New Years Honours: England cricketers honoured for Ashes win but Liverpool lose out

But there was nothing for the Liverpool footballers who won the European Champions League.

The England cricket team captain, Michael Vaughan, the coach, Duncan Fletcher, and chairman of selectors, David Graveney, were created OBEs while the players, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles, Stephen Harmison, Matthew Hoggard, Geraint Jones, Simon Jones, Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Strauss and Marcus Trescothick, were each appointed an MBE.

For Fletcher the honour is an additional bonus, having only been awarded British citizenship in September after a five-year wait. Phil Neale, who managed the England cricket tour to South Africa and Zimbabwe, was also created an OBE. The England cricket team won the Ashes against Australia in September.

Lord Coe, a double Olympic gold medallist, was knighted for leading London's bid to host the 2012 Games earlier in the year while there was an OBE for Mike Ruddock, the rugby coach who guided Wales to their first Grand Slam for 27 years.

Honours for sportswomen included an OBE for Clare Connor, who led England's women cricketers to their first Ashes victory over Australia since 1963.

Rachel Yankey, one of the finest women footballers of her generation, is appointed an MBE. She was Player of the Match in the 2003 FA Cup Final as Fulham beat Charlton Athletic 3-0. Now playing for Arsenal, Yankey is the most capped player in the England squad. She was voted the 2005 Nationwide International Player of the Year. An MBE went to Clyde Best, who was one of the first post-war black players in British football. Best, from Bermuda, played 186 games as striker for West Ham United over seven seasons between 1969 and 1976, and scored 47 goals. He is regarded as the best player in the history of the Bermudan national team, receiving his first cap at the age of 15.

Lawrie McMenemy, best known as the former manager of Southampton, is also appointed an MBE. In 1976, he guided Southampton to a sensational FA Cup final victory over Manchester United, against all the odds. In 1977, Southampton won promotion to the First Division and two years later reached the League Cup final. He subsequently became Northern Ireland manager and has been listed in the Guinness World of Records as one of the 20 most successful managers in post-war English football.