You won’t find a solitary Scot anywhere
along the way. He would have an even stronger claim if he had successfully stopped Australia winning back the Ashes on home soil.
Athletes Dina Asher-Smith and Katarina JohnsonThompson take well-deserved spots, as does usual staple Lewis Hamilton. Welsh rugby captain Alun Wyn-Jones gets a place on the nominees list for leading Wales to the Six Nations. Presumably Gareth Thomas fought his corner vociferously in the judges’ room – even though it was arguably a more impressive performance for England to defeat Australia and New Zealand en route to the World Cup final. But, then, even the BBC might have been red-faced about naming an ALL English list of nominations.
Even the moment of the year is a Scot-free zone, consisting of goals from Belgian millionaires Divock Origi and Vincent Kompany at crucial moments for Liverpool and Manchester City respectively, England winning the cricket World Cup and an Ashes test, an England goal at the women’s World Cup, and Suzann Petersen’s winning putt as Europe won the Solheim Cup.
Yet there is no sign of Catriona Matthew for masterminding that win, not to mention Josh Taylor for becoming unified world super lightweight boxing champion and only the third man in history to lift the Ali Trophy.
Fourth in two of the most world class races ever assembled presumably wasn’t enough for Callum Hawkins and Laura Muir to get a nod. And, considering his previous wins, presumably Judy was reluctant to press the claim too much of her No.2 son, who was back winning ATP titles in Antwerp this year with a metal hip.
Anyway, in light of this lack of recognition, we start to correct the balance with our power rankings of Scottish sport
- BT Sport 1 2000.
Golf Emirates Australian Open - Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Golf 0630; European Tour, AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open - Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Golf 0830; Ladies European Tour, Kenya Open Sky Sports Main Event, Sky
Sports Golf 1330; PGA Tour, Hero World Challenge - Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Golf 1800.
Snooker UK Championship - BBC Two 1300, 1900, Eurosport 1 1300, 1845. TOMORROW
Football Championship, circa 2019, a kind of pop chart of Scotland’s sporting brands. Like the Sports Personality of the Year award, this is an inexact science, a matrix of various different factors. But, if the BBC can get away with it, so can we.
The self-styled Pride of Prestonpans was still just a world champion wannabe at the bells, but all that changed with the two bouts in 12 months which give him the IBF, WBA and Ring Magazine super lightweight belts, not to mention the Ali Trophy. Having taken care of Ivan Baranchyk and Regis Prograis to become Scotland’s first unified boxing champ since his mentor Ken Buchanan, Jose Ramirez waits in 2020 as he bids to become the undisputed boss of the division. Further fame and fortune awaits too.
European champion, Scotland captain, his Liverpool side already
Millwall v Nottingham Forest - Sky Sports Main Event 1900. Golf Emirates Australian Open - Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Golf 0630; European Tour, AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open - Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Golf 0830; PGA Tour, Hero World Challenge
Milnathort’s most famous vet has passed into Scotland’s sporting iconography, a pint-sized powerhouse who battles it out with the best on the planet. Third is harsh, considering her double European Indoor gold back in March at her home venue was one for the ages and she was laid low with a calf problem just weeks prior to finishing fifth – in her second-fastest 1500m time ever – at the World Champs in Doha. Unafraid to fight the good fight on doping issues, the BBC won’t be able to ignore her – or Callum Hawkins – with an Olympic gold in Tokyo.
Still only 22, this young man has long been making waves and is a superstar in waiting. Possessed of the moral rectitude to blank Sun Yang over his history with the doping authorities, Scott came home from Gwanju with an individual bronze and a relay gold after a home leg which was second-fastest in history.
A re-entry at five, this remarkable 32-year-old is still the daddy of them all. Even a career-ending hip operation hasn’t stopped him. After victory in Antwerp, all eyes are on the Australian Open in January. He couldn’t, could he?
Callum Hawkins, John McGinn, Maria Lyle, Seonaid McIntosh, Stuart Hogg. Katie Archibald. Toni Shaw.
- Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Golf 1600.
Rugby Union European Rugby Champions Cup, Bath v Clermont Auvergne - BT Sport 2 1900.
Snooker UK Championship - BBC Two 1300, 1900, Eurosport 1 1300, 1845.