2015 year in review: Part Two - Athletics, Football, Golf, Racing, Rugby League

The second of a series of retrospectives in which we ask our correspondents to select the ups and downs, the best and worst, the heroes and villains of 2015 in their chosen fields

Jessica Ennis-Hill becomes heptathlon world champion (Getty)

Athletics - Matt Majendie, athletics correspondent

Favourite live moment of the year that you witnessed Jessica Ennis-Hill being crowned heptathlon world champion a year and one month after giving birth to her son, Reggie. A matter of weeks before the championships, she was still unsure whether to go, her preparations beset by Achilles problems, but she committed to the championships, shone on the biggest stage and won gold.

Favourite race It was billed as a race between good and evil, and nothing got close to the 100-metre showdown in Beijing between defending champion Usain Bolt and the world’s form sprinter, Justin Gatlin. Bolt looked out of sorts in the semi-finals but starred when it mattered while Gatlin stuttered to the finish line to finish one-hundredth of a second behind.

Disappointment of the year After competing so brilliantly to win European Indoor pentathlon gold, Katarina Johnson-Thompson was tipped to win gold in the heptathlon in Beijing but she fluffed her run-up in the long jump, which effectively ruled her out of the competition. She returned in the individual event only to struggle again.

Shock of the year The expectation was that the World Anti-Doping Agency independent commission report into Russian doping was going to be bad but there were still shockwaves when the evidence was laid out in all its gruesome detail, from Moscow lab chief Grigory Rodchenkov destroying 1,417 samples to suggestions that the systematic doping trail led all the way to the Kremlin.

Book of the year The Bolt Supremacy by Richard Moore. The British journalist delved into the world of Jamaican sprinting to find out amid doping allegations if there was any smoking gun in the Caribbean. He didn’t find one but still unearthed a rich seam with the history and reasons behind the sprint hegemony of Usain Bolt and, more broadly, Jamaica.

Newcomer of the year Dina Asher-Smith – she may have emerged from the junior ranks in 2014 to make an impressive appearance at the end-of-season European Championships, but last season was her first full one in the senior ranks and, during it, she clinched British sprint records for the 60m, 100m and 200m.

Star of the year Dick Pound and his fellow members of the aforementioned independent commission deserve that accolade after uncovering an alarming level of doping in Russia – with more revelations to follow in the new year – and get the wheels in motion for a dramatic clean-up of athletics.

Funniest moment of the year Bolt may not have seen the funny side immediately but it came when the Jamaican found he could not be toppled by his sprint rivals. In fact, only a cameraman for China Central Television, Song Tao, proved able to do that as his Segway riding left a lot to be desired and he knocked over the world’s fastest man.

Villain of the year Perhaps the most hotly contested category for athletics – there are all manner of contenders, from the previously mentioned Rodchenkov to officials of Athletics Kenya and the list of athletes to have failed tests. But amid allegations of bribery, corruption and money-laundering, the title must go to the former IAAF president Lamine Diack.

Saddest moment of the year Interviewing a clean Russian athlete, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of losing his funding. He recalled first being accused of doping as a 15-year-old runner and said he felt like “an enemy of athletics” at global track meetings.

England and France players stand shoulder to shoulder at Wembley (AFP/Getty)

Football - Jack Pitt-Brooke

Favourite live moment The poignant pre-match sequence before England played France in November was one of the great moments in the history of Wembley, and of football in recent years. No one who was there will forget it quickly.

Favourite match Tottenham 2 Arsenal 1. In one of the best north London derbies of recent years, Spurs eventually overwhelmed Arsenal with their relentless physical and motivational energy. They pressed, pushed and rushed Arsenal before Harry Kane won the game with a towering far-post header with just a few minutes left.

Disappointment of the Year Cesc Fabregas. He was so good when he arrived at Chelsea but his form collapsed after Christmas, leaving him languishing on the bench. He has a contract until summer 2019, which now looks a long way away.

Shock of the year Arsenal’s collapse against Monaco. Their easiest Champions League last-16 draw for years and they completely blew it, losing 3-1 at home and crashing out.

Book of the year David Goldblatt’s The Game of Our Lives. A very thoughtful look at what football means to us in Britain in 2015, how its role in our culture has changed and what it says about our society.

Newcomer of the year Eric Dier looked a decent prospect when he arrived at Spurs, but only at centre-back or right-back. This year Mauricio Pochettino turned him into a powerful and authoritative holding midfielder, a potential solution for England there next summer.

Player of the year Mesut Özil. Since returning from a knee injury this time last year, Özil has been consistently brilliant. He has always been a technical wizard and an instinctive genius but this year he has started to take control of more games, and been more decisive in the final third. His statistics for assists and chances created are currently off the charts.

Funniest moment of year When Bournemouth were 5-1 down at home to Tottenham, with a few minutes left, the PA system accidentally broadcast a Spurs fan speaking outside the ground. “Men against boys,” it said. “Fucking unbelievable.”

Villain of the year It is fiendishly difficult to choose between Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, both facing bans over the £1.3m payment Platini received. But Platini just edges it.

Saddest moment of the year The failure to pay staff at Bolton Wanderers just before Christmas shows a very sad decline for a club that was a regular in the top half of the Premier League not very long ago. They need a new owner fast.

Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth (Getty)

Golf - Kevin Garside

Favourite live moment Rory McIlroy’s birdie putt from 65 feet at the 13th on the final day of the US Open in June. Playing partner John Senden had just rolled in a monster from 70 feet, making a second unlikely, but McIlroy obliged to reach six under for the round and send the gallery into a frenzy.

Favourite match The Solheim Cup, for the brilliance of the European effort over the first two days building a 10-6 advantage, and the majesty of the unanswerable American fightback in the singles on the final day. Mannheim is a place to which the American memory will forever return.

Disappointment(s) of the year The continued decline of Europe’s great Ryder Cup warriors, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Luke Donald, all of whom bar Westwood end the year outside the world’s top 50, and he gets in only at No 38. Westwood and Poulter required a captain’s pick to make Gleneagles. Donald was not so lucky. All four could be missing at Hazeltine in September.

Shock of the year Rory McIlroy’s Twitter revelation, via a photo of his leg in a boot, that he had ruptured ankle ligaments while playing football with his mates. The injury occurred a fortnight ahead of his Open championship defence at St Andrews in July, forcing his withdrawal. Needless to say, his footballing days are over.

Book of the year The Majors 2015 by the BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter tells the story of a remarkable year through the prism of the sport’s marquee events, how the narrative switched from McIlroy, attempting to complete the major set at the Masters, to Jordan Spieth, who set about rewriting golfing history with successive victories at Augusta and the US Open. And then there was Jason Day.

Newcomer of the year In his rookie year on the European Tour, Matthew Fitzpatrick rattled off 10 top-10 finishes plus a maiden professional victory at the British Masters in October. Having started the year ranked 413 in the world, he closes it inside the top 50, earning an invitatation to the first major of the year, the Masters.

Player of the year Jordan Spieth. After becoming the youngest champion in Masters history behind Tiger Woods, Spieth added his second major at the US Open, raising the prospect of an unprecedented calendar Grand Slam. Sadly, history was swallowed by the Road Hole at St Andrews, where a bogey cost him a place in the play-off by a single stroke.

Funniest moment of year When McIlroy launched his three-iron into the aqua at Doral after rinsing his approach at the eighth, the gesture said “good riddance”. To Donald Trump it said “publicity stunt” and he duly dispensed a frogman to retrieve the club, presenting it to McIlroy on the range before his final round. It proved Trump’s one smart move of 2015.

Villain of the year Suzann Pettersen for forcing a Solheim Cup penalty on rookie Alison Lee after the American mistakenly assumed an 18-inch putt had been conceded. Pettersen apologised 24 hours later, but the damage to her reputation was done, and in all probability to Europe’s chances. The Americans were sure fired up after that.

Saddest moment of the year Tom Watson’s Friday farewell in his final Open at St Andrews. Ever the gentleman, Watson stayed out in the dark so his playing partners would avoid an early start on Saturday after the weather interruptions. The five-times champion sank his final putt at 10 minutes to 10 to card an 80. No one was counting, but a few were crying.

Ruby Walsh and Willie Mullins celebrate after Vautour’s win at Cheltenham (Getty)

Jon Freeman

Favourite live moment Willie Mullins was already bulldozing his way to a record-breaking eight wins at the Cheltenham Festival, but it was No 6, Vautour in the JLT Novices’ Chase, that blew everyone away, a dominant performance perfect in its execution.

Favourite race Mark Bradstock’s locally bred novice Coneygree outstayed Mullins’ Djakadam in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Those not cheering themselves hoarse were blubbing with joy. Accrington Stanley had beaten Barcelona.

Disappointment of the year That Golden Horn and Gleneagles never met. While the Derby hero took up virtually every challenge in a glorious campaign, the 2,000 Guineas winner would have been allowed to fight him only if ground conditions were perfect – and they never were.

Shock of the year The Melbourne Cup. Prince Of Penzance, at 100-1, was ridden by Michelle Payne, the first woman rider to win “the race that stops a nation” in its 154-year history. Then Payne told all the men who had not believed in her ability to “get stuffed.” Three shocks in one.

Book of the year McCoy: In The Frame, by Ed Whitaker. Reluctant retiree AP is now morphing into the Gary Neville of TV racing punditry, but here is a beautifully produced collection of revealing photos from the Racing Post snapper as an enduring reminder of just what the 20-time champion jumps jockey was all about.

Newcomer of the year Lizzie Kelly burst on to the scene at the back end of 2014 and has continued to sparkle in 2015, not just in the saddle, but with her engaging approach to life. With exciting young chasers Tea For Two and Aubusson to look forward to, 2016 promises better still.

Jockey of the year Frankie Dettori did not get everything right, but eight Group One victories, including four on Golden Horn, culminating in a tour de force in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, represent an impressive achievement by a veteran so many had written off.

Funniest moment Darlington trainer Michael Dods failed to do his bit for the “special relationship” after the apple of his eye, Mecca’s Angel, beat Acapulco at York, two months after the giant US sprinter had beaten his star juvenile Easton Angel at Royal Ascot. “Go on, my girl!” he roared. “We’ve stuck it up ’em this time!”

Villain of the year Irad Ortiz Jr, the US-based rider who, by exaggerating interference aboard third-past-the-post Stephanie’s Kitten in Chicago’s Beverly D Stakes, caused Secret Gesture to be disqualified from first place. Enraged victim Jamie Spencer likened it to “taking a dive”.

Saddest moment The whole racing community mourned Pat Eddery, who died last month at 63, stunned because memories of him winning so many great races on so many great horses are still so fresh in the mind.

Tom Briscoe scores in the Challenge Cup final (Getty)

Rugby League - Dave Hadfield

Favourite moment Tom Briscoe’s third try of five for Leeds in the Challenge Cup final at Wembley was a spectacular effort covering the length of the field and summed up the adventurous play that gave the season its flavour.

Favourite match Super League repeatedly promised it was saving the best for last and, in the Grand Final at Old Trafford, it delivered. It was a match that had a bit of everything, including a perfect send-off for two of the game’s greats in Kevin Sinfield and Jamie Peacock and a fairy-tale match-winner for Josh Walters, who had not even expected to play.

Biggest disappointment With a new stage waiting at London’s Olympic Park and the attention of sports fans on the code following the Sam Burgess affair, rugby league served up a drab affair when England faced New Zealand in the second of a three-match series, eventually won by the hosts.

Shock of the year London Broncos 29 Leigh 20. Leigh had the scent of Super League in their nostrils, having won all their previous Championship matches, most of them by massive margins. This was the first sign of frailty as they went on to blow their chances of promotion through the new play-off system.

Book of the year It isn’t off the presses for another week or so, but Treble, the story of Leeds’ triumphant season, is special. It has been put together by a wide range of writers in aid of one of their own, The Sun’s Gary Carter, still in hospital after being attacked and severely injured in November. That seems an even better cause than swelling the coffers of Gareth Hock, whose autobiography is proving popular.

Newcomer of the year St Helens could draw some consolation in a disappointing season from the depth of young talent coming through their ranks. This is especially true of their forwards, where Andre Savelio, in his first full season, maintained a high standard even when others failed to do so.

Player of the year Adam Cuthbertson’s compulsive offloading of the ball added an extra dimension not just to Leeds but to the whole way the game is played.

Funniest moment The sight of the two most volatile men in rugby league, Leigh’s Derek Beaumont and Dr Marwan Koukash of Salford, embracing like long-lost brothers after bad-mouthing each other continually during the build-up to their Challenge Cup tie. Leigh won 22-18, which for Salford was no joke at all.

Biggest villain(s) Justin Carney and Brett Ferres both crossed the line of what can be forgiven and forgotten at a club by allegedly enrolling for extra training sessions with team-mates’ wives. It did little for team spirit at either Castleford or Huddersfield.

Saddest moment(s) The many and various commemorations of the life of the Keighley and Wales stand-off Danny Jones, who died of a heart attack at the age of 29 when he collapsed on the field at the London Skolars in May. Perhaps the most moving of all was his wife Lizzie’s singing at Wembley.