2015 - a year in review

As the year starts to draw to a close it's time to look back on another great year for sporting photography.

The year usually starts off with a host of indoor athletics meetings, culminating in the UK Indoor Athletics Championships (http://www.britishathletics.org.uk/british-athletics-series/indoor-british-championships/) at the EIS in Sheffield where Katarina Johnson-Thompson set a new UK record for the high jump of 1.97m:

As Spring really starts to get going, Sheffield hosts the Snooker World Championships (http://www.worldsnooker.com/) over 17 days at the Crucible theatre.  Ronnie O'Sullivan again was a main focus of attention and, having missed all of his noteworthy antics this year (taking his shoes off, putting the chalk on the table, hitting the table with his cue...) it was good to see Stuart Bingham come good and claim the title:

Manchester hosts one of the series in the 'Great City Games' (http://www.greatcitygames.org/manchester) where athletics comes out of the stadiums and onto the streets.  Jessica Ennis-Hill continued her comeback with a strong performance in the 100m hurdles:

June saw me splash out on a GoPro Hero4 (http://gopro.com/) which has been very impressive it's capabilities for recording video while stuck on the end of a long pole (basketball) and propped up at the base of the water jump (athletics - steeplechase).

Nottingham hosted National Table Tennis day (http://tabletennisengland.co.uk/news/how-will-national-table-tennis-day-inspire-you/) in July and the highlight of this fest was playing a game against Desmond Douglas:

September saw the 10th running of the Great Yorkshire Run (http://www.greatrun.org/great-yorkshire-run) and I was fortunate enough to be asked to be the official photographer for the day which resulted in a double-page spread in Athletics Weekly:

And so the year finishes with Sheffield Sharks (http://www.sharksbasketball.org/) delighting the home crowd at the EIS with a hard-fought 69-66 win over the London Lions:

A brief rest over Christmas and then it's back to it starting 2nd January 2016 with the 'Finish Line' indoor athletics event at the EIS, Sheffield.

All the best to everyone over the festive season and especially for a great year in 2016.

BBC Sports Personality 2015....and the winner is.....

A great night of sporting memories after all the amazing achievements in 2015 - GB Davis Cup Team were worthy winners of the 'team of the year', but the big winner was Andy Murray.

Well done to all - especially the athletes who are my main photographic interest.  On to Rio!

Sheffield Sharks end the year on a high

Sheffield Shaerks basketball team over-turned a 35-43 half-time deficit to beat London Lions 69-66 in a thrilling end to 2015.

Atiba Lyons' men ran out worthy winners from a physical context where they stood up to the pressure and held their nerve in the last quarter to win by three, cheered on the great atmosphere from the #sharknation.

 Marko Backovic stretches in the warm up

 TJ Robinson ready for the tip

  TJ Robinson with an early lay up

 

 Strictly Come Basketball?  Mike Tuck blocks

 Up for the contest - Colin Sing goes for the tip

 MVP John Barber jumps through the Lions defence

 TJ Robinson jumps high to shoot

 Lions had a few questions for the referees last night

 

Mike Cook shoots....

 ...and celebrates!

 

George Brownell in defence

 

Mike Cook shoots

 Mike Tuck in the 'triple-threat' position

Action under the Lion's basket

 Colin Sing makes it 69-66

Greg Rutherford and Jessica Ennis-Hill run out as winners at last night's SJA awards

Olympic and World Champion long jumper Greg Rutherford was handed the sportsman of the year award by the Sports Journalists' Association (SJA).  Olympic and World heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill was named as sportswoman of the year.

Greg Rutherford, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Jo Pavey, Haile Gabrselassie and Richard Kilty, Great City Games, Manchester May 2015

Britain's victorious Davis Cup tennis team, led by Andy Murray, was voted the team of the year.

Usain Bolt to run at the London Anniversary Games!

Six-time Olympic Champion Usain Bolt will prepare for the Rio Olympics by running at the London Anniversary Games in July 2016.

Usain Bolt, press conference, Commonwealth Games, Glasgow 2014

He'll return to the track where he won three gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics to take part in the event from 22/23 July 2016.  This will be his final race before Rio.

Great Britain top the table at the European Cross Country Championships

Great Britain topped the medal table at this year's European Cross Country Championships for an amazing 13th consecutive year as every member of the team won a medal in Hyeres in France.

Top performer was Jonathan Davies who won individual gold in the Men's under-23 race - helping the Men's U23 squad to team silver.

"I'm over the moon. I came thinking I had a chance of winning but you never quite believe it," Davies, 21, said.

Kate Avery won silver for a second successive year in the senior women's race won by Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan.

Britain's senior women successfully defended their team title, with defending champion Gemma Steel (8th) and Steph Twell (11th) the other best-placed Britons.

Gemma Steel, Great Yorkshire Run, Sheffield 2013

Laura Muir claimed fourth in her race to lead the Women's under-23 squad to a gold which was Britain's 50th in the history of the championships.

Laura Muir, UK Indoor Championships, Sheffield 2015

Anthony Joshua beats Dillian Whyte to win British heavyweight title

Olympic champion Anthony Joshua came through his first real test as a professional boxer, winning the British heavyweight title by knocking out Dillian Whyte in the seventh round.  He came into the fight on the back of 14 straight knockouts and can now look forward to being in the frame for some highline encounters over the coming year.

Anthony Joshua, send off for Team GB, Sheffield 2012

He would prefer to fight Derek Chisora next rather than David Haye or Tyson Fury saying "I need to be fighting people who are hungry and good enough but who I still have a good capability of beating"

Greg Rutherford back in for BBC Sports Personality 2015

Olympic, world, European and Commonwealth long jump gold medallist Greg Rutherford has confirmed that he will be at this year's BBC Sports Personality event in Belfast on 20th December.

He recently said that he was pulling out because of comments made by fellow nominee Tyson Fury on women, homosexuality and abortion.

Greg Rutherford, Birmingham Grand Prix, February 2014

Many people will be glad that he has now reconsidered "to make my family proud and to thank them for the support in my career. I have opinions, of which I was privately clear. I DID pull out of SPOTY [Sports Personality of the Year], on Sunday I wrote to the BBC requesting removal," he said onTwitter.

"Throughout the next two days the SPOTY team asked me to stay on. Also, I realised my nomination meant so much to my family.  I then asked myself, do I really want to disappoint my own family just because of a bigot's views? The answer was no."

He is one of the nice guys of sport - always happy to chat to fans at events and sign autographs - he may not win it this year but he'll still get plenty of votes.

The 'Finish Line Open' starts the 2016 indoor athletics season

Following the success of the outdoor meeting at Woodbourn Road in may, "The Finish Line Indoor Open" at the EIS Sheffield on Saturday 2nd January 2016 opens next year's indoor athletics season.

John Lane, City of Sheffield, at the outdoor competiton, May 2015

Find out more at: http://www.finishlineeventsuk.com/

BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2015 shortlist

The BBC have confirmed the 12 contenders for this year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year award which will be held on 20th December in Belfast.

Three gold-medal athletes from London 2012 feature: Mo Farah, Greg Rutherford and Jessica Ennis-Hill, along with gymnast Max Whitlock and Kevin Sinfield from rugby league.

 Mo Farah, Birmingham Grand Prix 2013

Jessica Ennis-Hill and coach Toni Minichiello, Great City Games Manchester 2015

Greg Rutherford, Great City Games Manchester 2015

Footballer Lucy Bronze, David Cup winning Andy Murray, Lewis Hamilton from Formula 1 and Adam Peaty from swimming also feature.

Adam Peaty, British Gas Swimming Championships, Sheffield 2013

Boxer Tyson Fury and cyclists Chris Froome and Lizzie Armistead complete the pack.

Chris Froome, Tour de France, Sheffield 2014

Snooker prints at Chesworth Cues in Sheffield

Based in the home of the Snooker World Championships, Chesworth Cues is a well-stocked shop for the snooker aficionado.

I met Martin Chesworth the owner recently and he wanted some snooker prints to display in the shop.  I produced one of Ronnie O'Sullivan playing with a rest off the table (shown below); Mark Selby entering the Crucible this year as defending champion; Shaun Murphy playing in this year's final and Dominic Dale from 2014.

They are now on view/for sale at Chesworth Cues, 702 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield.

See more at:  http://www.chesworthcues.com/

Sheffield Sharks' up-and-down season continues....

Having ended Leicester Riders unbeaten start to the campaign 79-85 at Loughborough last weekend, they took on the visiting Glasgow Rocks team with high hopes of another win over them.

Despite Sharks enjoying a 13 point lead in the 3rd, Rocks clawed their way back into the game to force overtime at 75-75 and then romped away to win 86-92.

 Coaches Atiba Lyons and Ariel Parrucci

 TJ Robinson wins an un-opposed tip-off

 TJ Robinson up for an early basket

Jerrold Brooks runs through for some early points

 Jerrold Brooks makes an athletic run at the basket

 Jerrold Brooks through again and about to lift off

 Mike Tuck, MVP on the night wth 24 points, attempts a reverse lay-up

 TJ Robinson through again

 Jerrold Brooks fouled from behind on a lay-up

 Mike Cook makes a free-throw

 Jerrold Brooks going for the ball near the end of normal time

 Mike Cook (out of shot on the left) hits a three

TJ Robinson makes a free-throw

Seb Coe - handling a conflict of interest between Adidas and Nike

As the debate rages about Lord Seb Coe and his possible role in Eugene being awarded the 2021 World Athletics Championships, we have to cast our minds back to 2012 and the London Olympics.

These had Adidas as a major sponsor and Lord Coe has long been sponsored by Nike.

When running the Olympic Torch relay in Sheffield, Lord Coe wore his Nike trainers......

So, no conflict of interest there and hopefully none over Eugene - I think he is by far and away the best person for the IAAF leadership.  And now, he's wound-up his 38 year association with Nike, so no more conflicts there.

Good turnout for the Cavendish Cancer Care 10k despite the wind and rain

The fields and woodland trails of Ecclesall Woods were very slippery and muddy yesterday, but the runners, walkers and dogs who managed to find their way round the 10k course enjoyed themselves and raised funds for Cavendish Cancer Care.  See more at: http://cavcare.org.uk/