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December 1st - England beaten by Northern Ireland

December 2nd - Murray mania at Wimbledon

December 3rd - Glazer taking over Man United

December 4th - Paula Radcliffe wins the London Marathon

December 5th - Fernando Alonso wins F1

December 6th - Rangers winning SPL over Celtic

December 7th - Ricky Hatton beats Kostya Tsyzu

December 8th - Michael Owen at St James's Park

December 9th - Bradford win Super League

December 10th - Lance Armstrong wins 7th Tour de France

December 11th - West Brom stay in Premiership.

December 12th - Amir Khan beats Kindelan

December 13th - London win Olympic bid

December 14th - Ellen MacArthur breaks round the world record

December 15th - Wigan win promotion to the Premiership

December 16th - Best Mate collapses at Exeter

December 17th - Shaun Murphy wins World Snooker Championship

December 18th - Chelsea win the Premiership Title

December 19th - Wales win Six Nations

December 20th - Colin Montgomery wins European Order of Merit for the 8th time

December 21st - Liverpool wins Champions League

December 22nd - Lions lose All Blacks Tour

December 23rd - Wales win Six Nations

December 24th - England wins The Ashes

December 25th - The Ashes Parade

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116th in the Fifa rankings, key players George McCartney, Jeff Whitley and Phil Mulryne not even in the game, two years ago a run of 13 games without a single goal and yet the Northern Ireland international football team executed one of the World Cup's qualifiers most devastating upsets. At the Windsor Park, South Belfast (crowd 14,000) they beat England 1- 0. It was day of missed chances for Owen and Beckham and then in the 74th minute took advantage. Steve Davis held back the ball long enough to allow David Healy to come onside before delivering it to the edge of the area for Healy to rattle past Robinson. Northern Ireland didn't qualify but long after 2006 competition is over this will still be the stuff of legends.

David Healy talking after the match

It had to happen and this year a young contender for the British Tennis top slot volleyed and smashed his way into the limelight. At this year's Wimbledon spectators got into training for Murray Mania and he did them proud. The 18 year old Scot Andrew Murray caused acute excitement as he beat Radek Stepanek and George Bastl only to lose to David Nalbandian in the third round. But it didn't dampen the spirits of his fans and the match was one of the tournament's highlights. Later in 2005 Murray got to the finals of the Thai Open and went on to beat Tim Henman in The Swiss Indoors in October.

Murray speaking after losing to Nalbandian.

Very few people in the UK had heard of Malcolm Glazer before he began his acquisition of the richest football club in the world. All that changed when it became clear he was aiming to take over Manchester United. After upping his stake in the club to almost 57% in May it was a short step to borrow the £800 million needed to bid for the club. The Board advised shareholders to accept the bid after Glazer upped his stake in the club to 76.21%. By June 28th Glazer had secured 98% of the club. With his sons Joel, Bryan, and Avi installed on the board assurances were given that the Glazers would not hamper Ferguson's plans.

Joel Glazer assuring fans after the takeover.

Winning the New York Marathon last year was the come back race after Paula Radcliffe's disastrous Olympics in Athens but the London Marathon was even more important. She wanted to show that she was still a world class athlete and win in front of a home crowd that she had apologised to in an Athens press conference. Leaving everyone behind, she completed the race in two hours, 17 minutes and 42 seconds. But still gave her fans cause for concern when she stopped for ten seconds on the road side near the end of the race. With the second place runner five minutes behind she decided to take a break for stomach cramps before going to onto the finishing line.

Paula Radcliffe at the finishing line.

What marked out Alsonso's F1 victory was not so much his youth and nationality - the first Spaniard to win a Formula 1 title ever, but that he toppled the reign of Michael Schumacher. It was never going to be a surprise win for Renault. Early on in the season Ferrari were slipping down the table with Schumacher skills unable to make up for the car's poor speeds blamed on lack of grip. As the gap widened it was Alonso and Renault who made the most of the opportunity. With Alonso only 24 and the youngest to win the title expectations are high for his future, but no one is ruling out Schumacher yet. If Ferrari sort out their tyre problems before next season we could back to the old days.

Alonso after the Brazil Grand Prix

As Celtic went into their last match with Motherwell needing three points to take the lead in the Scottish Premiere League few believed that they would lose it. Despite much criticism Manager Martin O'Neill had taken the team through its most successful period since Jock Stein's days. But Motherwell had other ideas. Two goals in the final two minutes from Motherwell's Scott McDonald destroyed Celtic's championship hopes and handed the SPL title to Rangers. The Gers had taken a two point lead earlier in the day after a 1-0 defeat at Easter Road over Hibernian. Celtic were devastated - players left the pitch stunned and in tears. It was the end of the road for O'Neill, he resigned two days later.

Alex McLeish on their shock win

20,000 fans packed Manchester's MEN Arena to see local lad Ricky Hatton take on Kostya Tsyzu the IBA Light Welterweight World Champion. It was an awesome challenge and he had waited a long time to get the chance to prove his pedigree against legend Kostya Tszyu. Hatton ended Tszyu's reign after the 11th round - the Australian quitting the fight on his stool. In November despite two cuts he knocked out Colombian Carlos Maussa to claim the WBA belt as well.

Hatton after the fight

It was the biggest event since Alan Shearer's arrival and the toon were not going to let Micheal Owen creep into St James' Park. As the former Real Madrid striker put pen to paper, 20,000 fans waited outside for the first glimpse of their new hero in black and white. Then, dressed in his new strip and carrying his two-year-old daughter, the club's record signing stepped onto the pitch and acknowledged his new admirers.

Owen on the signing

Brian Noble was unstinting in his praise of the Bradford Bulls who executed a convincing win to avenge their Super League defeat against Leeds the previous year. At 15-6 the score said it all. Bradford were the better team with stand out performances from Paul Deacon and Iestyn Harris. Victory was all the more sweet as the Bulls had languished in the middle of the table earlier in the season with some unimpressive performances including a 66-4 defeat at St Helen's.

Brian Noble praises his team

Lance Armstrong's achievement is awesome. Not only did he take on one of the most gruelling races in the whole of sport - The Tour De France - but won it for a record seven times in a row after nearly losing his life to cancer. Some critics have felt that Armstrong's single minded focus on the Tour De France has meant he has done very little for sport but he also has a string of one day and championship wins to his name. He now joins an exsclusive club of winners including winners Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain and the legendary Eddy Merckx.

Lance Armstrong on his 7th win.

It was the year West Brom beat broke the golden rule. On a day that four teams faced going down The Baggies beat Portsmouth 2-0 to stay up by a point and become the first team since the Premiership began to survive despite being bottom at Christmas. But confirmation only came as after Crystal Palace were relegated at The Valley in a 2-2 draw against Charlton. Manager Bryan Robson was doused in champagne and Captain Kevin Campbell summed up the mood. "A lot of people wrote us off but I'm very proud of this team which has made history."

Bryan Robson on staying up.

Khan had strong incentives to beat Cuban Mario Kindelan in this fight. Kindelan had robbed him of a Gold Medal in Athens and this was the final fight of Khan's amateur career. Focused and with amazing hand speed the 18 year old swiftly overcame Kindelan's age and experience. He had no answer to Khan's precision and fierce punches. It was a sweet victory for Khan who since then has continued an undefeated professional career.

Khan after the fight.

Thousands of people gathered in Trafalgar square and elsewhere to hear the announcement of who would host the 2012 Olympics. When the announcement came there was mass outpouring of joy while in Paris many wept at missing out. It will be the first time since 1948 that London has hosted the Olympics and London is first city to host the modern Games three times.

Olympic Bid Committe members on winning.

When Ellen MacArthur set out round the world few believed she would break the record set in 2004 by Frenchman Francis Joyon who had taken 20 days off the previous time. It made MacArthur's achievement all the more incredible as she arrived on 8 March beating Jolyon by over 32 hours. Exhausted the boat was crewed into Falmouth to the waiting crowd. Her record was celebrated with a sail past on the Thames and she was made a Dame.

Dame Ellen on her round the world journey.

It was Lee McCulloch and Jason Roberts who hit home to secure Wigan a promotion to the Premiership helped by weak defending from Reading. The 3-1 win capped a remarkable climb to the top of the table for the team, who were only elected to the League in 1978. The achievement sparked scenes of mass celebration at the JJB Stadium and since then Wigan has shown remarkable staying power rising to the top half of the Premiership and giving the big guns a run for their money.

Captain Matt Jackson on going up.

The three times Gold Cup winner Best Mate had been ruled out of the 2005 race after a burst blood vessel but returned to racing at Exeter on 1 November in front of a huge and admiring crowd of fans. During the race jockey Paul Carberry pulled the horse up after signs of slowing. As he was walking off the track Best Mate collapsed and died. The crowd and trainer Henrietta Knight were stunned. Four weeks later Best Mate's ashes were buried behind the winning post at Cheltenham.

Trainer Henrietta shortly after the collapse.

Shaun Murphy took everyone by surprise winning the World Snooker Championship after entering the competition as a qualifier, the last player to do that was Terry Griffiths in 1979. The Rotherham-based player, defeated Matthew Stevens 18-16 to claim the £250,000 first prize. It marked the end of a journey that started at Pontins in Prestatyn, where the 22 year old won qualifying matches against Marcus Campbell and Joe Swail to earn his place. However since then Murphy has struggled to repeat his world beating form, making an early exit at the Preston Grand Prix.

Shaun Murphy accepts his trophy.

Chelsea secured their first league title for 50 years by beating Bolton 2-0. After a tough first half when Bolton made all the running, Chelsea took control with two Frank Lampard goals on 60th and 76th minutes. "The way we were champions was not easy - we met for the first time in July and from that moment we have built something special," said manager Jose Mourinho, realising just how significant the achievement is. Chelsea's win at the Reebok Stadium gave them an unassailable 14-point lead over second-placed Arsenal, who they dethroned as champions.

Frank Lampard on their season.

Having failed to win a match in the Six Nations two years ago, Wales won their first Grand Slam since 1978 with a historic victory in Cardiff. Early on it seemed nerves might get the better of Wales, but their fly-half's long diagonal punt relieved the pressure, Henson dropping a goal from the subsequent line-out to level the scores after 11 minutes. Eventually Wales took the lead with a try in the 16th minute. They held their nerve over a disappointing Irish squad at the Millennium Stadium, to beat Ireland 32-20 sending its proud fans into raptures.

Gareth Thomas on the win.

Colin Montgomerie landed his eighth Volvo Order of Merit despite squandering his three round lead at the season-ending Volvo Masters in Valderrama, Spain. The Scottish Ryder Cup star finished four shots ahead of nearest rival Michael Campbell to top the standings for the first time since 1999. "After a six-year gap, to come back and do it again means my game has not gone," said a delighted Montgomerie.

Monty on his 8th OM.

Liverpool beat AC Milan 3-2 in a penalty shoot-out to win the Champions League after sensationally coming from three goals down at half-time. In an extraordinary switch-back, the Reds reversed 3-0 against them before the break to 3-3 and eventually securing a victory that seemed impossible. It capped an amazing turnaround, for Liverpool who's advance to the final was a major shock as they invaded the established order of Europe's footballing elite - over-turning the odds against Juventus and Chelsea to reach Istanbul.

Jamie Carragher.

Clive Woodward took a huge 46 man squad to New Zealand but the first test match in the series was a disaster - a 21-3 defeat and Captain Brian O'Driscoll stretchered off the pitch and out of the series with a dislocated shoulder. Things didn't improve much after that and it was generally accepted that the All Blacks were not only too good but Sir Clive Woodward had made series mistakes both in team selection and game plan. Shortly afterwards he left Rugby Union to join Southampton as their technical director.

Clive Woodward tries to see the bright side.

Fans give their view on the fiasco.

The moment that England won the ashes was when threw the bales into the air. Declaring a draw after Kevin Pietersen hit his first ever Test century on day five at The Oval it was the first time since 1987 the Ashes had come to England. Pietersen hit 158 and Ashley Giles 59 before England were bowled out for 335, leaving Australia to bat out the day. But there were just four balls before bad light stopped play and it took 15 minutes for a draw to be declared. Not surprisingly the celebrations started straight away.

The moment England wins the Ashes.

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Probably the most memorable moment of the Ashes Parade was the sight of Freddie Flintoff gamely trying to stay awake and upright during the process. Perhaps it wasn't excess alchohol but the amazement that so many people had turned out to celebrate the first Ashes win since 1987. The ceremony followed a 90-minute open-topped parade from Mansion House during which the team buses crawled through thousands of flag-waving fans as crowds built up in a sun-drenched Trafalgar Square.