Sports Ladder (8th - 14th July)

UP - Lewis Hamilton - Last weekend's British Grand Prix has reopened the race for the Championship after a mesmerising drive from Lewis Hamilton coupled with a gearbox failure for Nico Rosberg left the Mercedes pair just four points apart. Hamilton worked his way from sixth up to first after an excellent start before the red flags emerged following Kimi Raikkonen crash. This leaves a very tasty looking second half to the season.

UP - Novak Djokovic - A second Wimbledon title and a sixth Grand Slam ensured that Novak Djokovic had a week to remember. What he may lack in the elegance of Roger Federer or the relentlessness of Rafael Nadal he more than makes up for with his gritty determination and is more of a complete player than either of those two. He is perhaps yet to fully win the support of the British public but if he keeps going at this rate it can only be a matter of time.

UP - James Anderson - In a period of instability and disappointment in English cricket it was welcoming this week to see a moment of brief, record-breaking success. Jimmy Anderson alongside Joe Root set the record for the highest last wicket stand as the pair of them made 198 runs, including 81 from Anderson himself, also a record for an English closing batsman. Could this be the start of a change in fortune? It seems unlikely, but we may as well enjoy it while it lasts.

UP - Horse-Racing Seagull - I just couldn't ignore the cheeky antics of an audacious seagull in Brighton this week. In a photo-finish between Jewelled and Sagesse it emerged that there was in fact a third competitor when a seagull photo-bombed, sticking his neck out and just losing to Jewelled by a few beaks. It is not known whether the animal is merely confused about its origins or fancies himself as a bit of a racer but unfortunately the bookmakers refused to pay out on any bets on the unfancied bird.


UP - Rory McIlroy - Considering his sporting prowess it does surprise me how rarely, if ever he has actually made my weekly ladder. The Northern Irishman has had mixed success in recent times but this week shot a phenomenal round of 64 to break the course record in the first round of the Scottish Open at Aberdeen. As well as they he also took advantage of a strong tail wind to slog a drive 436 yards to set the record for this year.

DOWN - Rory McIlroy - And yet sport is a world of swings and roundabouts and just the next day Rory undid all his good work by carding a shocking 78 to plummet down the leaderboard. More depressing is the fact that this is the second time he has collapsed this year after an astounding first round where he shot a 63 then a 78 at the Memorial Tournament in May. With the youngster struggling for consistency and struggling off the course after ending his engagement to Caroline Wozniacki, should he take a break from golf?

DOWN - Blackpool - The recruitment staff at Blackpool seem to have been spending too much time watching the World Cup and not enough time finding some players to don the tangerine kit next year as they currently have just eight registered first team players. Now for those of you with any knowledge of football you will be aware that eleven players are needed just to field an actual team so probably you see the dilemma. I'll keep my phone on loud for the next few days waiting for the call from Barry Ferguson.

DOWN - Chris Froome - After the recent Tour de Triumphs of Chris Froome and Sir Bradley Wiggins in the last two years we have become accustomed to success in the greatest cycling race on the planet. However after the loss of Mark Cavendish last week we were treated to more disappointment as defending champion Chris Froome also departed with multiple wrist injuries. Very sad to see him go but Bradley Wiggins must be gutted he wasn't given the call by Team Sky. Will they live to regret not including him?

DOWN - Paris Saint-Germain - Don't you hate it when you pay over the odds for something such as a t-shirt or a pint? Well imagine how Paris Saint-Germain feel after watching the simply shocking performances of everyone's favourite Sideshow Bob lookalike, David Luiz, their £50 million summer acquisition. The 'defender' has a tendency to wander aimlessly and was largely at fault for numerous of the ten goals conceded in Brazil's last two games. Let's hope they've kept the receipt somewhere safe.


DOWN - Brazil - A record-breaking 7-1 loss in the semi-finals of your home tournament. No more words are needed.



Disclaimer: This was written before the finale of that football tournament that everyone seems to be talking about.

Sports Ladder (29th April-5th May)

UP - British Cycling - With the Tour de France kick starting along the mean streets of Yorkshire this year it seems only fitting that we should get in the party mood with some victories in the months beforehand. British riders underwent something of a Super Sunday this week as both Adam Yates, Mark Cavendish and Chris Froome all obtained victories. Yates won the Tour of Turkey with Cavendish claiming the stage on the day whilst Chris Froome retained his Tour de Romandie title.

UP - Amir Khan -Britain's boxing superstar this week burst back into the ring with a marvelous display in Las Vegas against Luis Collazo. In his debut fight as a welterweight, Khan rolled back the years to win a dominant points decision, knocking his opponent down three times throughout the bout. This victory re-opens the chance for Khan to line-up a potential dream bought with the mighty Mayweather. It looks a real possibility.

UP - Marc Marquez - Whilst a lot of motorsport media heads in the direction of Formula One, it is the two-wheeled escapades of Marc Marquez which are making headlines of a different kind. After winning the Moto GP last year in his debut season, becoming the first rookie to do so since 1978, the young Spaniard has continued his fine form with not one, not two, not three but four consecutive victories to kick start this season. Start as you mean to go on I suppose.

UP - GB Taekwondo - After Jade Jones helped put British Taekwondo on the map with her gold medal at London 2012 it seems like the team are making greater strides after a record medals haul at this years European Taekwondo Championships. Held in Azerbaijan, Jones and the team collected eight medals between them to eclipse the previous record of seven collected during the Manchester Championships of 2012. Top effort.

UP - James Nielsen - An interesting tribute to Roger Bannister's four minute mile in California this week as James Nielsen completed a mile in under five minutes. But this was no ordinary mile. In fact, Nielsen completed the Beer Mile. Four laps around an athletics track with a beer in between each 400m. With a Budweiser in one hand and gritty athleticism in the other, Nielsen stormed round the track in 4 minutes 57.1 seconds to set a new Beer Mile record. That deserves a celebratory pint!

DOWN - Reading Fans - Don't count your chickens before they hatch. A slightly awkward moment this week as Reading fans stormed the pitch to celebrate their team grabbing the last Championship play-off spot... Only for Brighton to dive in and steal it with a late, late goal in their game. This left the Royals fans looking rather silly as they were now celebrating narrowly missing out on the play-offs. Oh well, there is always next year!

DOWN - Tyson Gay - It has become a far too common sight this year seeing athletes at the very top of the Athletics world getting bans for drugs and Tyson Gay joins the likes of Asafa Powell on the sidelines after testing positive for a banned substance. Initially he was to be banned for two years but his cooperation with the case meant this sentence was halved. Gay has also returned his medal that he won at London 2012 as part of the 4 x 100m American relay team.

DOWN - Relegation Rubbish - So you're in the relegation zone and as the footballing cliche goes, 'fighting for your life'. Well this week's display did plenty to dispel that particular phrase as Fulham, Cardiff and Norwich all produced languid displays to all but confirm themselves as the three teams tumbling out of the Premier League basement. Fulham fell foul to Stoke whilst Cardiff were crushed by the Toon and, although Norwich drew with Chelsea, they showed no intent to win when they had to. A relegation well earned.

DOWN -  Spanish Football Fans - This week we'll end with a serious note as a wave of racial incidents have arisen in Spain which had opened up the question of whether racism in Spanish football is more endemic than previously realised. After an incident involving a banana thrown at Dani Alves last weekend, this weekend saw Atletico Madrid fans abused Papakouli Diop just weeks before their appearance in the Champions League Final. Spanish football officials need to wake up and act!

Sports Ladder 2013

UP - Andy Murray - I know it's an obvious choice, but realistically he is one of the main reasons 2013 will be remembered as a sporting year. His Sport's Personality of the Year award from earlier this year was never really in doubt following his Wimbledon title. His men's singles title was the first won by a Brit in 77 years, exception not only for the achievement, but also the way he dispatched the World number one Djokovic in just three sets. He also reached the Australian Open final and will be looking to add to his Grand Slam titles in 2014

UP - Mo Farah - I think his achievements went quietly under the radar this year but what he achieved was simply breathtaking. By winning both the 5,000 and the 10,000 metres at the World Championships in Moscow he achieved the double-double following his victory at the London Olympics. This year was more challenging as, following his Olympic golds, he became the hunted member of the field. Despite this he still managed to walk away with the golds, and also Steve Cram's European 1500m record. Let's all do the MoBot.

UP - Ben Ainslie - It is hard to find words to describe the incredible nature of the comeback orchestrated by Ben Ainslie in this years America's Cup is something that will go down in, not only Sailing legend, but sporting legend. With the American team having succumbed to an 8-1 deficit against the Kiwis, Ainslie's recent appointment as a tactician was founded to be an inspired decision.. The Cup was turned around as Ainslie guided them to a 9-8 victory overall. Certainly gives Liverpool's 2005 Champions League final a run for its money.

UP - Chris Froome - I spoke about Farah's achievements going under the radar but sadly I think Froome's went even lower. Froome suffered from the fact that Sir Bradley Wiggins won it a year before; a victory that would not have been achieved without his help. This year, not only did Chris win, but he annihilated the rest of the field, blowing them away in numerous mountain stages. What we all want to see in 2014 is Froome vs Wiggins as the Tour starts in England.

UP - Tai Woffinden  - Many people will not have heard of Tai Woffinden, but this year he became only the 8th Brit ever to win the Speedway World Championship. For many he was a surprise exclusion from the Sports Personality of the Year shortlist but sadly this highlights the decline of Speedway's popularity. Nevertheless, Tai's achievements cannot be understated, as he became the first Brit to win since 2000. Hopefully his victory will increase popularity in the sport.

DOWN - Luis Suarez - In the 2013-14 season Luis Suarez has been simply incredible. Scoring goals left, right, center and just about every other way possible. However, let us not forget that Suarez committed the downright bizarre at the tail end of last season when he took a mouthful of Branislav Ivanovic's arm leading to a ten match ban. As much as I admire Suarez for his outstanding footballing ability, he is hardly the model professional and that must not be forgotten.

DOWN - Formula One - Sebastian Vettel won this years title and he must be commended for that but the car changes for next season cannot come soon enough. Formula One really did hit a low point in terms of viewer interest this year. Vettel's dominance is fine if everyone is racing on a level field but the Pirelli tires have meant that the drivers have not been able to race. Outstanding drivers such as Hamilton have been unable to drive at their fluent best and it is damaging the sport. Roll on 2014 and an F1 shake-up.

DOWN - Stephen Lee - Match-fixing was a prominent concern throughout 2013. It struck Football, Cricket and NASCAR during this year but the most widely reported was that of Snooker player Stephen Lee. Despite still professing his innocence, Lee was found guilty and sentenced to a twelve year ban from the professional snooker circuit. It is obviously a problem throughout a number of sports, but hopefully with its increased presence in the media it will become less of an issue in the coming years.

DOWN - Lance Armstrong - The Lance Armstrong affair made my list despite largely happening last year although my interest in it stems from my current reading of Wheelman by Reed Albergotti and Vanessa O'Connell. However it is relevant to this year as it was in January when he first confessed to drug-use in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. It is one of sports greatest ever controversies and will remain so for many years to come. On a more personal note for me, it certainly ruins his 'inspirational' scene in the film Dodgeball.

DOWN - Oscar Pistorious - I don't think I will ever forget the morning I awoke to the news that Oscar Pistoroius had shot his girlfriend. Whether it was intentional or not we may never know but it was a truly shocking moment. Pistorious was a role model for a number of disabled athletes and has left a huge whole in the hearts of idolising fans. It will be really quite intersting to see what the verdict is of the 2014 trial.