2004 Beni attack, Attack
The main attack force descended from the Arthunge hills that surround the Beni Valley from the north-western side at around 9 pm on 20 March. Pasang coordinated the attack from the hills. By 10:30 pm, the forces had infiltrated the city and taken positions. Maoist fighters had broken into homes, shops and offices in the town and taken positions on the windows and the roofs. They had pulled furniture and sacks of grain from the shops and formed barricades.


2004 Beni attack, Attack
The group that had separated to arrive in the town through the main road along the Myagdi River reached Mangalghat bazaar to the west of the barracks around 10:45 pm. They encountered a small patrol on their way to the barracks; four patrolmen and two Maoist fighters were killed in the engagement. At 11 pm, the maoists started firing 81-mm and 2-inch mortars at the military barracks of the Shri Kali Prasad Battalion (E) in western Beni from at least three positions surrounding it. The army realised the town was under attack only after the mortars began firing.


2004 Beni attack, Attack
The eastern hills caught fire from the army's counterattack. After an hour of bombing, Pasang ordered the mortars to cease fire and the main attack force in the town to begin the assault. The 300 fighters who were sent to attack the district jail on the other side of the river met no resistance, as the 19 police officers on duty that night had already fled. They freed the prisoners, burned the building down, and destroyed a temple in the premises. According to a Maoist account, they had found only one hawaldar with a rifle whom they let go with the prisoners. They then went to join the main attack force across the river.


2004 Beni attack, Attack
The Maoists broke into homes, shops and offices throughout the town, and set up treatment centres. Those near the frontlines were used for first-aid, and those farther from the fighting were used for surgeries, mainly extracting bullets.


2004 Beni attack, Attack
According to Maoist accounts, they had taken all the posts surrounding the officers' residences located on the west side of the barracks by 2:00 am. They had captured a soldier and some weapons. Around 5:00 am, a military helicopter arrived in Beni and dropped some bombs but left after the Maoists fired at it. By 7:30 am, the Maoists had control of the city except for the barracks, with all security forces and government officers having surrendered. The Maoists burned down the DDC and DAO offices around 3:30 am. The Maoists used child soldiers during the night, per eye witness accounts, but they were replaced with adult fighters in the morning.


2004 Beni attack, Retreat
A military helicopter arrived at 9:30 am and dropped ammunition for the security forces. When it came back again at 10:30 am, the Maoists decided to withdraw. They retreated in an orderly fashion, walking in a long line carrying the wounded on stretchers and dokos. They had about 40 hostages: the CDO, a DSP, two RNA soldiers and around 35 police officers. A military helicopter pursued them and dropped bombs. A police officer and half a dozen Maoist fighters died on the first day from the aerial attacks. Two more officers who were wounded were allowed to go back to Beni. Witness reports indicate that the Maoists continued their orderly retreat despite attacks.


2004 Beni attack, Retreat
The next morning, an army contingent sent after the retreating Maoists ambushed them in a village near Darwang, killing seven fighters. At least one more clash occurred with the pursuing RNA soldiers. The Maoists could not stop for meals and rest as planned until they reached deep within their stronghold;  some fighters were seen eating uncooked rice as they walked.


2004 Beni attack, Casualties
The total number of deaths was 140: 14 RNA soldiers, 17 police officers, 90 Maoists fighters and 19 civilians.


2004 Beni attack, Casualties
According to official figures, 33 security personnel died in the attack while three were missing. Maoists claimed to have killed as many as 151 members of the security forces but the claim was found to be baseless. The army claimed that 500 Maoists had died, while the commander of the Shri Kali Prasad Battalion claimed the military had found 202 Maoist dead bodies. The Beni Red Cross which collected and buried the bodies said they counted 67.


2004 Beni attack, Casualties
Maoists gave a precise figure of 78 deaths on their side, including two vice-commanders of Brigades, one battalion commander, one battalion vice-commander and 6 "volunteers". Identity cards recovered from dead bodies in Beni confirmed that some platoon commanders were among the dead. Some of the Maoist deaths were from friendly fire. According to official figures, 19 civilians died, including three boys between the ages of six and twelve who were killed in a nearby village by grenades left behind by the Maoists.


2004 Beni attack, Aftermath
The Maoists released a statement one day after the attack demanding that the government release Matrika Yadav, Suresh Ale Magar and Kiran Sharma in exchange for the hostages they had taken from Beni. The hostages were taken to Thawang; they arrived there on 5 April after a fifteen-day walk. On 6 April, they were released to the custody of International Red Cross amid a ceremony; its representatives had flown to Thawang on invitation from the Maoists.


2004 Beni attack, Legacy
The Maoists demonstrated that district centres were vulnerable. Their ability to coordinate a massive operation lasting months in complete secrecy showed their strength in rural western Nepal, and how poor RNA intelligence was. They also disproved suggestions that the Maoists military might had been destroyed or severely weakened by the RNA. However, their inability to breach a barracks after more than 12 hours of attack with thousands of fighters against a few hundred military personnel showed that they were far from achieving an upper hand over the RNA. The security of district headquarters were bolstered throughout the country, and the Maoists went back to ambushing security conveys along the highways.


2004 Berlin Marathon
The 2004 Berlin Marathon was the 31st running of the annual marathon race held in Berlin, Germany, held on 26 September 2004. Felix Limo won the men's race in 2:06:44 hours, while the women's race was won by Japan's Yoko Shibui in 2:19:41.


2004 Berlin Thunder season
The 2004 Berlin Thunder season was the sixth season for the franchise in the NFL Europe League (NFLEL). The team was led by head coach Rick Lantz in his first year, and played its home games at Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. They finished the regular season in first place with a record of nine wins and one loss. In World Bowl XII, Berlin defeated the Frankfurt Galaxy 30–24. The victory marked the franchise's third World Bowl championship.


2004 Betta Electrical Sandown 500
The 2004 Betta Electrical Sandown 500 the ninth round of the Australian 2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It was held on the weekend of 10–12 September 2004 at Sandown International Raceway in Melbourne, Victoria.


2004 Betta Electrical Sandown 500
It was the 37th "Sandown 500" endurance race to be held at the Victorian circuit.


2004 Betta Electrical Sandown 500, Top 10 Shootout
The ten fastest cars from Qualifying contested a Top 10 Shootout on the Saturday to determine the starting positions on the first five rows of the grid.


2004 Betta Electrical Sandown 500, Official results
- Neil McFadyen practiced the #23 WPS Falcon, but was withdrawn due to a stomach virus, he was replaced by Charlie O'Brien.


2004 Bhutan A-Division
The 2004 season of the Bhutanese A-Division was the tenth recorded season of top-flight football in Bhutan. The league was won by Transport United, their first title. Transport United were Bhutan's representatives in the 2005 AFC President's Cup.


2004 Big 12 Championship Game
The 2004 Dr Pepper Big 12 Football Championship Game was played on December 4, 2004 in Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The game determined the 2004 football champions of the Big 12 Conference. The #2 Oklahoma Sooners defeated the Colorado Buffaloes 42-3.


2004 Big 12 Championship Game, The teams
The Oklahoma Sooners came into the game with a perfect 11–0 record and #2 in the nation. They started the season with four home games, defeating Bowling Green, Houston, Oregon, and Texas Tech. The Sooners then traveled to Dallas for the Red River Shootout against #5 Texas, which they won 12-0. Oklahoma then beat Kansas State on the road; then returned home for their homecoming game against Kansas. Their next two games were both road games against ranked conference opponents; they beat #20 Oklahoma State and #22 Texas A&M. They finished the season with wins at home against Nebraska and at Baylor.


2004 Big 12 Championship Game, The teams
The Colorado Buffaloes came into the game with a 7–4 record; they were co-champions of the North Division (with Iowa State) and got into the championship game via head-to-head result. The Buffaloes started the season with three wins: Colorado State (in the Rocky Mountain Showdown), at Washington State and back home against North Texas. They lost the next two games against Missouri and #21 Oklahoma State. They beat Iowa State by 5, which would ultimately be their ticket into the Big 12 Championship Game. They dropped their next two matchups, losing to #17 Texas A&M and #8 Texas. They finished the regular season with three wins, however: at Kansas, at home against Kansas State, and at Nebraska.


2004 Big 12 Championship Game, Game summary
Oklahoma's success was fueled by quarterback Jason White, who exceeded 250 yards passing. The Sooners' offense ran over Colorado's defense, finishing the game with 498 total yards (to Colorado's 46) and 26 first downs (to Colorado's 3). They controlled the ball for just over 24 minutes, as opposed to the Buffaloes' 12 minutes of possession.


2004 Big 12 Championship Game, Game summary
The Sooners' defense showed up as well; Colorado finished the game 0-12 on third down conversions and 0-1 on fourth down conversions.


2004 Big 12 Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2004 Big 12 Conference Baseball Tournament was held at Ameriquest Field in Arlington in Arlington, TX from May 26 through May 30. The Cowboys of Oklahoma State University won their first tournament and earned the Big 12 Conference's automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. The tournament mirrored the format of the College World Series, with two 4-team double-elimination brackets and a final championship game.


2004 Big 12 Conference Softball Tournament
The 2004 Big 12 Conference Softball tournament was held at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, OK from May 12 through May 15, 2004. Nebraska won their third conference tournament and earned the Big 12 Conference's automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament.


2004 Big 12 Conference Softball Tournament
Nebraska, Texas A&M, Missouri, Baylor and Oklahoma received bids to the NCAA tournament. Oklahoma would go on to play in the 2004 Women's College World Series.


2004 Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2004 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2004 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship, was the 2004 edition of the Big 12 Conference's championship tournament. The tournament was held at the Reunion Arena in Dallas from 9 March until 13 March 2004. The Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals were televised on the ESPN family of networks. The championship game, held on March 12, 2004, featured the number 1 seeded Texas Longhorns, and the sixth seeded Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma won the tournament by posting a 66-47 victory over the Longhorns.


2004 Big 12 Conference Women's Soccer Tournament
The 2004 Big 12 Conference Women's Soccer Tournament was the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Big 12 Conference held from November 3 to 7, 2004. The 7-match tournament was held at the Blossom Athletic Center in San Antonio, TX with a combined attendance of 7,606. The 8-team single-elimination tournament consisted of three rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The Texas A&M Aggies defeated the Texas Longhorns in the championship match to win their 3rd conference tournament.


2004 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2004 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Big 12 Conference. It was played from March 11 to 14 in Dallas, Texas at the American Airlines Center. Oklahoma State won the tournament for the 1st time and received the conference's automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Tournament.


2004 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Seeding
The Tournament consisted of a 12 team single-elimination tournament with the top 4 seeds receiving a bye.


2004 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, Seeding
Baylor removed itself from postseason play, including the conference tournament, before the 2003–04 season due to the Baylor University basketball scandal. Because of this, Texas Tech got a bye in the first round of the tournament.


2004 Big East Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2004 Big East Conference Baseball Tournament was held at Commerce Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, NJ. This was the twentieth annual Big East Conference Baseball Tournament. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish won their third tournament championship in a row and claimed the Big East Conference's automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. Notre Dame would go on to win five championships in a row.


2004 Big East Conference Baseball Tournament, Format and seeding
The Big East baseball tournament was a 4 team double elimination tournament in 2004. The top four regular season finishers were seeded one through four based on conference winning percentage only.


2004 Big East Conference Baseball Tournament, Jack Kaiser Award
Matt Macri was the winner of the 2004 Jack Kaiser Award. Macri was a junior third baseman for Notre Dame.


2004 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2004 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, a part of the 2003–04 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, took place from March 10–13, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was a single-elimination tournament with four rounds and the four highest seeds (two from each Big East division) received byes in the first round. The twelve Big East teams with the best conference records were invited to participate. Its winner, Connecticut, received the Big East Conference's automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Tournament, the sixth for the Huskies, tying Georgetown  for the most Big East Tournament championships.


2004 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, Bracket
Note: By finishing below twelfth place during the regular season, Miami and St. John's did not qualify for the tournament.


2004 Big League World Series
The 2004 Big League World Series took place from July 30-August 7 in Easley, South Carolina, United States. Easley, South Carolina defeated Williamsport,  Pennsylvania in the championship game. It was South Carolina's second straight championship.


2004 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2004 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held March 6–10 at Reese Court at the University of Eastern Washington in Cheney, Washington.


2004 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Top-seeded Eastern Washington defeated Northern Arizona in the championship game, 71–59, to win their first Big Sky men's basketball tournament title. EWU had the lost the three previous conference championship games.


2004 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The Eagles, in turn, received an automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Tournament, their first appearance in the Division I tournament. No other Big Sky members were invited this year.


2004 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
No new teams were added to the Big Sky prior to the 2003–04 season, leaving total membership at eight.


2004 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
No changes were made to the existing tournament format. Only the top six teams from the regular season conference standings were invited to the tournament. The two top teams were given byes into the semifinals while the third- through sixth-seeded teams were placed and paired into the preliminary quarterfinal round. Following the quarterfinals, the two victorious teams were re-seeded in the semifinal round, with the lowest-seeded remaining team paired with the tournament's highest seed and vis-versa for the other.


2004 Big South Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2004 Big South Conference Baseball Tournament  was the postseason baseball tournament for the Big South Conference, held from May 26–29, 2004 at Winthrop Ballpark, home field of Winthrop in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The top six finishers participated in the double-elimination tournament. The champion, Coastal Carolina, won the title for the seventh time, and fourth in a row, and earned an invitation to the 2004 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2004 Big South Conference Baseball Tournament, Format
The top six finishers from the regular season qualified for the tournament. The teams were seeded one through six based on conference winning percentage and played a double-elimination tournament.


2004 Big South Conference Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team, Most Valuable Player
Steven Carter was named Tournament Most Valuable Player. Carter was a pitcher for Coastal Carolina, and won the award for the second of two consecutive years. Through 2020, Carter is the only player to earn the award twice.


2004 Big South Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2004 Big South Conference Men's Basketball Tournament took place from March 2–6, 2004 at campus sites. The tournament was won by the Liberty Flames, their second tournament win in school history. Liberty defeated High Point in the title game 89–44, although Danny Gathings of High Point won the tournament's Most Valuable Player.


2004 Big South Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
Eight of the conference's nine teams participated for the tournament, with Birmingham–Southern being ineligible. Teams were seeded by conference winning percentage. All games were hosted at campus sites, with home-field advantage going to the higher seed.


2004 Big South Conference football season
The 2004 Big South Conference football season was the third football season for the Big South Conference. The season began on Saturday, September 4, 2004 and concluded on November 20. The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers won the conference's regular season championship, their first title.


2004 Big Ten Baseball Tournament
The 2004 Big Ten Conference Baseball Tournament was held at Siebert Field on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota from May 15 through 19. The top six teams from the regular season participated in the double-elimination tournament, the twenty third annual tournament sponsored by the Big Ten Conference to determine the league champion. Minnesota won their eighth tournament championship and earned the Big Ten Conference's automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2004 Big Ten Baseball Tournament, Format and seeding
The 2004 tournament was a 6-team double-elimination tournament, with seeds determined by conference regular season winning percentage only. Michigan claimed the third seed over Michigan State by tiebreaker. As in the previous two years, the top two seeds received a single bye, with the four lower seeds playing opening round games. The top seed played the lowest seeded winner from the opening round, with the second seed playing the higher seed. Teams that lost in the opening round played an elimination game.


2004 Big Ten Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team, Most Outstanding Player
Glen Perkins was named Most Outstanding Player. Perkins was a pitcher for Minnesota.


2004 Big Ten Conference football season
The 2004 Big Ten Conference football season was the 109th season for the Big Ten Conference.


2004 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2004 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was played between March 11 and March 14, 2004 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The championship was won by Wisconsin who defeated Illinois in the championship game. As a result, Wisconsin received the Big Ten's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The win marked Wisconsin's first win in their first appearance in the championship game. It also marked the first time in tournament history that the top two seeds appeared in the championship game.


2004 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament, Seeds
All Big Ten schools played in the tournament. Teams were seeded by conference record, with a tiebreaker system used to seed teams with identical conference records. Seeding for the tournament was determined at the close of the regular conference season. The top five teams received a first round bye.


2004 Big Ten Softball Tournament
The 2004 Big Ten Softball tournament was held at Alumni Field on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan from May 13 through May 15, 2004. As the tournament winner, Michigan State earned the Big Ten Conference's automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament. As the eighth-seed, Michigan State became the lowest-seeded team to win the tournament.


2004 Big Ten Softball Tournament, Format and seeding
The 2004 tournament was an eight team single-elimination tournament. The top eight teams based on conference regular season winning percentage earned invites to the tournament.


2004 Big West Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2004 Big West Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held March 10–13 at Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.


2004 Big West Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Pacific defeated Cal State Northridge in the championship game, 75–73, to obtain the third Big West Conference Men's Basketball Tournament championship in school history.


2004 Big West Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The Tigers earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Tournament as the #12 seed in the St. Louis region.


2004 Big West Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
Eight of the ten teams in the conference participated, with UC Irvine and Long Beach State not qualifying. Teams were seeded based on regular season conference records. The top four seeds received byes, with the top two seeds receiving a second bye into the semifinal round.


2004 Bihar flood
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2004 Bihar flood
The 2004 Bihar flood was one of the worst floods in Bihar, India in a decade. 885 people and 3272 animals had lost their lives and nearly 21.299 million human were affected. 20 districts of Bihar were affected. An alarming rise in water level due to heavy rains inundated fresh areas in Bhagalpur district, Begusarai district, Katihar district, Darbhanga district, Samastipur district and Khagaria district. According to the Central Water Commission Bagmati, Budhi Gandak, Kamla Balan, Adhwara, Kosi and Mahananda rivers were flowing above the red mark at various places, while the Ganges crossed the danger mark for the first time at Farakka Barrage.


2004 Billboard Music Awards
The 2004 Billboard Music Awards were held December 8, 2004 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from 2006. Usher is the biggest winner of the night with thirteen awards and then Alicia Keys with seven.


2004 Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election
A by-election was held for the United Kingdom Parliament seat of Birmingham Hodge Hill, on 15 July, the same day as the Leicester South by-election. The by-election was called following the resignation of the sitting MP, Terry Davis, on 22 June 2004. Davis had been appointed as Secretary General of the Council of Europe.


2004 Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election
The area has had a Labour MP since the 1950 general election, the only break being a Conservative Party victory at a 1977 by-election for the Birmingham Stechford constituency. Stechford returned to Labour at the 1979 general election.


2004 Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election
At the by-election, the seat was retained by the Labour Party, and Liam Byrne became the MP, but with a vastly reduced majority with the seat becoming a marginal. The Liberal Democrat candidate Nicola Davies increased her party's share of the vote by over 26% and was only 460 votes behind.


2004 Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election
The by-election was heavily contested by Labour and the Liberal Democrats, with both parties alleging "dirty tricks" by the other.


2004 Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours 2004 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 11 June 2004 for the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the Cook Islands and elsewhere to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2004.


2004 Birthday Honours
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged firstly by the country whose ministers advised the Queen on the appointments, then by honour, with classes (Knight, Knight Grand Cross, etc.) and then divisions (Military, Civil, etc.) as appropriate.


2004 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)
The 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours in New Zealand, celebrating the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, were appointments made by the Queen in her right as Queen of New Zealand, on the advice of the New Zealand government, to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders. They were announced on 7 June 2004.


2004 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.


2004 Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council election
Elections to Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council in June 2004 heralded a shock result as Labour council leader Sir Bill Taylor lost his seat to Liberal Democrat Zamir Khan. "This morning as I was shaving I thought I could get beat and that is what happened", commented Taylor after the result. "I canvassed more for this election than for any other. I spoke to more than a thousand people on their doorsteps and was not given any suggestion there were any difficulties."


2004 Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council election
Liberal Democrat leader Paul Browne blamed the defeat on dissatisfaction with British foreign policy, particularly in areas with high numbers of Muslim voters: "Sir Bill has gone because of what has happened in Iraq. Simple." Only 63 of the 64 seats on the council were filled as the Earcroft ward by-election took place a month after due to the death of Mayor Mike Barratt. Yusuf Sidat was elected as an independent in Queen's Park Ward.


2004 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000
The 2004 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 was a motor race for V8 Supercars, staged on 10 October 2004 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia. It was Round 10 of the 2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series.


2004 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000
The event was the eighth Australia 1000, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 that occurred in 1997. The race was staged four days after the 41st anniversary of the first Bathurst 500/1000 touring car endurance race which was held at the Mount Panorama Circuit in 1963. The 2004 event was the 48th race with a lineage back to the 1960 Armstrong 500 held at Phillip Island.


2004 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000
The race was won by 2003 winners Greg Murphy and Rick Kelly driving a Kmart Racing Team entered Holden Commodore (VY). It was the sixth consecutive Bathurst 1000 victory for Holden, a new record. The 2004 event was the 32nd and last Bathurst 500/1000 for nine time race winner Peter Brock. He did not get to drive in the actual race however as Jason Plato, his British co-driver in the #05 Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VY), crashed heavily on lap 31, putting the car out of the race.


2004 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000, Entry List
35 cars were entered in the race – 16 Ford Falcons and 19 Holden Commodores. Three cars were of the pre-2003 Group 3A regulation set. Amongst the debutants were former Formula One driver Alex Yoong, future championship race winners Fabian Coulthard and Lee Holdsworth and future New Zealand Touring Cars champion John McIntyre. 1988 race winner Tomas Mezera made his final start in the event.


2004 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000, Qualifying, Starting grid
The following table represents the final starting grid for the race on Sunday:


2004 Bofrost Cup on Ice
The 2004 Bofrost Cup on Ice was held in Gelsenkirchen from November 26 and 28. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. It was part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series from its inception until 2003, when it was replaced by Cup of China. Instead of a short program, singles and pairs perform a jumping and required elements contest, followed then by the free skating. Ice dancers perform their original and free dances.


2004 Boise State Broncos football team
The 2004 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. Boise State competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), and played their home games at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. The Broncos were led by fourth-year head coach Dan Hawkins. The Broncos finished the season 11–1 and 8–0 in conference (went undefeated 11–0 in the regular season) to win their third straight WAC title and played in the Liberty Bowl, where they lost to Louisville, 44–40.


2004 Bolivian gas referendum
A referendum on natural gas reserves was held in Bolivia on 18 July 2004. Voters were asked five questions on the government's policy on natural gas, with all five approved.


2004 Bolivian gas referendum, Background
Holding a referendum on the use of the country's gas reserves was one of the first promises made by President Carlos Mesa upon assuming the presidency in the aftermath of the Bolivian Gas War of October 2003 that saw his predecessor, Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, forced to resign and to flee the country.


2004 Bolivian gas referendum, Background
The referendum was largely intended to quell the political unrest seen during the Gas War. Fears of an uprising led the Bolivian government to take measures essentially forcing the population to vote (announcing fines and other penalties for those who refused or boycotted) and warned that protesters against the referendum would be imprisoned.


2004 Bolivian gas referendum, Results
Do you agree that the Hydrocarbons Law (No. 1689), enacted by Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, should be repealed?


2004 Bolivian gas referendum, Results
Do you agree that the Bolivian State should recover ownership over all hydrocarbons at the wellhead?


2004 Bolivian gas referendum, Results
Do you agree that Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos should be re-established, reclaiming state ownership of the Bolivian people's stakes in the part-privatized oil companies, so that it can take part in all stages of the hydrocarbon production chain?


2004 Bolivian gas referendum, Results
Do you agree with President Carlos Mesa's policy of using gas as a strategic recourse to achieve a sovereign and viable route of access to the Pacific Ocean?


2004 Bolivian gas referendum, Results
Do you or do you not agree that Bolivia should export gas as part of a national policy framework that ensures the gas needs of Bolivians; encourages the industrialization of gas in the nation's territory; levies taxes and/or royalties of up to 50% of the production value of oil and gas on oil companies, for the nation's benefit; and earmarks revenues from the export and industrialization of gas mainly for education, health, roads, and jobs?


2004 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election
Elections to Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council were held on 10 June 2004. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2003. The council stayed under no overall control, with the Liberal Democrats overtaking the Labour Party, by 1 seat, as the largest party and assuming control of the council from Labour. Overall turnout was 43.5%.


2004 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election, Council Composition
Prior to the election the composition of the council was:


2004 Bonaire status referendum
A status referendum was held on the island of Bonaire on 10 September 2004. A majority voted for integration into the Netherlands.


2004 Bonaire status referendum, Background
After the 1994 referendum came out in favour of maintaining and restructuring the Netherlands Antilles, the government of the Netherlands Antilles tried to restructure the Netherlands Antilles and attempted to forge closer ties between the islands, as is exemplified by the adoption of an anthem of the Netherlands Antilles in 2000. A new referendum on Sint Maarten, which was in favour of a separate status for Sint Maarten as a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, sparked a new series of referendums across the Netherlands Antilles, however.


2004 Bonnaroo Music Festival
The festival ran June 11, 2004 – June 13, 2004, and more than 90,000 people attended. It was marked by torrential rains, creating an incredibly large amount of mud. Many vehicles had to be towed out of the parking area.


2004 Bonnaroo Music Festival, Notes
Willie Nelson was originally scheduled to perform but, shortly before the festival, had to cancel his summer 2004 tour due to carpal tunnel syndrome. Steve Winwood was asked to fill in.


2004 Bonnaroo Music Festival, Notes
Maroon 5 was also on the bill, but did not appear at their performance time, citing a sore throat by lead vocalist Adam Levine.


2004 Bonnaroo Music Festival, Superjam
George Porter (bass), Stanton Moore (drums), and Eric Krasno and Neil Evans of Soulive (guitar and keyboard).


2004 Boscastle flood
The 2004 Boscastle flood (Cornish: An Lanwes Kastel Boterel 2004) occurred on Monday, 16 August 2004 in the two villages of Boscastle and Crackington Haven in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The villages suffered extensive damage after flash floods caused by an exceptional amount of rain that fell over eight hours that afternoon. The flood in Boscastle was filmed and extensively reported but the floods in Crackington Haven and Rocky Valley were not mentioned beyond the local news. The floods were the worst in local memory.


2004 Boscastle flood
A study commissioned by the Environment Agency from hydraulics consulting firm HR Wallingford concluded that it was among the most extreme ever experienced in Britain. The peak flow was about 140 m3/s, between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm BST. The annual chance of this (or a greater) flood in any one year is about 1 in 400. The probability each year of the heaviest three-hour rainfall is about 1 in 1300 (although rainfall probability is not the same as flood probability). At midday on 16 August 2004, heavy thundery showers had developed across the South West due to a weak disturbance to the northeast of the United Kingdom.


2004 Boscastle flood
The last time Boscastle had suffered notable flooding was in 1996 as a result of Hurricane Lili, but floods are recorded in 1847, 1957, on 3 June 1958 (one man drowned) and  on 6 February during the Winter of 1962–63 in the United Kingdom. On 16 August 1952 the small town of Lynmouth, 50 miles (80 km) north-east along the north coast in Devon near Exmoor, suffered extensive damage in a catastrophic flood, in which 34 people lost their lives. Coincidentally, this was 52 years to the day before Boscastle's 2004 flood.


2004 Boscastle flood, Causes of the flood
On the 16th, warm air picking up moisture – due to residual heat from the Atlantic Ocean – travelled towards the South West Cornish coast as prevailing winds. Upon contact with the topographically vertical coast, these winds experienced a strong up-drafting force thus causing internal moisture to reach the atmosphere, and consequently cool as a string of storm clouds. With convergence and coalescence, enhanced moisture levels resulted in heavy rainfall on the afternoon of 16 August 2004. 185 mm (7 inches) of rain fell over the high ground just inland of Boscastle.


2004 Boscastle flood, Causes of the flood
At the peak of the downpour, at about 15:40 GMT, 24.1mm of rain (almost one inch) was recorded as falling in just 15 minutes at Lesnewth, 2.5 miles (4 km) up the valley from Boscastle. In Boscastle, 89 millimetres (3.5 in) of rain was recorded in 60 minutes. The rain was very localised: Otterham and Lesnewth, both a few miles inland from Boscastle, recorded 24 hour totals of 200 mm and 185 mm respectively on the day, whereas four of the nearest 10 rain gauges showed less than 3 mm of rain in the same period. The cause of the very heavy localised rain is thought to be an extreme example of what has become known as the Brown Willy effect.


2004 Boscastle flood, Causes of the flood
The torrential rain led to a 2 m (7 ft) rise in river levels in one hour. A 3 m (10 ft) wave, believed to have been triggered by water pooling behind debris caught under a bridge and then being suddenly released as the bridge collapsed, surged down the main road. Water speed was over 4 m/s (10 mph), more than enough to cause structural damage. It is estimated that 20,000,000 cubic metres (5.3×109 US gal) of water flowed through Boscastle that day alone. The steep valley sides, and the saturated surface ensured a high amount of surface run-off.


2004 Boscastle flood, Causes of the flood
Changes in farming practice in the area also possibly contributed, sewage could have been a cause as well, with a reduction of trees and hedges higher up the valley causing water to flow through more quickly than would have been the case in the past. No one died in the flood.


2004 Boscastle flood, Impact of the flood
75 cars, 5 caravans, 6 buildings and several boats were washed into the sea; approximately 100 homes and businesses were destroyed, and some had to be demolished; trees were uprooted and debris were scattered over a large area. In an operation lasting from mid-afternoon until 2:30 am, a fleet of 7 Westland Sea King helicopters rescued about 150 people clinging to trees and the roofs of buildings and cars. No major injuries or loss of life were reported. The estimated cost of damage was £15 million.


2004 Boscastle flood, Work since the flood
Most work took place in the winter season (October–May), during the off-season. The carpark was reduced to half capacity (120 spaces) in winter, for works to take place, and then back to 240 spaces in summer.


2004 Boscastle flood, The lower bridge
The main structure of the former lower bridge survived the flood, however the stone walls did not, and were washed away. On 1 May 2005, the official reopening of the village, wooden fences were used on the bridge to temporarily replace the stone walls. The bridge used to have a concrete plaque on it saying "This bridge is the private property of the lord of the manor, August 1887". This was lost during the flood, but then recovered from the harbour in good condition. This bridge has now been replaced with a new one.


2004 Boscastle flood, The lower bridge
During the flood of 2004, 14 cars became lodged beneath it, this had caused a huge backlog of flood water and debris, adding to the damage caused in the surrounding area.


2004 Boscastle flood, The lower bridge
The original proposal was for a stone bridge, this was rejected. The second proposal is for a modern concrete bridge, with steel railings. Public consultations were held and villagers were asked to select their preference from four designs; most did not choose the one which has been proposed. This plan was rejected.


2004 Boscastle flood, The lower bridge
The new bridge is a few metres further down the river than the old bridge. The bridge was installed on 18 December 2007, and was made by Cornish Concrete, a company based near Truro. The main arch is made from reinforced concrete, with metal railings.


2004 Boscastle flood, The lower bridge
The old stone bridge, which was over 100 years old, was demolished in early April 2008.


2004 Boscastle flood, Mini flood – 21 June 2007
Boscastle flooded again, although not nearly as badly as the 2004 floods. After an afternoon of intense localised rainfall, and a week of steady rain everyday, a small flood happened on 21 June 2007. 30 mm fell on the area in one hour. Roads had become flooded in the area and in the village, most water came from the saturated fields around the village. Many drains had become blocked. Roads around the Tintagel, Camelford and Davidstow area were closed off to stop people visiting the village. River levels were alarmingly high, but the banks contained the water. However the many culverts of the River Jordan had overflowed onto the villages roads, adding to the amount of water on the roads. The new storm culvert joining the River Jordan to the River Valency was at full capacity, but did not flood. Services and organisations called in included:


2004 Boscastle flood, Mini flood – 21 June 2007
The Environment Agency's flood defences installed after the 2004 flood worked and kept the water in the river channel. A few properties in the village were flooded by 3 ft (1 m) from water flowing down the streets, rather than from the river flooding, although the damage was not nearly as bad as the 2004 flood. The two main roads (B3266, B3263) were blocked with flood waste and debris, although this was cleared and the roads reopened the following morning. The Environment Agency looked at the culverts around the village and will change them all to modern drainage


2004 Bosnian municipal elections
Bosnia and Herzegovina municipal elections were held on 2 October 2004 to elect municipal mayors and assemblies. The mayoral results are as follow:


2004 Boston College Eagles football team
The 2004 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College during the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. Boston College was a member of the Big East Conference. The Eagles played their home games in 2004 at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, which has been their home stadium since 1957.


2004 Boston Marathon
The 2004 Boston Marathon was the 108th running of the annual marathon race in Boston, United States and was held on April 19. The elite men's race was won by Kenya's Timothy Cherigat in a time of 2:11:45 hours and the women's race was won in 2:24:27 by Catherine Ndereba, also of Kenya.


2004 Boston Red Sox season
The 2004 Boston Red Sox season was the 104th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. Managed by Terry Francona, the Red Sox finished with a 98–64 record, three games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East. The Red Sox qualified for the postseason as the AL wild card, swept the Anaheim Angels in the ALDS, and faced the Yankees in the ALCS for the second straight year.


2004 Boston Red Sox season
After losing the first three games to the Yankees and trailing in the ninth inning of the fourth game, the Red Sox became the first team in major league history to come back from a three-game postseason deficit, defeating the Yankees in seven games. The Red Sox then swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, capturing their first championship since 1918.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Offseason, Pre-season events
During the 2003–04 off season, the Red Sox acquired a starting ace pitcher; Curt Schilling, as well as a closer, Keith Foulke. Many visitors at their spring training at Fort Myers, Florida, were very enthusiastic about the 2004 Red Sox team. Expectations once again ran high that 2004 would finally be the year that the Red Sox ended their championship drought.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, Road to a Championship
The regular season started well in April, but through midseason the team struggled due to injuries, inconsistency and defensive woes, and fell more than eight games behind New York. A bright point came on July 24, when the Red Sox overcame a five-run deficit as Bill Mueller hit a game-winning home run to right-center off Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. The game also featured a now infamous brawl between Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez and Red Sox catcher and captain Jason Varitek.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, Road to a Championship
Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein shook up the team at the MLB trading deadline July 31, trading the team's wildly popular yet often hurt and disgruntled shortstop, Nomar Garciaparra, to the Chicago Cubs, receiving Orlando Cabrera from the Montreal Expos and Doug Mientkiewicz from the Minnesota Twins in return. In a separate transaction, the Red Sox also traded AAA outfielder Henri Stanley to the Los Angeles Dodgers for center fielder Dave Roberts. With valuable players like Cabrera, Mientkiewicz, and Roberts in the lineup, the club turned things around, winning twenty-two out of twenty-five games and going on to finish within three games of the Yankees in the AL East and qualifying for the playoffs as the AL Wild Card.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, Road to a Championship
The team played its home games at Fenway Park, before a regular season total attendance of 2,837,294 fans.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games played; IP = Innings Pitched; W = Win; L = Loss; ERA = Earned Run Average; SO = Strikeout


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Postseason, Division Series
Boston began the playoffs by sweeping the AL West champion Anaheim Angels. The Red Sox blew out the Angels 9–3 in Game 1, scoring 7 of those runs in the fourth inning. However, the Sox' 2003 off season prize pickup Curt Schilling suffered a torn tendon when he was hit by a line drive. The injury was exacerbated when Schilling fielded a ball rolling down the first base line. The second game, pitched by Pedro Martínez, stayed close until Boston scored four in the ninth to win 8–3.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Postseason, Division Series
In game three, what looked to be a blowout turned out to be a nail-biter, as Vladimir Guerrero hit a grand slam off Mike Timlin in the top of the seventh inning to tie it at six. However, David Ortiz, who was noted for his clutch hitting, delivered in the 10th inning with a game winning two-run homer, off Jarrod Washburn, sailing over the Green Monster. The Red Sox advanced to a rematch in the 2004 American League Championship Series against their bitter rivals, the New York Yankees.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Postseason, League Championship Series
Despite high hopes that the Red Sox would finally vanquish their nemesis from the Bronx, the series started disastrously for them. Curt Schilling pitched with the torn tendon sheath in his right ankle he had suffered in Game 1 of the Division Series against Anaheim, and was routed for six runs in three innings. Yankee starter Mike Mussina had six perfect innings, and held an 8–0 lead. Despite the Sox' best effort to come back (they scored seven runs to make it 8–7), they ended up losing 10–7.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Postseason, League Championship Series
In Game 2, already with his Yankees leading 1–0 for most of the game, John Olerud hit a two-run home run to put the New York team up for good. The Sox were soon down three games to none after a 19–8 loss in Game 3 at home. In that game, the two clubs set the record for most runs scored in a League Championship Series game. At that point in the history of baseball, no team had come back to win from a 3–0 series deficit (only the 1998 Atlanta Braves and 1999 New York Mets had ever gotten as far as a Game 6).


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Postseason, League Championship Series
In Game 4, the Red Sox found themselves facing elimination, trailing 4–3 in the ninth with Yankees closer Mariano Rivera on the mound. After Rivera issued a walk to Kevin Millar, Dave Roberts came on to pinch run and promptly stole second base, this being what many consider the turning point in the series. He then scored on an RBI single by Bill Mueller which sent the game to extra innings. The Red Sox went on to win the game on a two-run home run by David Ortiz in the 12th inning.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Postseason, League Championship Series
In Game 5, the Red Sox were again down late, this time by the score of 4–2, as a result of Derek Jeter's bases-clearing triple. But the Sox struck back in the eighth, as Ortiz hit a homer over the Green Monster to bring the Sox within a run. Then Jason Varitek hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Dave Roberts, scoring the tying run. The game would go for 14 innings, capped off by many squandered Yankee opportunities (they were 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position).


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Postseason, League Championship Series
In the top of the 12th inning, the knuckleballing Tim Wakefield came in from the bullpen, without his customary "personal catcher", Doug Mirabelli. Varitek, the starting catcher, had trouble with Wakefield's tricky knuckleballs in the 13th: he allowed three passed balls in the top of the 13th. The third and last of those gave the Yankees runners on second and third with two out. The Red Sox were spared, however, as Rubén Sierra struck out to end the inning. In the bottom of the 14th, Ortiz would again seal the win with a game-winning RBI single that brought home Damon. The game set the record for longest postseason game in terms of time (5 hours and 49 minutes) and for the longest American League Championship Series game (14 innings), though the former has since been broken.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Postseason, League Championship Series
With the series returning to Yankee Stadium for Game 6, the improbable comeback continued, with Curt Schilling pitching on an ankle that had three sutures wrapped in a bloody white sock (red with a blood stain). Schilling struck out four, walked none, and only allowed one run over seven innings to lead the team to victory. Mark Bellhorn also helped in the effort as he hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning. Originally called a double, the umpires conferred and agreed that the ball had actually gone into the stands before falling back into the field of play.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Postseason, League Championship Series
A key play came in the bottom of the eighth inning with Derek Jeter on first and Alex Rodríguez facing Bronson Arroyo. Rodríguez hit a ground ball down the first base line. Arroyo fielded it and reached out to tag him as he raced down the line. Rodríguez slapped at the ball and it came loose, rolling down the line. Jeter scored and Rodríguez ended up on second. After conferring, however, the umpires called Rodríguez out on interference and returned Jeter to first base, the second time in the game they reversed a call.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Postseason, League Championship Series
Yankees fans, upset with the calls, littered the field with debris. The umpires called police clad in riot gear to line the field in the top of the 9th inning. In the bottom of the ninth, the Yankees staged a rally and brought former Red Sox player Tony Clark, who had played well against the Red Sox since leaving the team, to the plate as the potential winning run. Closer Keith Foulke however, struck out Clark to end the game and force a Game 7.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Postseason, League Championship Series
In this game, the Red Sox completed their historic comeback on the strength of Derek Lowe's one-hit, one-run pitching and Johnny Damon's two home runs, including a grand slam in the second inning off the first pitch of reliever Javier Vázquez, and defeated the New York Yankees, 10–3. Ortiz, who had the game-winning RBIs in Games 4 and 5, was named ALCS Most Valuable Player.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Postseason, League Championship Series
Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League are three professional sports that feature best-of-seven games series in their playoffs. Coming back to win a seven-game series when down by three games has only been accomplished by four National Hockey League teams and only one Major League Baseball team in the history of the MLB, NBA, and NHL. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) came back from being down by three games to the Detroit Red Wings to win the 1942 Stanley Cup.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Postseason, League Championship Series
The 1975 New York Islanders (NHL) did the same when they came back to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1975 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals. The Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), during their Cinderella run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, came back from three games down to defeat the Boston Bruins to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Los Angeles Kings,in the 2013–14 NHL Playoffs defeated the San Jose Sharks in the first round, on their way to winning the 2014 Stanley Cup.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Postseason, League Championship Series
The Boston Red Sox are currently the only team in Major League Baseball history to overcome a three game deficit in either a league or a World Series championship.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, 2004 World Series
The Red Sox faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series. The Cardinals had posted the best record in the major leagues that season, and had previously defeated the Red Sox in the 1946 and 1967 Series, with both series going seven games. The third time would be the charm, however, as the momentum and confidence Boston had built up in the ALCS would overwhelm St. Louis. The Red Sox began the Series with an 11–9 win, marked by Mark Bellhorn's game-winning home run off Pesky's Pole.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, 2004 World Series
He later on said that he "just did what he needed to do." It was the highest scoring World Series opening game ever (breaking the previous record set in 1932). The Red Sox would go on to win Game 2 in Boston (thanks to another sensational performance by the bloody-socked Schilling). The Red Sox won both these games despite making 4 errors in each game. In Game 3, Pedro Martínez shut out the Cardinals for seven innings. The Cardinals only made one real threat — in the third inning when they put runners on second and third with no outs.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, 2004 World Series
However, the Cardinals' rally was killed by pitcher Jeff Suppan's baserunning gaffe. With no outs, Suppan should have scored easily from third on a Larry Walker ground ball to second baseman Bellhorn, who was playing back, conceding the run. But as Bellhorn threw out Walker at first base, Suppan inexplicably froze after taking several steps toward home and was thrown out by Sox first baseman David Ortiz as he scrambled back to third. The double play was devastating for St. Louis. The Red Sox needed one more game to win their first championship since the 1918 World Series.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, 2004 World Series
In Game Four the Red Sox did not allow a run, and the game ended as Édgar Rentería (who would become the 2005 Red Sox starting SS) hit the ball back to Keith Foulke. (This was the second time that Rentería had ended a Series, as he had won it for the Marlins seven years prior in the 1997 World Series.) After Foulke lobbed the ball to Doug Mientkiewicz, the Sox had won their first World Championship in 86 years.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, 2004 World Series
The Sox held the Cardinals' offense (the best in the NL in 2004) to only three runs in the last three games, never trailing in the Series. Manny Ramírez was named World Series MVP. The Red Sox won Game Four of the series on October 27, eighteen years to the day from when they lost to the New York Mets in the 1986 World Series. In fact, it came 18 years to the day they lost their last World Series game, as they would sweep the 2004 series.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, 2004 World Series
The Red Sox performed well in the 2004 postseason. From the eighth inning of Game 5 of the American League Championship Series against the Yankees (a tie) until the end of the World Series, the Sox played 60 innings, and never trailed at any point. This was only the fourth World Series ever played in which the losing team had never held a lead.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, 2004 World Series
To add a final, surreal touch to the Red Sox championship title, on the night the Red Sox won, a total lunar eclipse colored the moon over Busch Stadium to a deep red hue. The Red Sox won the title about eleven minutes before totality ended. Many Red Sox fans who were turned away due to no tickets for the game were allowed to watch the final inning from the confines of Busch Stadium after being let in free of charge.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, 2004 World Series
Fox commentator Joe Buck famously called the final out, saying:


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, 2004 World Series
Back to Foulke. Red Sox fans have longed to hear it: the Boston Red Sox are World Champions!"


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, 2004 World Series
The Red Sox held a parade (or as Boston mayor Thomas Menino put it, a "rolling rally") on Saturday, October 30, 2004. A crowd of more than three million people filled the streets of Boston to cheer as the team rode on the city's famous Duck Boats. The parade followed the same route the New England Patriots took following their victories in Super Bowls Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002 and Super Bowl XXXVIII in February.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, 2004 World Series
Following their 2004 World Series win, the Red Sox replaced the dirt from the field as a "fresh start". They earned many accolades from sports media and throughout the nation for their incredible season.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, 2004 World Series
Pitcher Derek Lowe said that with the win, the chants of "1918!" would no longer echo at Yankee Stadium again.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, 2004 World Series
The Patriots win in the Super Bowl meant the Red Sox World Series win made Boston the first city to have Super Bowl and World Series champions in the same year in 25 years, when the Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XIII, followed by the Pirates winning the 1979 World Series. The Patriots winning Super Bowl XXXIX in the ensuing offseason made Boston the first city to have two Super Bowls and one World Series championship over a span of 12 months since Pittsburgh in 1979–1980.


2004 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, 2004 World Series
After the Bruins won the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, which made Boston the first city to win championships in all four sports leagues in the new millennium, Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe ranked all seven championships by the Boston teams (the Patriots in the Super Bowls played in 2002, 2004 and 2005, the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007, the Celtics in 2008, and the Bruins in 2011) and picked the Red Sox win in 2004 as the greatest Boston sports championship during the ten-year span.


2004 Botswana general election
General elections were held in Botswana on 30 October 2004, alongside local elections. The result was a ninth consecutive victory for the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which won 44 of the 57 seats in the National Assembly.


2004 Botswana general election, Background
The Independent Electoral Commission had a campaign to encourage voter registration, with a target of registering at 500,000 voters. Although it achieved its target, registering around 61% of the estimated 900,000 voting-age population, the opposition Botswana National Front (BNF) accused it of making errors in the registration process.


2004 Botswana general election, Campaign
For the first time, the election campaign involved parties using billboards. However, the opposition claimed that their media access was restricted, and a study by the Media Institute of Southern Africa showed that the BDP had received over 50% of the election coverage. The BDP campaigned on promises to improve training, expand electricity and water supplies and amend laws that discriminated against women. The campaign of the opposition parties focused on unemployment and poverty. However, although the BNF, Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM) and Botswana People's Party (BPP), entered into an electoral pact agreement in 2003, their campaigns were marked by open personal attacks between them and their leaders.


2004 Botswana general election, Campaign
Fifty-six of the 57 constituencies were contested, with Vice President Ian Khama unopposed in the Serowe North constituency.


2004 Botswana general election, Conduct
For the first time, international monitors were able to observe the elections, with delegations from the Southern African Development Community, the African Union, the Commonwealth and the United Nations in attendance. There were 11,000 personnel from the Independent Electoral Commission involved in running the elections.


2004 Botswana local elections
Local elections in Botswana were held on 30 October 2004 for the district councils of the Districts of Botswana.


2004 Botswana local elections, Results By District, Central District
The election in one ward was postponed due to the death of a candidate. The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) won the seat in a by-election held on 4 December 2004, bringing their total to 128 seats.


2004 Botswana local elections, Results By District, Francistown City
Elections in one ward were postponed because the party symbol for one of the contestants was erroneously omitted. The Botswana People's Party (BPP) won the seat in a by-election held on 4 December 2004, giving it one seat.


2004 Botswana local elections, Results By District, Southern District
There was a tie in one constituency and a by-election was held on 8 January 2005. The Botswana National Front (BNF) candidate won, bringing their total to 24 seats.


2004 Bowling Green Falcons football team
The 2004 Bowling Green Falcons football team represented Bowling Green State University in the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Gregg Brandon and played their home games in Doyt Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio. It was the 86th season of play for the Falcons.


2004 Brabantse Pijl
The 2004 Brabantse Pijl was the 44th edition of the Brabantse Pijl cycle race and was held on 28 March 2004. The race started in Zaventem and finished in Alsemberg. The race was won by Luca Paolini.


2004 Bradford Bulls season
This article details the Bradford Bulls rugby league football club's 2004 season, the ninth season of the Super League era.


2004 Bradford Bulls season, Season review
Bradford started the 2004 season off by beating Penrith Panthers 22–4 in the World Club Challenge to become World Champions for the second time. The Bulls start to the regular season rounds could not have been better as Lesley Vainikolo set a Super League record with the most tries in a match scoring five in Bradford's 34–6 win against Wigan Warriors. The Bulls could not retain their Challenge Cup title as they were knocked out in Round 4 as St Helens R.F.C. beat them 30–10.


2004 Bradford Bulls season, Season review
Bradford continued their run of form with a comprehensive 40–6 win against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. The Bulls kept their league winning streak going with a hard fought 20–6 win against Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Giants.


2004 Bradford Bulls season, Season review
The Bulls started April by grinding out a 25–18 win against Salford City Reds. Bradford's first league loss of the season came in Round 5 against arch rivals Leeds Rhinos who came out 26–18 winners. The Bulls picked themselves up after this defeat and hammered St Helens R.F.C. 54–8 with Shontayne Hape scoring a hat-trick. Bradford lost for the second time this season as Hull F.C. beat them 26–18 with Shaun Briscoe scoring four tries for the Hull side. The Bulls finished the month with a 22–22 draw at Warrington Wolves.


2004 Bradford Bulls season, Season review
Bradford started May with a much needed 24–12 win against London Broncos. The Bulls then beat Castleford Tigers 44–18 with Stuart Reardon scoring four tries. Bradford kept their winning run on track with a 30–20 win against Widnes Vikings. The month finished badly for the Bulls as their winning streak was broken in a 35–30 loss to St Helens R.F.C..


2004 Bradford Bulls season, Season review
The start of June was a poor one for Bradford as they lost 26–12 to arch-rivals Leeds Rhinos. Bradford soon got back on track as they beat Salford City Reds 35–28 in a hard fought match. The Bulls also posted an impressive 40–12 win against Huddersfield Giants with Paul Deacon kicking them to victory with 10 goals. Bradford finished the month with a 38–30 win against Widnes Vikings.


2004 Bradford Bulls season, Season review
The Bulls started July well as they smashed Castleford Tigers 60–12 with Lesley Vainikolo stealing the spotlight with four tries, he then scored another two the following week in a 36–26 win against the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. The good start to the month came to an end as the Bulls lost 32–16 to Wigan Warriors. Bradford recovered from this defeat and beat London Broncos 44–16.


2004 Bradford Bulls season, Season review
Bradford's month got off to a bad start as they lost 25–14 to Hull F.C. keeping the Bulls fifth in the table. The Bulls got their season back on track with a hard fought 36–22 win against Warrington Wolves thanks to a Lesley Vainikolo hat-trick. Bradford backed this win up with an outstanding 38–12 win against Wigan Warriors with Iestyn Harris leading the way with two tries and a goal.


2004 Bradford Bulls season, Season review
The Bulls were brought crashing back to earth as league leaders and arch-rivals Leeds Rhinos beat them 40–12, the Bulls were down to 12 men for at least 20 minutes of the match as Leon Pryce received two sin-bins. Bradford finished the month strong as they beat Hull F.C. 26–12, Lesley Vainikolo scored his fourth hat-trick of the year to help the Bulls get the much needed win.


2004 Bradford Bulls season, Season review
The Bulls continued their charge to second in the league as they beat woeful London Broncos 60–18, Shontayne Hape scored a hat-trick, Logan Swann and Rob Parker also scored two tries each to help the Bulls get the win. Bradford continued their winning end to the season with a nail biting 28–27 win against Warrington Wolves where Paul Deacon's two late drop-goals secured the points for the Yorkshire side. The Bulls finished the regular season by thumping St Helens R.F.C. 64–24, both Stuart Reardon and Lesley Vainikolo grabbed hat-tricks whilst Hape scored two tries to help the Bradford team finish the 2004 season second in the league.


2004 Bradford Bulls season, Season review
Bradford qualified for the 2004 Grand Final by defeating arch rivals Leeds Rhinos in the Qualifying Semi-final. The Bulls came out as 26–12 winner thanks to tries from Robbie Paul, Lee Radford, Lesley Vainikolo and a double from Shontayne Hape. However Leeds soon got revenge as they defeated the Bulls 16–8 in the Grand Final.


2004 Bradford Bulls season, Table
Source: . Classification: 1st on competition points; 2nd on match points difference. Competition points: for win = 2; for draw = 1; for loss = 0.


2004 Brandenburg state election
The 2004 Brandenburg state election was held on 19 September 2004 to elect the members of the 4th Landtag of Brandenburg. The incumbent government of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led by Minister-President Matthias Platzeck was returned with a significantly reduced majority. The Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) moved into second place, although polls prior to the election suggested it would become the largest party. The CDU fell to third place.


2004 Brandenburg state election, Background
The SPD had suffered losses in several state elections before Brandenburg. This was thought to be a consequence of the Agenda 2010 policy, a series of economic liberal economic reforms adopted by the federal SPD government led by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. Many voters in eastern Germany turned to the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), while many in the west later turned to Labour and Social Justice, an SPD splinter party. In state elections, the SPD's growing unpopularity had chiefly benefited the CDU.


2004 Brandenburg state election, Background
In Brandenburg, both Minister-President Matthias Platzeck (SPD) and his partner Jörg Schönbohm (CDU) supported Schröder's reforms. Both PDS and the German People's Union (DVU), which had entered the Landtag in 1999, campaigned in opposition.


2004 Brandenburg state election, Parties
The table below lists parties represented in the 3rd Landtag of Brandenburg.


2004 Brasil Open
The 2004 Brasil Open was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts in Costa do Sauipe resort, Mata de São João, in Brazil and was part of the International Series of the 2004 ATP Tour. It was the fourth edition of the tournament and ran from February 23 through February 29, 2004. Gustavo Kuerten won the singles title.


2004 Brasil Open, Winners, Men's Doubles
Mariusz Fyrstenberg /  Marcin Matkowski defeated  Tomas Behrend /  Leoš Friedl 6–2, 6–2


2004 Brasil Open – Doubles
Todd Perry and Thomas Shimada were the defending champions but only Perry competed that year with Jordan Kerr.


2004 Brasil Open – Doubles
Kerr and Perry lost in the quarterfinals to André Sá and Flávio Saretta.


2004 Brasil Open – Doubles
Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski won in the final 6–2, 6–2 against Tomas Behrend and Leoš Friedl.


2004 Brasil Open – Singles
Sjeng Schalken was the defending champion but did not compete that year.


2004 Brasil Open – Singles
Gustavo Kuerten won in the final 3–6, 6–2, 6–3 against Agustín Calleri.


2004 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Grande Prêmio do Brasil 2004) was a Formula One motor race held on 24 October 2004 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace. It was Race 18 of 18 in the 2004 FIA Formula One World Championship. It marked the first time that a GP in Brazil was held at the end of the F1 season , and local fans were delighted when Brazil's Rubens Barrichello took pole for his home race.


2004 Brazilian Grand Prix
It would be Barrichello's first non-retirement at Interlagos in ten years, his previous finish at the circuit being at the season opener in 1994. The early laps were held in changeable conditions, and the race ended up as a duel between Kimi Räikkönen and Juan Pablo Montoya, who were to be McLaren teammates for 2005. The Colombian took victory in his final race for Williams, which was also the last win for the Williams team until the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix. Montoya's move to take the lead was brave even by his standards. Elsewhere, Jaguar's final race was a failure of epic proportions, with their two drivers colliding, with Webber trying an optimistic-looking move on Klien whilst expecting his teammate to move over.


2004 Brazilian Grand Prix
Ricardo Zonta returned to his home race for the Toyota team, replacing Olivier Panis, who had retired from the sport after the previous race.


2004 Brazilian Grand Prix, Friday drivers
The bottom 6 teams in the 2003 Constructors' Championship were entitled to run a third car in free practice on Friday. These drivers drove on Friday but did not compete in qualifying or the race.


2004 Brentwood Borough Council election
Elections to Brentwood Borough Council were held on 10 June 2004. One third of the council was up for election, all seats last being elected in 2002 following boundary changes. The Conservative Party took control of the council.


2004 Brentwood Borough Council election, Election result
The swing was 4.9% from the Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives.


2004 Brickyard 400
The 2004 Brickyard 400, the 11th running of the event, was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held on August 8, 2004 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. Contested at 161 laps – extended from 160 laps due to a green–white–checker finish – on the 2.5 mile (4.023 km) speedway, it was the twenty-first race of the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the race.


2004 Brickyard 400, Background
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana, (an enclave suburb of Indianapolis) in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400. It is located on the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Road, approximately six miles (10 km) west of Downtown Indianapolis. It is a four-turn rectangular-oval track that is 2.5 miles (4.023 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 9 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, has no banking. The back stretch, opposite of the front, also has a zero degree banking. The racetrack has seats for more than 250,000 spectators.


2004 Brickyard 400, Summary
For the first time in Nextel Cup Series history, the Green-white-checker finish rule caused a race to be extended, in this case for one additional lap. On the extra lap, Casey Mears blew a tire, Ricky Rudd hit the wall, then Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. suffered tire failures. Jeff Gordon retained the lead to become the first four-time winner of the Brickyard.


2004 Brickyard 400, Summary
Failed to qualify: Kevin Lepage (#51), Hermie Sadler (#02), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Greg Sacks (#13), Andy Hillenburg (#37), Geoffrey Bodine (#34), Kirk Shelmerdine (#72)


2004 Bridgend County Borough Council election
The 2004 Bridgend County Borough Council election was held on Thursday 10 June 2004 to Bridgend County Borough Council, Wales. It took place on the same day as other council elections in Wales and England. It was preceded by the 1999 election and followed by the 2008 election.


2004 Bridgend County Borough Council election
The election resulted in the Labour Party losing control of the council.


2004 Bridgend County Borough Council election, Overview
54 council seats were up for election, across 39 electoral wards, a similar number to the previous election in 1999.


2004 Bridgend County Borough Council election, Overview
Labour had a strong majority on the council prior to the election, though council leader Jeff Jones had recently stood down from his position. Labour lost 18 seats at the election, though remained the largest party. The following week, Liberal Democrat Cheryl Green announced she would lead a coalition Lib Dems, Conservatives and Independents.


2004 Bridgend County Borough Council election, Ward Results
Contests took place in 37 of the 39 wards, with councillors in two of the wards being elected unopposed.


2004 Bridgend County Borough Council election, Ward Results, Sarn (one seat)
The vote was postponed in this ward until 22 July.


2004 Bridgestone 400
The 2004 Bridgestone 400 was the twelfth round of the 2004 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season, held on September 25, 2004 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. Patrick Carpentier won the pole, the fifth and final pole of his Champ Car career. Sébastien Bourdais won the race.


2004 Bridgestone 400, Race
* Alex Tagliani was dropped from 14th to 16th in the final standings and lost his bonus point for leading a lap as a penalty for ignoring a black flag during the race.


2004 Bridgestone Grand Prix of Monterey
The 2004 Bridgestone Grand Prix of Monterey was the eleventh round of the 2004 Champ Car season, held on September 12, 2004 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Sébastien Bourdais took the pole while Patrick Carpentier won the race, the fifth and final win of his Champ Car career. It was also the 22nd and final Champ Car event to take place at the Laguna Seca racetrack.


2004 Brisbane Broncos season
The 2004 Brisbane Broncos season was the seventeenth in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2004 Telstra Premiership, making it to the finals again, but were knocked out of contention by the North Queensland Cowboys, their first ever loss to the club.


2004 Brisbane Broncos season, Season summary
The 2004 NRL season was Darren Lockyer's first in the position of five-eighth and Gorden Tallis' last as captain. The Broncos started the season by defeating the New Zealand Warriors 28-20 in Round 1, only to lose their next match against the Parramatta Eels by 26-18. The Broncos then won their next five matches, including a controversial match against the Tigers, during which the Broncos appeared to field 14 men at one stage of the match.


2004 Brisbane Broncos season, Season summary
In the 60th minute, Brisbane's Shane Webcke was taken off the ground after being knocked out by Bryce Gibbs; while he was assisted off the field, Corey Parker was brought on, and immediately scored off a Darren Lockyer pass to start a Broncos revival (they trailed 24-8 at halftime) which saw them claim a 32-24 victory. An ensuing investigation saw the Broncos stripped of two competition points, but, following a successful appeal, they were reinstated weeks later.


2004 Brisbane Broncos season, Season summary
In round 10, the Broncos and the Newcastle Knights made history by contesting the first ever golden point match on free-to-air television. The Broncos lost the match 16-17 after Newcastle's Kurt Gidley booted a field goal three minutes and 26 seconds into extra time.


2004 Brisbane Broncos season, Season summary
The Broncos eventually qualified for the finals for the thirteenth consecutive season after finishing the minor rounds in third place on the ladder (only behind eventual Grand Finalists the Sydney Roosters and the Bulldogs), but would bow out in straight sets, first losing to the Melbourne Storm at home by 31-14 before losing to the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville, in what was captain Gorden Tallis' final game for the club. It also marked the first time the Broncos had lost to the Cowboys, and the first time the Broncos had been held scoreless anywhere in Queensland. With Tallis' retirement at the end of the season, the Broncos' captaincy was passed onto Darren Lockyer.


2004 Brisbane City Council election
Elections of the Brisbane City Council in Queensland, Australia, were held on Saturday, 27 March 2004 to elect a councillor to each of the local government area's 26 wards and the direct election of the Lord Mayor of Brisbane.


2004 Brisbane City Council election
The election resulted in the election of Campbell Newman of the Liberal Party as Lord Mayor, defeating the Labor Party incumbent, Tim Quinn, by 2.5% of the mayoral two-party-preferred vote. The Liberals won 9 wards to Labor's 17. Newman became the first Liberal Lord Mayor since Sallyanne Atkinson narrow defeat in 1991.


2004 Brisbane Lions season
The Brisbane Lions' 2004 season was its eighth season in the Australian Football League (AFL).


2004 Brit Awards
The 2004 Brit Awards were the 24th edition of the biggest annual pop music awards in the United Kingdom. They are run by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 17 February 2004 at Earls Court in London. The awards were marked by a set of victories by the rock band The Darkness. They won the first British Rock Act award ever presented at the BRIT Awards. last present year in British Dance Act. The show, when broadcast, attracted 6.18 million viewers.


2004 British Academy Television Awards
The 2004 British Academy Television Awards were held on Sunday 18 April at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane, London. The ceremony was hosted by Davina McCall and broadcast on ITV the following day.


2004 British Academy Television Craft Awards
The British Academy Television Craft Awards of 2004 are presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and were held on 16 May 2004 at The Dorchester, Mayfair, the ceremony was hosted by Alistair McGowan.


2004 British Columbia Scott Tournament of Hearts
The 2004 British Columbia Scott Tournament of Hearts, British Columbia's women's provincial curling championship, was held January 20-24 2004 at the Golden Ears Winter Club in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. The winning team of Georgina Wheatcroft represented British Columbia at the 2004 Scott Tournament of Hearts in Red Deer, Alberta, finishing with a record of 4-7


2004 British Formula 3 International Series
The 2004 Formula 3 International Series was the 54th British Formula 3 International Series season. It commenced on 3 April, and ended on 1 October after twenty-four races.


2004 British Formula 3 International Series, Drivers and teams
The following teams and drivers were competitors in the 2004 British Formula 3 International Series. The Scholarship class is for older Formula Three cars. Teams in the Invitation class are not series regulars, and do not compete for championship points.


2004 British Formula Ford Championship
The 2004 British Formula Ford Championship is the 29th edition of the British Formula Ford Championship. The first race started on 4 April at Donington Park and the last race on 3 October at Brands Hatch after 10 rounds and 20 races. The series switched from supporting the British Touring Car Championship to supporting the British GT and British Formula Three Championship. After 2004 the series continued to support the two series until the end of 2012.


2004 British GT Championship
The 2004 British GT season consisted of an eight-round series of sports car racing in the British GT Championship, with each round consisting of two races. The series was open to N-GT and GT Cup class cars. Jonathan Cocker won the N-GT Class Driver's Championship, whilst Adam Wilcox and Ni Amorim shared the GT Cup Driver's Championship.


2004 British GT Championship, Championship standings, Drivers' Championships, N-GT
Points were awarded as follows: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 from first to eighth.


2004 British GT Championship, Championship standings, Drivers' Championships, GT Cup
Points were awarded as follows: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 from first to eighth.


2004 British Grand Prix
The 2004 British Grand Prix (formally the 2004 Formula 1 Foster's British Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held at the Silverstone Circuit on 11 July 2004. It was Race 11 of 18 in the 2004 FIA Formula One World Championship.


2004 British Grand Prix, Background
The race was preceded by a demonstration of contemporary Formula One cars on Regent Street in London, including former British Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell driving the Jordan EJ14. The event attracted an estimated 500,000 spectators.


2004 British Grand Prix, Background
The event was also notable for the death of Minardi Sporting Director John Walton, who died of a heart attack following the street demonstration, causing the Minardi team to withdraw its cars from Saturday's early practice session.


2004 British Grand Prix, Friday drivers
The bottom 6 teams in the 2003 Constructors' Championship were entitled to run a third car in free practice on Friday. These drivers drove on Friday but did not compete in qualifying or the race.


2004 British National Track Championships
The 2004 British National Track Championships were a series of track cycling competitions held from 7–10 October 2004 at the Manchester Velodrome.


2004 British Open
The 2004 British Open was the 2004 edition of the British Open snooker tournament, held from 8 to 14 November 2004 at Brighton Centre, Brighton, England. John Higgins won the tournament, defeating Stephen Maguire nine frames to six in the all-Scottish final to lift his first ranking-event title since the 2001 edition of this event. In the semi-finals, Higgins defeated Shaun Murphy 6–0 and Maguire defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan 6–1. The defending champion Stephen Hendry lost in the quarter-finals. Higgins made the highest tournament break with his two breaks of 144. The tournament was the second of eight WPBSA ranking events in the 2004/2005 snooker season, following the Grand Prix in October, which was won by O'Sullivan. It preceded the third ranking event of the season, the UK Championship.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary
The 2004 British Open was the second ranking event of the 2004/2005 snooker season, after the Grand Prix in October, which was won by world number one Ronnie O'Sullivan—the 2004 and two-time world champion—who defeated Ian McCulloch 9–5 in the final. It preceded the UK Championship.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary
The defending champion was seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry who defeated O'Sullivan 9–6 in last year's final. Hendry was still angry at his loss at the Grand Prix to McCulloch, explaining, "The way I felt at the Grand Prix was down to the fact that I know what I'm still capable of". The total prize fund was £200,000 and the host broadcaster was Eurosport. O'Sullivan was considered the favourite, with his mentor Ray Reardon saying "Ronnie is in the form of his life and looks very close to being unstoppable at the moment". Although few top players reached the final eight in the Grand Prix, O'Sullivan said he would not be surprised if they performed well in this tournament.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Qualifying
The qualifying rounds were played between players ranked lower than 32 for one of 16 places in the final stage, at Pontin's Snooker Centre, Prestatyn, Wales. The matches were best-of-9 frames until the semi-finals. Highly regarded 17-year-old Chinese player Ding Junhui, in his professional first season, won his sixth consecutive match when he beat Robin Hull 5–2. The other successful qualifiers included the likes of Shaun Murphy, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, and Ryan Day.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Round 1
The 16 first-round matches were between players ranked 17–32 and those who had made it through the qualifying stage. In this round, Ding took 63 minutes to whitewash 5–0 Malta's Tony Drago—who turned professional before Ding was born—outscoring Drago 463–73, for his first appearance in the last 32 of a ranking tournament. European Open winner Stephen Maguire defeated Australian Robertson 5–3, while world number 48 Murphy beat McCulloch 5–2. Michael Holt, in his first season in the top 32, beat Dave Harold 5–2, and Mark King defeated Selby by the same scoreline.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Round 1
Ali Carter whitewashed Belgian's number one Bjorn Haneveer 5–0 in 76 minutes, while Barry Hawkins prevailed 5–4 over Joe Perry, despite the latter making the highest break so far with a 133. John Parrott made a century break in his 5–3 victory over Jamie Burnett, while Joe Jogia won four consecutive frames to overcome Joe Swail 5–4.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Round 2
The winners of round 1 went through to face members of the top 16. Ding continued his run, defeating Jimmy White 5–1 to make the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time. Ding called the win his most satisfying to date and White commended his opponent's performance, saying, "He's dangerous and he's improved a hell of a lot this year". Elsewhere, Maguire whitewashed UK champion Matthew Stevens 5–0, outscoring him 427–68.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Round 2
O'Sullivan extended his unbeaten run to 12 matches when he defeated Parrott 5–2, in a match that lasted two hours and 28 minutes and which featured a lot of tactical, disjointed exchanges. He was not satisfied with his performance, however: "I was awful—if I keep playing like that they'll have to call the nuthouse to come and collect me".


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Round 2
1997 world champion Ken Doherty, who was ranked seventh but had slipped to fifteenth in the provisional rankings, defeated Quinten Hann 5–1, after Hann had smashed the red balls from his break-off shot at 0–4 down, from which he fluked a red and made an 89 break. John Higgins, a three-time champion who first won in 1995, beat Drew Henry 5–1, and said he would withdraw from the tournament if his pregnant wife went into labour. Hendry beat Robert Milkins 5–1, and dismissed suggestions that the loss at the Grand Prix had inspired him to play better at this tournament.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Round 2
Murphy defeated world number four Paul Hunter 5–3 for his second last-16 appearance in a ranking event, and attributed the win to his happiness off the table; Murphy—a Christian since the age of 17—said, "My girlfriend Claire is a wonderful woman. We've become engaged and we're involved with a tremendous church in Rotherham". Two-time world champion and world number two Mark Williams—who became a father in May and had slipped to eighth in the provisional rankings—claimed a 5–1 victory over Jogia in 89 minutes. In a hard-fought contest, Stephen Lee defeated King 5–4. The other winners were Carter, Andy Hicks, Anthony Hamilton, Hawkins, Barry Pinches, Holt, and Stuart Bingham.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Round 3
In the last 16, O'Sullivan compiled two century breaks to whitewash Lee 5–0 for his 13th consecutive win and his 9th consecutive quarter-final. Regarding comments he made about his retirement after his previous match, O'Sullivan said, "There's no point quoting me because what I say from one day to the next will be different". Maguire made a total clearance of 140 in his 5–2 win over Ding, while Hamilton defeated Williams 5–3 for his fourth consecutive win over the world number two.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Round 3
Hendry, whose last tournament victory was this event last year, made four breaks over 60 in his 5–2 win over Carter to set up a match with Higgins, who made the highest break so far with a 141 in his 5–3 win over Pinches. Doherty became the fifth member of the top eight to lose when he was defeated 4–5 by Hicks, while Hawkins defeated Bingham 5–4 and Murphy beat Holt 5–3.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Quarter-finals
In the quarter-finals, O'Sullivan defeated Hicks 5–1 in a match in which Hicks made a few errors. After the match, O'Sullivan attributed his success to his mentor Reardon. Maguire made three consecutive century breaks from 2–0 up to whitewash Hamilton 5–0, setting up a semi-final clash with O'Sullivan. Maguire won the first two frames on the black, the second after trailing 0–74 and requiring two snookers. Maguire said that he played brilliant, like in practice, and Hamilton said his opponent was a "proper talent".


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Quarter-finals
Higgins defeated Hendry 5–2 in a low-quality match in which Higgins won the first three frames with a high break of 30. Hendry won the next two with breaks of 66 and 58, but Higgins closed the match with breaks of 85 and 79. Higgins said he was willing to risk a possible fine by attending to his wife if she gave birth. Murphy beat fellow qualifier Hawkins 5–3 to reach his first ranking semi-final, with Higgins as the opponent.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Semi-finals
In the semi-finals, now best-of-11, Higgins took 73 minutes to whitewash Murphy 6–0, scoring breaks of 58, 114, 57, 89, and completing the victory with a total clearance of 144, the highest break so far. The time of 73 minutes was only two minutes slower than the quickest best-of-11 match—the semi-finals of the 1993 International Open between Hendry and Dave Harold—and Higgins outscored Murphy 566–72. In the first three frames, Murphy managed to score a total of 10 points.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Semi-finals
In the fourth, Murphy broke down on a break of 50 before Higgins fluked a yellow, enabling him to make a 57 break. He then fortuitously snooked Murphy on the pink, which Higgins potted to make it 4–0. An 89 break extended Higgins' lead, before he finished the match with a 144 break. Higgins attributed his performance to a shortening of his cue.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Semi-finals
In the other semi-final, Maguire ended O'Sullivan's 14-match unbeaten run with a 6–1 victory to earn a place in the final against Higgins. Maguire made century breaks in the first two frames, becoming the first player to make five consecutive century breaks (including the three made in his previous match). Maguire won the third on the pink after O'Sullivan missed the yellow. O'Sullivan won the next with a break of 51, before Maguire made a break of 71 in each of the final two frames.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Semi-finals
After the match, O'Sullivan—who had won all three previous encounters against Maguire—said, "I've never seen anything like that on a snooker table before ... He's a great player, probably the best in the world at the moment", and even before the match, O'Sullivan had described Maguire as "of the young ones, definitely the best". The defeat meant that Reardon lost the £100 bet he placed at 150–1 that O'Sullivan would win all eight of the season's ranking events.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Final
In the all-Scottish best-of-17 final, Higgins defeated Maguire 9–6 for a record-equalling fourth title. Of the victory, Higgins said it was the most important of his career. He had not won a ranking title since his 2001 victory at this event and had lost his previous six finals. It was his 25th major title and his 16th ranking title, and it earned him £30,000 in prize money.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Final
In the afternoon session, Maguire took the first frame, but Higgins won the next three, compiling a 100 break in the third. Breaks of 72, 55, and 76 allowed Maguire to regain the lead, before Higgins took the eighth after Maguire missed a straightforward red to leave it 4–4 at the end of the first session. In the evening session, Higgins took the ninth, before Maguire made two breaks over 50 in the 10th. Higgins then made two consecutive century breaks, including a 144 in the 11th, which equalled his own highest break. He continued his run with a break of 68 in the 13th, before Maguire pulled one back in the next. A 97 break gave Higgins the victory.


2004 British Open, Tournament summary, Final
All tournament, Higgins had been anticipating the birth of his child and on 24 November, Higgins became a father for the second time when his wife gave birth to a son, Oliver, shortly after his loss at the UK Championship.


2004 British Open, Main draw
Numbers to the left of the players are the tournament seedings. Players in bold are the match winners.


2004 British Open, Final
The bold text denotes winning frame scores and the winning finalist.


2004 British Open, Qualifying
Qualifying for the tournament took place between 2 and 4 November 2004 at Pontins in Prestatyn, Wales. Players in bold indicate match winners.


2004 British Open, Century breaks, Qualifying stage centuries
A total of 13 players compiled a total of 14 century breaks during the qualifying stages of the 2004 British Open.


2004 British Open, Century breaks, Televised stage centuries
There were 33 century breaks compiled by 17 different players during the course of the main rounds of the 2004 British Open.


2004 British Rally Championship
The 2004 British Rally Championship season was the 46th season of the British Rally Championship. The season consisted of eight rounds and began on 23 April, with the Pirelli International Rally in the north east of England. The season ended on 6 November, at the Tempest South of England Rally.


2004 British Rowing Championships
The 2004 British Rowing Championships known as the National Championships at the time, were the 33rd edition of the National Championships, held from 16–18 July 2004 at the National Water Sports Centre in Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham. They were organised and sanctioned by British Rowing, and are open to British rowers.


2004 British Speedway Championship
The 2004 British Speedway Championship was the 44th edition of the British Speedway Championship. The Final took place on 7 July at Oxford Stadium in Oxford, England. The Championship was won by Joe Screen, who beat David Norris, Mark Loram and Scott Nicholls in the final heat.


2004 British Superbike Championship
The 2004 British Superbike season is the 17th British Superbike Championship season


2004 British Touring Car Championship
The 2004 Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 47th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.


2004 British Touring Car Championship, Changes for 2004, Teams and drivers
With the admittance of Super 2000-spec cars into the championship, the BTCC welcomed with it a new manufacturer, with SEAT Sport's UK division entering a pair of Toledos identical to those used in the European Touring Car Championship, run by RML. At the wheel were Jason Plato, returning to the championship for the first time since his title victory in 2001, and youngster Rob Huff, who earned his drive through winning the inaugural SEAT Cupra UK Championship, for which Plato had acted as a driver coach.


2004 British Touring Car Championship, Changes for 2004, Teams and drivers
They were joined by reigning champions of the last three seasons Vauxhall, with Triple 8 Engineering again running a trio of Astra Coupes. 2003 champion Yvan Muller remained along with runner-up and 2002 title winner James Thompson, with Luke Hines replacing Paul O'Neill in the third car on the back of claiming the Production class title in his debut season the previous year.


2004 British Touring Car Championship, Changes for 2004, Teams and drivers
Honda cut its Arena Motorsport-run Civic Type-R campaign down to a single car for the returning Tom Chilton, but the Civic challenge was augmented by a pair of cars entered by Team Dynamics for Matt Neal, returning to his family team from the works Honda set-up, and Dan Eaves, who brought with him Halfords sponsorship after the withdrawal of Vic Lee Racing. Proton completed the line-up of works teams, its two Impians now driven by two newcomers to British motorsport; the experienced South African Shaun Watson-Smith and the young Malaysian Farique Hairuman.


2004 British Touring Car Championship, Changes for 2004, Teams and drivers
Financial trouble forced MG Rover to pull its works backing from West Surrey Racing's MG ZS assault, but the team cut down from three to two cars and returned as an independent with young gun Colin Turkington and veteran Anthony Reid staying on board.


2004 British Touring Car Championship, Changes for 2004, Teams and drivers
Ex-works Vauxhall Astra Coupes were a popular choice amongst the other independents, with Michael Bentwood stepping up from the Production ranks in a 'VXR Junior' team prepared by Tech-Speed Motorsport and 2003 Independents champion Rob Collard continuing to campaign an Astra for his self-run team.