CRICKET
Derek Pringle – day I’m most looking forward to: July 10. First
day of the Ashes
This day always possesses a delicious excitement but there will be an extra
frisson with it being at Trent Bridge. Apart from its good looks and
knowledgeable crowd, the view from the press box is arguably the best in
cricket, with the feeling you are right on top of the game. The last time
England played Australia there, in 2005, Michael Vaughan’s team won by three
wickets in a thrilling match. The opening day often sets the tone for the
rest of the series so a good day for England could mean a third successive
Ashes win, a feat that has been accomplished only once since the Second
World War.
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FORMULA ONE
Tom Cary – day I’m most looking forward to: March 17. Australian GP
Formula One’s 2013 opening race in Melbourne should be fascinating. After a
few years of stagnation in terms of driver movement at the top teams, Lewis
Hamilton’s switch from McLaren to Mercedes has shaken things up. Can he make
Mercedes competitive? Will he at least get the better of Nico Rosberg? And
how will Jenson Button handle the pressure of being de facto team leader at
McLaren?
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HORSE RACING
Jim McGrath – day I’m most looking forward to: March 15. Cheltenham
Gold Cup day.
It will be a changing of the guard in the top chasing ranks in the New Year.
With Kauto Star retired, and last year’s Gold Cup winner Synchronised sadly
no longer with us, a new generation of stars is set to emerge. Many names
have been thrown in the ring but I expected Bobs Worth and Silviniaco Conti
to be the two fighting out the finish of Cheltenham’s feature race.
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RUGBY UNION
Mick Cleary – day I’m most looking forward to: June 22. First Test
between Australia and the Lions
The roar as the Lions ran out at the Gabba for the opening Test of the 2001
tour, the last time they were in Australia, has barely died on the Brisbane
air 12 years later. The Lions have grown in appeal and stature. But even
they agree that it is high time they won a series for the first time in 16
years.
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GOLF
James Corrigan – day I’m most looking forward to: April 14. Final day
of the Masters
The Sunday of Augusta rarely fails to entertain. The hope this year is that
Rory McIlroy will be in contention and the world will be able to see how far
the 23 year-old has come in his rise to world No 1.
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BOXING
Gareth A Davies – day I’m most looking forward to: Carl Froch v Mikkel
Kessler (TBA)
Two warriors meet again. Froch will fight Kessler at a major UK arena probably
in April or May, and it will be an immense occasion. Kessler, of course, has
the history of losing to Joe Calzaghe, against whom many measure Froch’s
achievements. Froch faces a nemesis who beat him on points in 2010 in
Denmark, though the Nottingham fighter had gone there on a private jet
through the volcanic ash cloud, and with concerns about his son being born.
Victory second time around would set Froch apart as Britain’s leading world
champion.
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FOOTBALL
Henry Winter – day I’m most looking forward to: May 25. Champions
League final, Wembley.
An occasion when modest maestro Lionel Messi could grace the most famous
stadium in the world, or phenomenal showman Cristiano Ronaldo could be back
on English soil. It could even bring the effervescent, well-run German clubs
to town too. Either way, it will definitely be a centrepiece of the FA’s
150th birthday party, and a polite reminder to a sceptical world of who
invented the game, shaped its laws and still tries to be its conscience.
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CYCLING
Brendan Gallagher – day I’m most looking forward to: May 11. Stage
eight of the Giro d’Itali
If Bradley Wiggins is to have any chance of realising his dream of winning the
Giro d’Italia the 34.5 mile time trial between Gabicce Mare and Saltara –
stage eight of the race – is key. Wiggins needs to produce the ride of his
life on the undulating course and put three minutes into his closest rivals
to give him a safety cushion for the summit finishes which litter the final
week. A seriously tough day at the office.
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TENNIS
Simon Briggs – day I’m most looking forward to: July 7. Wimbledon final
It is a predictable one, but it has to be the men’s singles final at
Wimbledon. In terms of pure tennis genius, Roger Federer’s comeback against
Andy Murray was my high point of 2012. And who is to say that Murray won’t
go one better next year? His career stats suggest that grass is his best
surface, with a winning ratio of 81 per cent, as opposed to 78 per cent on
hard courts and 61 per cent on clay.
