Best & Worst of 2011 / Editor / 12 December 2011 /

Rugby players come in for a ribbing, the future is bright for Rory McIlroy and Kauto Star looks back to his best in part two of our contributors picks...

Ralph Ellis

Moment of 2011: A personal one - walking 18 holes round Sandwich watching Phil Mickelson tame torrential rain and howling wind

Performance of 2011 (Team or individual): England winning Ashes in Australia

Hero of 2011: Rory McIlroy for his brilliant US Open - triumph of a tough mind a few weeks after Augusta meltdown

Villain of 2011: Mike Tindall and the rest of England's world cup rugby team for turning the game's biggest tournament into a four-week stag party.

Bet for 2012: Rory McIlroy to win the Masters at [9.2]

Graham Cunningham

Moment of 2011: Kauto Star's defeat of King George and Gold Cup hero Long Run in the Betfair Chase. Who says they never come back?

Performance of 2011 (Team or individual): Frankel's ruthless demolition of the Guineas field. Just astonishing.

Hero of 2011: Donald McCain. Modest, humorous and now firmly in the big time after Ballabriggs forged home in the National (ed: not to mention his Betfair column of course!)

Villain of 2011: Whichever BHA bozo insisted on a non-negotiable threshold of 7/8 strikes for the new whip rule.

Bet for 2012: That Coolmore will find something to finally challenge Frankel. So You Think or possibly even Camelot as summer wears on?

James Pacheco

Performance of 2011: MS Dhoni in the Cricket World Cup final. He promoted himself up the order and came to the crease short of runs with his team under pressure and the Mumbai crowd's yelling ringing in his ears and a billion fanatic fans watching expectantly at home on television. 128 minutes and 79 balls later he'd scored 91 and India had won the World Cup.

Hero of 2011: Only John Higgins will know what he was doing in that ill-fated meeting in Kiev in the first place but he paid his fine and did his time. And when he came back he beat the very best players in the game to win the Snooker World Championship, one of the toughest tournaments in world sport to conquer. That included recovering from 9-5 down to beat Mark Williams in the semi and 12-9 down to beat Judd Trump in the final and all came just three months after the death of his father. Unbelievable heart, unbelievable player and man.

Villain of 2011: Graeme Swann. First it was the ridiculous sprinkler dance, then the Ashes video diary, the incessant Tweeting and the moaning about the ball being wet against Bangladesh at the World Cup (there's a reason why teams choose to bat first when there's dew expected later on, Graeme). And to cap it all off there was an ill-timed autobiography where he criticised several team-mates with whom he'll have to spend endless months playing and touring with for the next few years. It's not all about you, mate.

Bet for 2012: Petra Kvitova to win the Australian Open @ [5.7]. With a Grand Slam under her belt already and at a time when the oldies are getting older and the youngsters can't seem to hack the pressure, she looks to be the next superstar of women's tennis.

Stuart Jones

Moment of 2011: England winning the Ashes in Australia. Nothing like beating the Aussies in their own backyard.

Performance of 2011: Tonga beating France in the group stages of the RWC. Despite France clearly being out of sorts, it was still a sight to behold.

Hero of 2011: Mark Cavendish. Brilliant to watch in the Tour de France and the first Brit to claim the maillot vert. Should be an absolute shoe-in for Sport Personality of the Year.

Villain of 2011: Rob Andrew. Passes the buck on the appointment of yet another failed England coach and refuses to shoulder any of the blame for England's dismal RWC performance. An arrogant prat.

Bet of 2012: Hull FC for a top four finish in the Super League. Richard Agar has been replaced by Australian Peter Gentle and he's expected to get the best out of a side that has the talent to compete with the top boys. Some of the dead wood has already been replaced and the signing of Andy Lynch could be huge for the Airlie Birds.

Daniel Thomas

Moment of 2011: I'm by no means a horse racing enthusiast, but even I was caught up in the drama of Kauto Star's stunning Betfair Chase victory. A small stake helped this emotion.

Performance of 2011 (Team or individual): No need for balance here, we're not the Beeb. So it's Tottenham's superb 1-0 victory in the San Siro over AC Milan. I was there and will never forget it.

Hero of 2011: Sometimes the obvious answer is the right one. Darren Clarke's Open victory left not a dry eye in the house. And he celebrated by going on a major bender. Legend.

Villain of 2011: I really don't want to say John Terry. But just when you thought he couldn't plumb any more depths...

Bet for 2012: Kauto Star to win the Gold Cup @ [15.5]. There's one more chapter in the old boy's fairytale....

Daniel Geraghty

Moment of 2011: Djokovic forehand at 15 - 40 down (match points) to Federer at the US Open. A bit hit and hope and you had to feel sorry for Federer but wow.

Performance of 2011 (Team or individual): Rory McIlroy (US Open). It was a glorious procession for the whole weekend.

Hero of 2011: Eric Compton. Next year Compton will be playing golf with a PGA Tour Card for the first time, just four years after having his second heart transplant.

Villain of 2011: Steve Williams. It had to be the great front running bag carrier. What a wally.

Bet for 2012: Gary Woodland (US PGA Tour Money List)

Ben Lyttleton

Moment of 2011: Raul climbing into the stands to sing with Schalke fans after helping the team reach the Champions League semi-finals.

Performance of 2011: Barcelona beating Manchester United in the Champions League final. To play so well in such an important proved just how good they are.

Hero of 2011: Robin van Persie for showing just how good he can be when he steers clear of injuries; Alexis Sanchez for his brilliant performances for Udinese and smart integration into this Barcelona side.

Villain of 2011: Carlos Tevez: he may be a top player when he feels like it, but he comes with a two-year shelf-life and a guarantee of hassle. He's not worth it.

Bet for 2012: Germany to win Euro 2012.
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Kauto Star's sublime comeback victory in the 2011 Betfair Chase...

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