racing) Runners-up: Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton (both Boxing) 2008. Chris Hoy (Cycling) Runners-up: Lewis Hamilton (Motor racing) and Ben Ainslie (Sailing) 2009.

Jenson Button (Motor racing) Runners-up: Andrew Strauss (Cricket) and Phillips Idowu (Athletics) 2010. AP McCoy (Horse racing) Runners-up: Graeme McDowell (Golf) and Graeme Swann (Cricket) 2011. Mark Cavendish (Cycling) Runners-up: Mo Farah (Athletics) and Rory McIlroy (Golf) 2012. Bradley Wiggins (Cycling) Runners-up: Mo Farah (Athletics) and Andy Murray (Tennis) 2013. Andy Murray (Tennis) Runners-up: Mo Farah (Athletics) and Chris Froome (Cycling) 2014. Rory McIlroy (Golf) Runners-up: Lewis Hamilton (Motor racing) and Greg Rutherford (Athletics) Runners-up: Christine Truman (Tennis), Anita Lonsbrough (Swimming). 1960. Anita Lonsbrough (Swimming) Runners-up: Beryl Burton (Cycling), Natalie Steward (Swimming). 1961.

Angela Mortimer (Tennis) Runners-up: Elizabeth Ferris (Diving), Pat Smythe (Show jumping). The SJA’s 2014 Sportswoman of the Year, Jo Pavey, receives her trophy from Sir Michael Parkinson 1962. Anita Lonsbrough (Swimming) Runners-up: Dorothy Hyman (Athletics), Linda Ludgrove (Swimming). 1963. Dorothy Hyman (Athletics) Runners-up: Stella Mitchell (Swimming), Beryl Burton (Cycling). 1964. Mary Bignal-Rand (Athletics) Runners-up: Ann Packer (Athletics), Dorothy Hyman (Athletics). 1965. Marion Coakes (Show jumping) Runners-up: Diane Rowe & Mary Wright (Table tennis), Anne Smith (Athletics) 1966. Linda Ludgrove (Swimming) Runners-up: Ann Jones (Tennis), Beryl Burton (Cycling). 1967. Beryl Burton (Cycling) Runners-up: Jeanette Stewart-Wood (Water-skiing), Ann Jones (Tennis) 1968.

Lillian Board (Athletics) Runners-up: Virginia Wade (Tennis), Marion Coakes (Show jumping) 1969. Ann Jones (Tennis) Runners-up: Lillian Board (Athletics), Diane Towler (Ice dancing). 1970. Mary Gordon Watson (Eventing) Runners-up: Rosemary Stirling (Athletics), Mary Peters (Athletics). 1971. HRH The Princess Anne (Eventing) Runners-up: Ann Moore (Show jumping), Virginia Wade (Lawn tennis). 1972. Mary Peters (Athletics) Runners-up: Ann Moore (Show jumping), Barbara Inkpen (Athletics). 1973. Ann Moore (Show jumping) Runners-up: Beryl Burton (Cycling), Verona Bernard (Athletics). 1974. Gillian Gilks (Badminton) Runners-up: Barbara Gould (Archery), Andrea Lynch (Athletics). 1975. Lucinda Prior-Palmer (Eventing) Runners-up: Virginia Wade (Tennis), Andrea Lynch (Athletics). 1976.

Gillian Gilks (Badminton) Runners-up: Sue Barker (Tennis), Debbie Johnsey (Show jumping) 1977. Virginia Wade (Tennis) Runners-up: Lucinda Prior-Palmer (Eventing), Sonia Lannaman (Athletics). 1978. Sharron Davies (Swimming) Runners-up: Tessa Sanderson (Athletics), Naomi James (Sailing). 1979. Caroline Bradley (Show jumping) Runners-up: Kathy Tayler (Modern Pentathlon), Margaret Kelly (Swimming). 1980. Sharron Davies (Swimming) Runners-up: Wendy Norman (Modern Pentathlon), Linsey Macdonald (Athletics). 1981. Jayne Torvill (Ice Dancing) Runners-up: Kathy Smallwood (Athletics), Joyce Smith (Athletics). 1982. Wendy Norman (Modern Pentathlon) Runners-up: Mandy Jones (Cycling), June Croft (Swimming). 1983. Jo Durie (Tennis) Runners-up: Fatima Whitbread (Athletics), Rachel Bayliss (Eventing). 1984.

Tessa Sanderson (Athletics) Runners-up: Wendy Sly (Athletics), Liz Hobbs (Water-skiing) 1985. Virginia Holgate (Eventing) Runners-up: Zola Budd (Athletics), Kirsty McDermott (Athletics). 1986. Fatima Whitbread (Athletics) Runners-up: Virginia Leng (Eventing), Sarah Hardcastle (Swimming) 1987. Fatima Whitbread (Athletics) Runners-up: Laura Davies (Golf), Priscilla Welch (Athletics). 1988. Liz McColgan (Athletics) Runners-up: Virginia Leng (Eventing), Laura Davies (Golf). 1989. Yvonne Murray (Athletics) Runners-up: Martine Le Moignan (Squash), Virginia Leng (Eventing) 1990. Tracy Edwards (Sailing) Runners-up: Yvonne Murray (Athletics), Penny Way (Windsurfing). 1991. Liz McColgan (Athletics) Runners-up: Lisa Opie (Squash), Sally Gunnell (Athletics).

1992. Sally Gunnell (Athletics) Runners-up: Laura Davies (Golf), Jane Sixsmith (Hockey). 1993. Sally Gunnell (Athletics) Runners-up: Nicola Fairbrother (Judo), Virginia Elliott (Eventing). 1994. Sally Gunnell (Athletics) Runners-up: Laura Davies (Golf), Karen Pickering (Swimming). 1995. Laura Davies (Golf) Runners-up: Kelly Holmes (Athletics), Lisa Clayton (Sailing) 1996. Laura Davies (Golf) Runners-up: Denise Lewis (Athletics), Sarah Bailey (Swimming) 1997. Denise Lewis (Athletics) Runners-up: Kate Howey (Judo), Alison Nicholas (Golf) Zara Phillips lifted the SJA’s Sportswoman of the Year trophy 35 years after her mother, Princess Anne, had won it 1998 (50th anniversary year). Denise Lewis (Athletics) Runners-up: Sue Rolph (Swimming), Ashia Hansen (Athletics) 1999.

Paula Radcliffe (Athletics) Runners-up: Stephanie Cook (Modern Pentathlon), Shirley Robertson (Sailing) 2001. Stephanie Cook (Modern Pentathlon) Runners-up: Ellen McArthur (Sailing), Nicole Cook (Cycling) 2002. Paula Radcliffe (Athletics) Runner-up: Ashia Hansen (Athletics); Joint-third: Kelly Holmes (Athletics) & Zoe Baker (Swimming) 2003. Paula Radcliffe (Athletics) Runners-up: Tanni Grey-Thompson (Paralympics); Shirley Robertson (Sailing) 2005. Paula Radcliffe (Athletics) Runners-up: Zara Phillips (Eventing), Ellen McArthur (Sailing) 2006. Zara Phillips (Eventing) Runners-up: Nicole Cooke (Cycling), Beth Tweddle (Gymnastics) 2007. Victoria Pendleton (Cycling) Runners-up: Christine Ohuruogu (Athletics); Nicole Cooke (Cycling) 2008.

Rebecca Adlington (Swimming) Runners-up: Nicole Cooke (Cycling) and Christine Ohuruogu (Athletics) 2009. Jessica Ennis (Athletics) Runners-up: Beth Tweddle (Gymnastics) and Claire Taylor (Cricket) 2010. Jessica Ennis (Athletics) Runners-up: Amy Williams (Skeleton bob) and Beth Tweddle (Gymnastics) 2011. Rebecca Adlington (Swimming) Runners-up: Helen Jenkins (Triathlon) and Hayley Turner (Horse racing) SJA President Sir Michael Parkinson enjoying 2012’s British Sports Awards with Jessica Ennis, who would win our Sportswoman of the Year title for a third time following her London Olympics gold 2012. Jessica Ennis (Athletics) Runners-up: Katherine Grainger (Rowing) and Laura Trott (Cycling) 2013. Christine Ohuruogu (Athletics) Runners-up: Rebecca James (Cycling) and Non Stanford (Triathlon) 2014.

Jo Pavey (Athletics) Runners-up: Lizzy Yarnold (Skeleton bob) and Claudia Frangapane (Gymnastics) Team of the Year Past Team of the Year winner, as a player and as a coach, Sir Ian McGeechan presents the trophy for 2013 to his successor as British and Irish Lions coach, Warren Gatland (right) 1970. GB Women’s 4 x 800m Relay Squad (Athletics) Lillian Board, Sheila Carey, Georgina Craig, Pat Lowe, Rosemary Stirling. 1971. British Lions (Rugby Union) Captain: John Dawes 1972. Rodney Pattisson & Chris Davies (Sailing) 1973. England Touring Team (Rugby Union) Captain: John Pullin. 1974. British Lions (Rugby Union) Captain: Willie John McBride 1975. GB Wightman Cup Squad (Tennis) Captain: Virginia Wade 1976. GB Olympic Modern Pentathlon Team 1977. Liverpool FC (Football) 1979.

Nottingham Forest FC (Football) 1980. Nottingham Forest FC (Football) 1981. Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean (Ice Dancing) 1982. Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean (Ice Dancing) 1983. Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean (Ice Dancing) 1984. Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean (Ice Dancing) 1985. European Ryder Cup Team (Golf) Captain: Tony Jacklin. 1986. GB Men’s 4 x 400m Relay Team (Athletics) Kriss Akabusi, Roger Black, Derek Redmond, Brian Whittle. 1987. European Ryder Cup Team (Golf) Captain: Tony Jacklin. 1988. GB Men’s Olympic Hockey Captain: Richard Dodds. 1989. GB Men’s European Cup Athletics Captain: Linford Christie 1990. GB European Championships Men’s Athletics Captain: Linford Christie 1991.

GB Men’s 4 x 400m Relay Team (Athletics) Roger Black, Derek Redmond, John Regis, Kriss Akabusi 1992. England (Rugby Union) Two former SJA Awards winners, boxer Lloyd Honeyghan and runner Kelly Holmes, help to celebrate our 60th anniversary in 2008 Captain: Will Carling 1993. England Women’s Cricket Team Captain: Karen Smithies 1994. Steve Redgrave & Matthew Pinsent (Rowing) 1995. European Ryder Cup Team (Golf) Captain: Bernard Gallagher 1996. Steve Redgrave & Matthew Pinsent (Rowing) 1997. British Lions (Rugby Union) Captain: Martin Johnson 1998 (50th anniversary year) GB Coxless Fours (Rowing) Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent, James Cracknell, Tim Foster 1999: Manchester United FC (Football) 2000: GB Coxless Four (Rowing) Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent, Tim Foster, James Cracknell 2001.

Liverpool FC (Football) 2002. European Ryder Cup Team (Golf) Captain: Sam Torrance 2003. England Rugby World Cup Team Captain: Martin Johnson 2006. European Ryder Cup Team (Golf) Captain: Ian Woosnam 2007. England’s Rugby World Cup Team Captain: Phil Vickery 2008. GB Olympic Cycling Team Runners-up: Manchester United and Wales Rugby Union 2009. England Women’s Cricket Team Runners-up: England Men’s Cricket and Brawn F1 Motor racing Team 2010. Europe Ryder Cup Team Runners-up: England Men’s Cricket and GB Rowing 2011. England men’s Cricket Team Runners-up: Europe’s Solheim Cup Team (Golf) and Kath Grainger and Anna Watkins (Rowing) 2012. Europe Ryder Cup Team Runners-up: Grainger and Watkins (Rowing) and Chelsea (Football) 2013. British and Irish Lions (Rugby Union) Captain: Sam Warburton Runners-up: England men’s cricket and Europe Solheim Cup team (Golf) 2014.

England women Rugby Team Captain: Katy McLean Runners-up: Europe Ryder Cup (Golf) and Great Britain men’s eight (Rowing) The Pat Besford Award Alan Campbell, 2006 single sculls World Cup-winner, accepts the Pat Besford trophy from guest of honour, Stephanie Moore for outstanding sporting performance 1980. Lester Piggott (Horse racing) 1981. Mike Brearley (Cricket) 1982. Bill Beaumont (Rugby Union) 1983. Pat Jennings (Football) Countdown to SABR Day 2011: 1980s Cobbette – Gooch vs Ernie Banks and Botham (vs Hank Aaron) | BaseballGB Countdown to SABR Day 2011: 1980s Cobbette – Gooch vs Ernie Banks and Botham (vs Hank Aaron) By Joe Gray on November 27, 2010 in Cobbette , Project COBB This is post two in a ten-post countdown to SABR Day 2011 .

The series is going through the decades of the 20th Century, backwards from the 1990s. On SABR Day itself, there will be a special feature on the 1890s, which will celebrate the significant link between keeping score and baseball history. This article will be published at 05:00 British time in order to coincide with the start of the day in the time-zone of the Cleveland-based SABR office. To view all the Cobbettes published to date, click here . 1980s I had planned to write this cricket-themed Cobbette filled with inspiration from a spirited first day’s batting from England in the opening Test of the Ashes series, at the Gabba in Brisbane. That didn’t pan out, of course. So with slightly less enthusiasm than I had originally anticipated, I present a couple of reasonably well-known stories from the late 1980s about leading English cricketers participating in baseball exhibitions. Writing this on Thursday evening, I am still holding a small piece of hope for an England fightback (I might look very silly for that by the time this is published towards the end of day three of the Test).

1987 – Ian Botham Ian Botham is perhaps the greatest all-rounder in English Test cricket history (one of his most fondly remembered achievements with the bat was an innings of 138 against Australia in 1986 that included 22 runs off a single Merv Hughes over and that set up England’s last victory at the Gabba). But his versatility was not trapped within the bounds of that bat-and-ball sport. He had a brief spell as a professional soccer player (with Scunthorpe United) in parallel with his early cricket career. More pertinently for this Cobbette, he also tried his hand at baseball. Botham was invited to participate in a home run derby contest at The Oval cricket ground, on Sunday 20 September 1987. His opponent was to be Hank Aaron, who, at the age of 52, was 21 years Botham’s senior. The event was set to start at 1pm, a couple of hours before the national final of British domestic baseball, which, that year, pitted the Cobham Yankees against the Southglade Hornets.

Fans turning up at The Oval on that Sunday in September would have been disappointed when they opened up their programmes to find a slip of paper announcing Hank Aaron’s withdrawal from the event. Nevertheless, Botham stuck to his side of the deal, as can be seen in the photo below (for a much, much better photo of Botham from that day, see Beth Hise’s recent book Swinging Away ). According to that slip of paper in the programme, Botham also faced live pitching from Ian Pont, a fast bowler in first-class cricket at the time who was described as having had a trial with Major League Baseball teams. Ian Botham was also linked with the baseball game between the GB national team and a team of cricketers in 2008 – presumably, in part, because of his strong ties with Somerset County Cricket Club, whose Taunton ground was used for the event. Unfortunately, he was one of several high-profile individuals to have their names in the press materials but not the scorebook. I checked Wikipedia to see if baseball featured in Ian Botham’s profile – it doesn’t. I then debated over whether or not I should add it and decided against it.

What I did learn is that he won Pipe Smoker of the Year in 1988, so clearly the biography has been limited to only the most important points about the man’s life so far. 1988 – Graham Gooch A year and 5 days after Botham did battle with a baseball, Graham Gooch was asked to take part in a very similar event to the one planned in 1987. Like Botham, Gooch was no B-lister. The Cricinfo website describes him as “the most prolific run scorer top-class cricket has ever seen.” The venue was The Oval and the occasion was the national final of British domestic baseball, with the home run derby scheduled to start at 1pm once more, and the baseball game at 3pm. Adding to these similarities was the Cobham Yankees’ return to the famous cricket ground to defend their national title. There was one crucial difference, though. The baseball player who was invited to take on the cricketer turned up.

That man was 57-year-old Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, and it was noted in the programme for the 25 September final that “US baseball could not have a finer ambassador.” On the facing page were some words on Gooch’s preparations: “Graham is looking forward to this fascinating challenge and is in a determined mood to do well. We could be in for a surprise package especially as the Chelmsford nets [where Gooch practised with his Essex team] have reportedly been the scene of some alien practice.” The 33-year-old cricketer did connect for two homers in the warm-up, but there was to be no surprise. He could not muscle a single baseball out of the ground in the competition, while Banks managed a trio of long balls. If you have an interesting history snippet to share that has a link to Britain then please send a message to Joe Gray through the Get in contact page. To see all of the work of Project Cobb, which is a Chartered Community of SABR (the Society for American Baseball Research), click here . About Joe Gray Joe is the founder of Project COBB , under which he chairs the British Baseball Hall of Fame .

Joe's writing has been published in book form by Fineleaf. Ian Botham Biography -Biography Online About Ian Botham Biography Ian Botham is a retired English Test cricketer, who was one of the most entertaining all-rounders of his generation. His flamboyant batting and successful bowling had the capacity to win games and excite the spectators. His greatest moment came in the 1981 Ashes test at Headingley – where Ian Botham led England to the most spectacular and unpredictable recovery against Australia. Short Biography Ian Botham Ian Terence Botham OBE, was born November 24, 1955 in Heswall, Cheshire. He later moved to Yeovil, Somerset where he began playing cricket – playing for Somerset under 15s. As a youngster he was also a talented footballer – for a short time he played for Scunthorpe United, before settling on cricket as his chosen sport. After leaving school early, he played for Somerset, making his first class debut in 1974, aged 18.

After 12 seasons of playing for Somerset, he resigned in 1986, in protest at the sacking of his West Indian friends Sir Vivian Richards and Joel Garner. He later played for Worcestershire, Durham and Queensland in Australian cricket. He gained his Test debut for England in 1977. He went on to an illustrious international career. He took 383 wickets at an average of 28.4 and scored 5,200 runs at an average of 33.54. The figures on their own are not spectacular, but Botham frequently made a big impact in important games. He could also score at a quick rate and some of his innings were memorable, even if didn’t score a century. He had tremendous power and could hit the ball out of the ground, though he also had a good technique. His swing bowling was effective for his ability to move the ball – even when his pace slowed down in later years, he could make a big difference. Ian Botham was always a big character in the team, he became as famous for his on-field exploits as his off-field exploits.

He had quite a few run ins with the more ‘stuffy establishment.’ – especially the members at Lords. For example, he got into trouble for smoking cannabis in 1986. He also fell out with other players, notably Geoff Boycott – who Botham once famously ran out for scoring too slowly. In 1980, Ian Botham was made captain of England. However, it was not a success. He lost form, England didn’t do well, and not everyone in the dressing room was enamoured of Botham’s style. After first two tests in the Ashes series of 1981, Botham resigned the captaincy, with England trailing 1-0 and struggling to have any hope of winning series. In the second test at Lord’s Botham scored a pair. In the third test at Headingley, Brearley was made captain. The test got off to a bad start for England. Australia scored a big innings total 401-9. But, in reply, England could only make 174 – with Botham top scoring on 50 not out. In the follow on on Saturday, England’s top order again failed.

On Saturday evening, bookmakers offered odds of 500-1 for England to win. On Sunday, Botham came to the crease when England were 105 for 5. But, England then lost Boycott and Bob Taylor, leaving England on 135-7. Defeat looked inevitable. No-one in the ground expected England to have the faintest chance. But, as Graham Dilley joined Ian Botham in the middle, Botham let fly and played an innings of superb quality and attacking flair. Hitting the ball over the ground, he accelerated to 149 not out. He was ably supported by the England tail (Dilley scored 56) and Chris Old (29). Still England’s lead was just 129. There was only a feint chance of winning, but Botham had restored England’s pride. However, Bob Willis bowled with exceptional talent to bowl out the Australians for 111. Willis finished with 8 for 43. England had won a classic game by just 18 runs. It was only the second team to win a game after following on. Botham was the hero. It was a huge psychological boost for England.

At the time, the economy was in deep recession, and the headlines about England cricket and been unrelentingly critical, but this turned the whole mood of the nation. A packed Headingley celebrated the most unlikely of wins. In the next test match, England won by 29 runs – helped by a spell of bowling by Botham where he took 5 wickets for 1 run. England won the ashes in the Old Trafford test, where Botham again was man of the match with a peerless 118, which included six sixes, including two off the fast bowler Lillee. England won the final test at the Oval to take the series 3-1. Botham was named man of the series, scoring 399 runs and taking 34 wickets. He was awarded BBC Sports Personality of the year in 1981. As well as his cricketing career, he was a prolific charity fund raiser. To raise funds he undertook gruelling walks. Several times he walked from Lands End to John O Groats. These walks received high publicity and raised substantial funds.

His motivation for undertaking charity walks occurred when he went to a hospital in Somerset to receive treatment for a broken toe. By mistake, he took a wrong turn into a terminally ill childrens ward and was moved by the fact many children had only a few weeks to live. After retiring from cricket he worked as a commentator for Sky Sports, becoming a regular voice on TV. He married Kathryn Waller (Kathy, now Lady Botham) in 1976. They had three children Becky, Sarah and Liam. Significant awards include: 1978 – Elected one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year. 1992 – Awarded OBE 2004 – BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award. Ian Botham Career statistics

Question: Which cricketer won Pipe Smoker of the Year Award in 1986?
Answer: Ian Botham