The Year 2018 in Sport

2018 has been a fantastic year in the world of sport, and here is a look back at some of the biggest moments throughout a wonderful 12 months.

Manchester City Hit 100 Points

In what is widely regarded as one of the most competitive football league in the world, Manchester City bagged 100 points and won the league with ease in 2018. They set themselves up to dominate the English game for a long time to come, although so far this season, that may be being undone already.

Native River Lands the Gold Cup

In what was an eagerly anticipated clash at Cheltenham, Native River came out on top to land the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The Colin Tizzard trained stayer held off Might Bite after a gruelling test on soft ground over three miles and two furlongs. Might Bite was a worthy opponent, but couldn’t get past the tough stayer, and Native River ground out a famous victory, and he will be back in 2021 to try and defend his crown.

Dorotas Wildcat Lands Greyhound Derby

The Greyhound Derby will have a new home in 2021, moving to Nottingham, but in 2018 it was all about the Kevin Hutton trained Dorotas Wildcat. He was away and gone in the race, keeping the second favourite, Droopys Verve, at bay and landing the £175,000 prize by one and a half lengths back in June. We are unlikely to see greyhound racing at Towcester again, and it was a fitting final to bid farewell to the track.

Eagles Land First Super Bowl Title

The Philadelphia Eagles landed the 2018 Super Bowl, winning the title for the first time and beating the strongly fancied New England Patriots, who won the title in 2017. This was a mismatch on the quarterback front, with legend of the game Tom Brady from the Patriots taking on backup quarterback from the Eagle Nick Foles after their number one Carson Wentz was injured. The underdog came out on top though, and the Eagles secured a deserved success after playing a faultless 60 minutes.

England Say Goodbye to a Hero

The English cricket team looks a whole lot different now than it did at the start of 2018, and much of that is down to the retirement of a great. Alastair Cook retired after a remarkable 161 test matched played. Cook ended his career as the fifth top run scorer in test cricket, and even better than that, he retired in style. On his very last walk to the crease, Cook would have been hoping for anything other than a duck to end things. He didn’t only avoid that but went on to score a remarkable 100 against India, reminding fans of what they were going to miss out on, and ending his career with a huge high.

Belief Restored in the National Football Team

Gareth Southgate brought pride and optimism back to the England national team this summer, after a fantastic performance at the World Cup. England were beaten in the semi-finals against Croatia, but the squad came home with their heads up and the fans expectant of success in the near future. Gareth Southgate made us all believe for two weeks in the summer, and football fever was back in the country, let’s hope the future brings more of that.