At school, Sarah Henderson hated sports, but she loved reading. And by some fluke, she was able to remember snippets of just about everything she read.
Her memory became a family joke, and for her 10th birthday, her father gave her a book of quiz questions.
Sarah adjusted her wire-rimmed glasses and read aloud at random.
‘Who was the Roman god of war? Mars, of course! Oh, Daddy, these are too easy.’
‘You’re sure to find a few to stump you.’
But she answered every question with ease, until the sports section.
‘What is a scissor movement in rugby? Rugby? That’s not fair!’
‘The answer’s at the back,’ her father said, shaking his head affectionately.
Although her school results were disappointing, she was brilliant at remembering the small sharp splinters of life.
The following week she represented her school at the General Knowledge Championships, the youngest in the competition by two years.
But she hesitated at the sports question… ‘Who is the winner of the French Open Championship this year?’
The captain of the
