sport

Martin McKenzie-Murray The England men’s cricket team arrived with swagger and talent, further validating the author’s unbridled loathing. Their humiliation in the first Ashes Test was righteous.

Martin McKenzie-Murray In 1985, chess great Viktor Korchnoi was persuaded to take on Géza Maróczy. What really set the challenge apart was that the Hungarian grandmaster had died decades earlier.

Catherine McGregor Following the death of her father in 1964, the author found solace in her love of cricket and especially in her adulation of fellow left-hander and batting allrounder Bob Cowper.

Jason Koutsoukis When press gallery journalists swap their notepads for batting pads to take on politicians in the annual one-day cricket match, the contest for some is make-or-break.

Martin McKenzie-Murray While sporting competitions are held up as great and virtuous unifiers, the reality – from as far back as the ancient Greeks – is that corruption and politicisation are always lurking nearby.

Martin McKenzie-Murray He took Spurs to their first trophy in 17 years but was still punted. Now Ange Postecoglou’s ignominious exit from Forest has all but sealed his English Premier League fate.

Martin McKenzie-Murray Hard work and discipline took the bookish and ungainly John Amaechi to the NBA – and when his team abandoned him, to a new profession. In a 2007 memoir, he spoke his truth.

Martin McKenzie-Murray Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull won an Oscar for Robert De Niro, with his portrayal of boxer Jake LaMotta’s misogyny, depravity and violence in and outside the ring.

Martin McKenzie-Murray He was the force behind a quarter-century of Manchester United success. But while Sir Alex Ferguson is lauded as a hero of the club, his influence on their demise is equally telling.