mcilroy, the busby babes and boris becker: 10 great young sporting champions!

SHAUN EDWARDS With Wigan Warriors, Edwards enjoyed an astonishing amount of success after signing for the rugby league side on his 17th birthday in 1983 for £35,000. He lost out in the Challenge Cup final a year later – the youngest player to appear in one – but became the youngest captain to win a final in 1988 when he led Wigan to victory over Halifax at 21 and the eight successive seasons after that, where the club won 43 consecutive Challenge Cup matches. Edwards now works as a coach at Wasps and as assistant coach with what appears to be a very boozy Wales side in rugby union

PELE At the 1958 World Cup in Sweden Pele became the tournament's youngest goalscorer when, at 17 and 239 days old he scored against Wales in the quarter finals. In the semi final against France he became the youngest player to score a hat-trick, going on to notch six goals in the tournament, including two in the 5-2 final win over the hosts to make him the youngest winner. Ridiculous!

SEBASTIAN VETTEL Red Bull's 2010 world champion beat the record for youngest winner, set by Lewis Hamilton when the McLaren driver won in 2008, by 166 days at 23 years and 135 days. The German's victory in the final race at Abu Dhabi sealed the title by four points, while his triumph was a double victory for the team, who also picked up the Constructors' Championship.

BORIS BECKER Not only does he have great hair, but Boom Boom Boris was a brilliant tennis player hence his legendary status within the game. In 1985 he won the Queen's Club title as a 17-year-old before moving onto Wimbledon and destroying all in his path on his way to victory. He beat South African Kevin Curren in the final and came back in 1986 to see off Ivan Lendl. His 1986 triumph was notable not just for his age but for being the first unseeded champions as well as the first German to win at SW19. Oh how we miss his diving volleys.

RONNIE O'SULLIVAN Sir Matt Busby's 1955/56 title winning Man United team had an average age of just 22. They were the youngest team to win any major silverware and went the entire season unbeaten at home, winning by 11 points. The following season they were champions again proving why their place in football folklore is so well deserved. With the Babes in the hunt for a possible third title, eight players, Duncan Edwards, Liam Whelan, Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, David Pegg and Tommy Taylor were tragically killed in a plane crash after a stop-over at Munich on the way back from a European Cup tie in Belgrade in 1958.

Hello From Nova Scotia: A Ferry Trip To Dartmouth And Saying ...

My visit to Pier 21 and especially my encounter with Robert Vandekieft, an 89-year old immigrant who first arrived in Canada at Pier 21 more than 52 years ago, were a real highlight of my time in Halifax. Stefani Angelopoulos, Communications Manager for Pier 21, had kindly taken me on a tour of Canada’s Immigration Museum and when we were finished, we both embarked on a walk along Halifax’ Harbourwalk since we were both headed to Dartmouth, a formerly independent city, and now part of the Halifax Regional Municipality, located across the harbour from downtown Halifax.

Stefani and I had a very interesting conversation and I found out that Stefani’s father had come through Pier 21 himself as an immigrant from Greece. Stefani has extensive experience with international student exchanges and volunteer assignments, so naturally I requested her to participate in an interview with me. As a local Dartmouth resident, she also gave me a bit of information about the area. She explained that Dartmouth’ nickname is “City of Lakes” because there are 23 lakes within Dartmouth proper. Stefani also mentioned a number of beaches that are located in the area that I would like to visit next time I travel to Halifax.

Dartmouth’ history dates back more than 250 years: in 1750 the sailing ship Alderney brought 151 immigrants to the Halifax area and it was decided that they would settle the area east of the Halifax harbour. Dartmouth was incorporated as a town in 1873 and the town hall was built four years later. In 1955 a permanent link to Halifax was built in the form of the Angus L. MacDonald Bridge, named after a former premier of Nova Scotia. This fixed link resulted in a huge residential and commercial construction boom. Dartmouth expanded even more after the Murray MacKay Bridge opened in 1970.

Today, Dartmouth is home to several Canadian Armed Forces Installations including CFB (Canadian Forces Base) Shearwater. It is also the backdrop to Canada’s popular “Trailer Park Boys” television show which is set in a fictional Dartmouth trailer park and filmed locally in the surrounding areas.

For a $2 investment, the ferry ride between the two cities is a great investment because it gives you a great view of downtown Halifax’ skyline. The Halifax ferry service is actually the oldest salt water ferry service in North America – the first crossings took place in 1752. Having arrived at the Ferry Terminal Building on the other side of the harbour, Stefani and I said goodbye, and I embarked on my self-guided Dartmouth Walking Tour. The Ferry Terminal Building also holds the Visitor Information Centre, so convenient access to brochures and travel information is ensured.

Bibliographic guide to maps and atlases

The Munich crisis, 1938, prelude to World War II

Munich, 1938, appeasement and World War II

Churchill, the unruly giant

Czechoslovakia before Munich, the German minority problem and British appeasement policy