The year that was: Sports Review of 2011
From England winning The Ashes to Spain’s success in the Davis Cup earlier this month, The Courier looks back at the year’s sporting highlights
Manchester City club captain Carlos Tevez lifts the FA Cup at Wembley in May, their first major trophy since 1976. Photo: Getty Images
January
The year started with England retaining the Ashes in the fifth and final test in Sydney. Their victory by an innings and 83 runs was aided by another mesmerising display of batting from Man of the Series Alistair Cook. It was England’s first win Down Under for more than two decades and proved their credentials as they challenged for top spot in the ICC Test Rankings.
Lance Armstrong rode his last ever professional cycling race as he brought to the end to a glittering 19 year career, which included a record seven consecutive Tour de France wins, with a performance at the Tour of Down Under.
In Tennis, Novak Djokovic won the Australian open beating Andy Murray in straight sets in the first Major final for three years not to feature Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer to begin the start of an incredible year for the Serbian.
Football was gripped with controversy as Sky Sports stalwarts Richard Keys and Andy Gray became embroiled in a sexism row over remarks made about a female linesman, which ended in the pair losing their jobs.
The winter transfer window ended with big money moves for Luis Suarez, Andy Carroll and Fernando Torres, who went for a British record transfer of £50 million. Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or for the second time in a row confirming his status as one of the greatest players of all time.
February
February 2011 was certainly a memorable month for Newcastle United fans as the magpies took part in perhaps one of the greatest Premier League comebacks of all time. 4-0 down at half time against the high-flying Gunners, Newcastle fans would have been forgiven for retreating home on a cold winters afternoon. Those who stayed saw a stunning turnaround, Cheick Tiote’s 87th minute wonder strike delighting the home fans.
This game was simply the crescendo in an orchestra of great games that weekend as Wolves ended Manchester United’s unbeaten run whilst Wigan beat Blackburn 4-3 and Everton overcame Blackpool 5-3.
February also saw some impressive performances from England in the Six Nations as they beat Wales, Italy and then France as they dominated the competition they would eventually go on to win in March.
The years shortest month saw some disappointing news as Manchester United legend Gary Neville retired from football, bringing to an end a career that showed, if nothing else, that great heights can be achieved with next to no talent.
Not all was lost though as the former England defender now graces the Sky Sports studio with his elegant turn of phrase and dazzling good looks.
March
March was a month to savour for the Uni sportsmen as they romped to their fourth consecutive Stan Calvert Cup victory. A resounding 96.25-60.75 points split, capped by a victory in the showpiece rugby union match at Gateshead Stadium, ensured that Newcastle retained the bragging rights of the city.
Elsewhere, the Cricket World Cup played out throughout the month and by the end it had been confirmed that the final would be played between India and Sri Lanka, who had knocked England out in the quarter finals.
There were some memorable moments in the group stage with Ireland and Bangladesh both upsetting Andrew Strauss’ side along with an unbelievable tie between England and India.
The fourth and fifth round of games in the Six Nations saw England complete the Championship win against Scotland before being conclusively beaten by Ireland in Dublin to deny them the Grand Slam. Nevertheless it was seen as an excellent platform for their World Cup campaign later in the year.
The F1 calendar was scheduled to start in Bahrain on March 13 but civil unrest caused its postponement and the season therefore began in Australia two weeks later, Sebastian Vettel set the tone for the whole by taking the chequered flag.
Pre-race favourite Long Run ridden by Sam Waley-Cohen romped to the Cheltenham Gold Cup ahead of three previous champions.
Photo: Getty Images
April
The Grand National saw a two and a quarter length win for Ballabriggs around the four and a half miles of Aintree.
The race was tight throughout, with Oscar Time close behind up to The Elbow, where jockey Jason Maguire pulled clear and took the race.
These two horses were in a class of their own, with Tony McCoy 12 lengths further back on Don’t Push It. What made this win all the more special, was that it marked the first National victory for Donald McCain Jr; whose father Ginger McCain is arguably the greatest trainer in Grand National History.
For those who don’t know, Ginger was the trainer of perennial pub quiz answer Red Rum, who won the race three times in the 1970’s. He also had a fourth winner in 2004 with Amberleigh House, making him one of only two people to have trained four winners of the race.
McCain Sr had made his hopes of seeing his son train a National winner before he died public, and this race gave him that opportunity as sadly he died just a few months later.
May
It took 35 years, during which time their supporters had endured the heartache of a spectacular fall from grace. 12 years earlier they had been preparing for the play-offs in the third tier of English football but on 14 May 2011, Manchester City secured their first major trophy since 1976 when Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure scored at Wembley to win the FA Cup.
While their Wembley hero may have only been in Manchester for a season, his cup-winning strike was certainly powered by the pain that the club and its supporters had suffered in the preceding 35 years.
Earlier in the day Man United had secured a record-breaking 19th league title, but this day belonged to Manchester City, just four days after City had booked their place in the Champions League for the first time.
It was the Champions League that closed the month too as Barcelona followed City in securing a Wembley victory, beating United 3-1 in the final with a performance that cemented their place as one of the finest football teams in the world.
Prior to that England’s cricketers got their season underway with a sensational last-session victory in the first test match of the summer against Sri Lanka. With the game heading for a draw, England bowled the tourists out for 82 to snatch an unlikely win.
June
Rory McIlroy leapt onto the world stage in June, when he won the US Open with considerable style.
The first Masters win of his career proved to be a lesson in golf for the other contenders as McIlroy surged to a record breaking win. The victory was made ever sweeter because of his previous collapse at the 2011 Masters tournament.
McIlroy was expected to win the Masters after waltzing into the final day of the tournament with a four stroke lead, but the fairytale was ended when he crumbled to defeat after a torrid final performance.
On 19 June however, McIlroy proved his extraordinary golfing talent to the world by winning the US Open in Maryland by eight shots, and breaking a number of records in the process. His final score of 16-under par was the lowest ever achieved.
The victory was made even better by the fantastic performance of McIlroy throughout, as he drove his way through the competition with some incredible golf, wowing the crowd with fantastic shot after fantastic shot.
The performance put McIlroy, and Northern Ireland on the world map as a golfing nation. The competition has to rate as one of sports highlights in 2011, thanks to McIlroy’s fantastic performance.
Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke proudly show off their US Open and Open trophies that they won in June and July respectively. Photo: Getty Images
July
Novak Djokovic’s incredible season continued as he and Petra Kvitova sealed their maiden Wimbledon titles over Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova respectively.
Cadel Evans triumphed over Andy Schleck in the Tour de France whilst Mark Cavendish sprinted to another remarkable five stage wins gaining the green jersey in the process.
In perhaps the biggest fight of the year, David Haye promised big things against Wladimir Klitschko but the bout was unlikely to live up to its considerable hype, Haye lost tamely by a unanimous decision and afterwards blamed a broken toe for his disappointing showing.
Rebecca Adlington, Kerri-Anne Payne and Liam Tancock all brought gold medals back from the World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai. Payne became the first British athlete to secure a place at the 2012 Olympics in the process.
European football may have been ruing the absence of a major tournament during the summer break but the Copa America provided the usual dose of South American flair with a Luis Suarez inspired Uruguay reigning supreme.
The 2011 Open was held at Royal St. George’s and provided an extremely popular winner in Darren Clarke who took his first major title victory by three shots. The Northern Irishman had lead from the second round onward and played superbly to finish 5 shots under when only 4 players finished under par.
August
August was a big month for football as the transfer window heated up before it closed on the 31st. Joey Barton was released from Newcastle as people began to question Mike Ashley’s agenda.
Premier League legend Robbie Keane joined David Beckham across the Atlantic at LA Glaxay to help form what would be a title winning side. Peter Crouch left Spurs to join Stoke at the Britannia, Craig Bellamy joined Liverpool and Tom Bender moved from Colchester to Accrington Stanley.
Despite transfer excitement the start of the Premier League season was overshadowed by the riots, which led to the postponement of Tottenham v Everton.
English cricket also received a boost as Andrew Strauss led the test team to the top of the world rankings after beating India in the third test. While the world waited for Sachin Tendulker to score his 100th century, England’s solid performance and India’s under par performance meant that there was a convincing home series win.
Martin Johnson’s build up to the world cup was also hampered as Wales defeated England 19-9, with a dislocated right wrist ending Gavin Henson’s hopes of securing a place in the world cup.
In America, the relatively unknown Keegan Bradley won his first major at the PGA Championships in Georgia after a three-hole play-off with Jason Dufner.
September
With the football season back underway, Novak Djokovic having secured his third Grand Slam of the tennis season and the 2011 Rugby World Cup having kicked-off, you could have been forgiven for missing the last round of County Championship fixtures.
However it was on the final day of the season for English cricket’s premier domestic competition that one of the sporting stories of the year played out.
Short of money due to ground redevelopments and without an outright Championship win in 77 years, Lancashire had defied expectations to mount a title challenge. As the final day of the season began however, the odds were stacked against them with Warwickshire, playing in Hampshire, favourites to win instead.
What followed however was the stuff of legend. Struggling with a hamstring injury, club captain Glenn Chapple broke through the pain barrier to take two early wickets of their hosts Somerset. Warwickshire meanwhile were being thwarted by Hampshire’s batsmen. Somerset resisted valiantly too, but Lancashire finally bowled them out before hitting 213 runs from just 175 balls to win, as news filtered in that Warwickshire had had to settle for a draw at Hampshire.
In front of a large crowd of travelling supporters Lancashire were left to celebrate a most unlikely title win.
October
The Super League Grand Final kicked off the sporting action in October when Leeds beat St. Helens 32-16 to claim their fifth Super League crown.
It was also the month when England secured a place at the 2012 European Championships despite letting slip a two goal lead in another uninspiring performance in Montenegro; Wayne Rooney grabbed unwanted headlines after being sent off for kicking out at Miodrag Džudović to put his own Euro 2012 campaign in doubt.
Of the four teams from the British Isles it was Wales who progressed the furthest at the Rugby Union World Cup, eventually losing to France in a closely contested semi-final and finishing fourth overall. England’s campaign was marred by off-pitch controversy including dwarves, drinks, blondes and ferries.
Elsewhere, Andy Murray won three consecutive ATP tour titles, including a majestic 3–6, 6–2, 6–0 victory over Nadal, temporarily rising to third in the rankings.
In the Premier League, Manchester City proved their title credentials with a resounding 6-1 win at Old Trafford and the England cricket team managed to put an excellent summer behind them and succumb to a 5-0 ODI series whitewash in India, although the women did beat South Africa.
November
November was a solemn month in sport with the death of boxing great Joe Fraser at the age of 67 and the tragic loss of footballing legend Gary Speed at just 42. Tributes from fellow professionals as well as the sporting world on mass poured out for the two, and we were reminded of the good that can be done through the medium of sport.
In tennis the Finals of the ATP tour came to London’s O2 arena and the rankings were turned on their head as the top worlds top three were all ousted by the semi-finals. Britain’s Andy Murray retired with injury after a hard fought defeat against Spaniard David Ferrer, whilst the worlds top two Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal faded out after an exhausting season. This did not take anything away from the dominant champion Roger Federer who rolled back the years to win the title for the sixth time.
Similar dominance was shown by Phil ‘the power’ Taylor who won the World Grand Slam of Darts for the fifth time. Taylor dominated his opponent Gary Anderson in the final, taking it 16-4 with an almost superhuman average in this final game of 109.04.
December
December saw the England football team drawn in to Group D of next summer’s Euro 2012 tournament alongside France, Ukraine and Sweden.
In the football, jokes circulate of a new fragrance doing the Christmas rounds in Manchester: Channel No. 5 after Manchester United are knocked out of the Carling Cup and Champions League in the space of just seven days, while their neighbours Manchester City also fail to progress from the Champions League group stages, meaning both will drop down to the less-illustrious Europa League, with Thursday night Channel Five matches to look forward to.
Spain won Tennis’s Davis Cup after Rafael Nadal produced a marvellous performance to defeat Juan Martin del Potro and give his nation an unassailable 3-1 lead that confirmed their third tournament win in four years.
Wales’ all-time leading try-scorer Shane Williams retired from international rugby after his side’s 24-18 loss to Australia. There were flashes of brilliance from the Welsh wing wizard in his final appearance, particularly when he scored a flamboyant try with his final touch at the end of the game.
Elsewhere, Tiger Woods won his first tournament in 749 days, and although talk of a return to his best form may be premature, a birdie-birdie on the final two holes at the Chevron World Classic hints that the former World No. 1 could be a force to be reckoned with in 2012.
5 things we’d like to see in 2012
The year starts with The Australian Open signalling the start of the new tennis season and British number one Andrew Murray courses his way through the first few rounds before the Brit wins a marathon semi-final in stunning fashion against Novak Djokovic. This sets up a final with Rafael Nadal but unfortunately the British public can only watch on in disgust as a bad-tempered, foul-mouthed Scotsman loses in straight sets.
February sees the start of the Rugby Union Six Nations Championships and despite high hopes, England struggle in their early encounters. Preparations for the Scotland game are disturbed as the players are allowed to hire out Jet Ski’s on Loch Ness to hunt down the ‘Loch Ness Monster’. The players once again come under heavy criticism when Mike Tindall leads the squad on a wine tasting tour the night before their match in Italy. Stuart Lancaster resigns in the aftermath of England’s first ever defeat to Italy and after some more soul searching, Rob Andrews decides it is in the RFU’s best interest to give himself a pay rise and poach Andy Robinson back from Scotland.
Ronny O’Sullivan causes a stir at the Snooker World Championships in April after turning up at the arena despite failing to qualify. O’Sullivan, who threatens to quit the sport for the 127th time after slipping out of the world’s top 100, claims he is not bothered by his absence from the draw because there is much more to life than snooker. He is later escorted from the arena after attempting to highjack the entrances of three fellow professionals.
FA Cup Final fever grips the entire country in May as Mike Ashley puts Newcastle United’s berth in the final up for auction after a hard fought semi-final victory over Chelsea. The news is met with utter disbelief from the Geordie faithful but Managing Director Derek Llambias releases a statement to reassure fans that all income generated from the auction will be put to good use by the club, suggesting that enough money may even be generated to provide Mike Ashley with a new sound proof booth at the recently renamed MoonPig.com Stadium.
The London Olympics in August go off without a hitch thanks to the heavy-handed tactics employed by the 10,000 imported US security personnel on the local protestors and miscreants. Inside the stadium, the fans are treated to a spectacle of sensational performances from athletes across the world as records are smashed all over the place. Suspicion is only aroused when Usain Bolt wins his 100m final by only one second and, after a lengthy investigation, all competitors are found to have failed drug testing. London Mayor Boris Johnson takes full credit/blame for the spectacular games by admitting to having given the order to contaminate London’s water supply with performance enhancing drugs, sheepishly claiming he thought only the British athletes would benefit from drinking British water.
