Sports thoughts from the weekend

Giggs disappointed - had voted for Mark Cavendish - Photo Gordon Flood CCA

SPOTY 2009

Having assumed we were going to be here this morning writing a long post about how Jenson Button’s reward was nothing but a reflection of Formula One being the only sport that the BBC covered in any real detail on television this year, and that this was therefore reflected in a public vote little more meaningful than Strictly Come Dancing the night before, it transpires we were wrong. Instead, we have to write a post about a sentimental award given to an admittedly quite excellent footballer in the twilight of his career whose achievements this year in a team sport match very few of his rivals in individual pursuits, rendering the public vote little more meaningful than Strictly Come Dancing the night before. No winner of the award would have made much sense - but that’s a reflection on the outmoded-but-more-fiercely-plugged-than-ever Sports Personality of the Year awards rather than the ten excellent choices for finalists (let alone the many others who were contentiously left out).

 —  —  —  — 

Snooker provides our highlight of the sporting weekend

John Higgins had built up an 8-2 lead in a semi-final clash with Ronnie O’Sullivan and required only one more frame. Piece by piece, though, O’Sullivan drew him back in. Sometimes Ronnie was merely gritty and took advantage of half-chances, sometimes, as when he compiled a break of 134, he was quite brilliant, and sometimes he benefited from a huge chunk of luck and a loophole in the rules. But before you could quite believe it the score was 8-8. With six chances to win the match spurned already that evening, Higgins finally found enough to get past the line. When the world’s best players in any sport produce such a close contest it is inevitably worth watching. Snooker needs its profile raising because there are not enough nights like the one Higgins and O’Sullivan provided, but when Barry Hearn takes over we must hope he doesn’t create events which cannot recreate such drama.

 —  —  —  — 

Heavyweight boxing rumbles listlessly on

A heavyweight title fight really ought to produce considerably more emotion and excitement, but Vitali Klitschko’s win against Kevin Johnson in Switzerland was another damp squib. Klitschko was efficient and untroubled throughout, and it was a travesty that Kevin Johnson picked up a single round on one of the three judges’ scorecards, so far away was he from competing. But for all his dominance Klitschko rarely moved away from the jab and his four victories since re-emerging from retirement have done little else but remind us that he is still the best of a very average bunch of heavyweights. Haye must fight a Klitschko brother, and it must be in 2010. For boxing, it is a chance to breathe some life into the division which used to be the standard bearer. For Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, it’s a chance to win a fight against someone that would make the boxing community look upon their careers a little more kindly.