In 1919, gamblers bribed members of the Chicago White Sox to throw the World Series.

In 2000, Hansie Cronje, then highly regarded captain of the South African cricket team, admitted to receiving more than �70,000 from bookies to influence his team's performance. He received a lifetime ban.

He died in a plane crash in 2002

The Italian Football Federation said in 2000 it had found eight players guilty of match-fixing

In 2005, referee Robert Hoyzer admitted to fixing a first-round German cup tie, as well as several others. He went on to implicate other referees and several players. A Croatian betting syndicate had paid Hoyzer to fix matches

British racehorse Flockton Grey was entered into his first race on 29 March 1982 at Leicester race course. As a debutant from an unremarkable yard, the horse was priced at 10-1.

Owner Ken Richardson and trainer Stephen Wiles backed their horse with �20,000 . . . and substituted it with a far better horse, Good Hand, which won the race.

Gerard Siggins is the author of 'Green Days: Cricket In Ireland, 1792 to 2005' and 'Ireland's 100 Cricket Greats'