<\/p>\n
Great bespectacled sporting performances (Letters, 19 December)<\/a>? Look no further than David Steele, the veteran county professional called up to face the might of Australian fast bowling in 1975. A half-century in his first Test innings, and dogged defence in the remainder of the Ashes series, caught the public imagination to such an extent that \u201cthe bank clerk that went to war\u201d was voted BBC sports personality of the year. Laurent Fignon raced wearing thin-rimmed, thick-lensed spectacles throughout his professional cycling career, to overall victory in the 1983 and 1984 Tours de France and the 1989 Giro d\u2019Italia. This record, in the most demanding of sports, is matched by a handful of cyclists in the modern era, and none wearing conventional spectacles. His uniquely bookish appearance and Parisian origins set him apart from his fellow roadmen. He was, inevitably, nicknamed Le Professeur. Chris Brasher was a pacemaker to Roger Bannister\u2019s four-minute mile in 1954, and won a steeplechase gold medal in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. He wore spectacles in both races. I suggest Ray \u201cThe Boot\u201d Booty, who was the first cyclist to go under four hours for the 100-mile time trial in 1956. His time of 3:58:28 was more than 11 minutes faster than the second placed rider, and made national headlines at the time. Hard to top any of Billie Jean King\u2019s 18 grand slam singles titles, or Arthur Ashe\u2019s title at the first US Open in 1968. By 1975 he had switched to contact lenses for his Wimbledon title against Jimmy Connors. Clive Lloyd hitting a scintillating century against a fearsome Australian bowling attack at Lord\u2019s in the 1975 Cricket<\/a> World Cup final must be a contender, surely? <\/p>\n
Ian Jones
<\/strong>Shrewsbury, Shropshire<\/em><\/p>\n
Robert Lawrence
<\/strong>Oxford<\/em><\/p>\n
Peter Lowthian<\/strong>
Marlow, Buckinghamshire<\/em><\/p>\n
Bill Hawkes
<\/strong>Canterbury<\/em><\/p>\n
Joe Locker
<\/strong>Surbiton, London<\/em><\/p>\n
Matthew Ryder
<\/strong>Buckden, Cambridgeshire<\/em><\/p>\n