The Greatest British Sportspeople 120-111

120. JPR Williams (Rugby union, 1970s)

Perhaps the Welsh rugby of the 1970s has built up undue legendary status, and these chaps weren't all that - certainly if you ever watch replays of full matches from that time, they look like slightly disorganised little boys next to today's well-oiled machines. But JPR Williams, a practising doctor and rampaging full-back, junior tennis star, is one of the most romantic figures in all sport, and the footage I've seen shows a dazzling Corinthian, so I'll go with that.

119. Peter Shilton (Football, 1960s-1990s)

Part of the nearly-England teams of 1986 and 1990 and a man whose career lasted the best part of 30 years, a bit of a sporting phenomenon - still England's record appearance maker. He was a great goalkeeper at a time when there were plenty of other good goalkeepers about - I wonder if his size would inhibit him in this day and age - probably not.

118. Ronnie O'Sullivan (Snooker, 1990s-2000s)

 Aah the obnoxious rocket and his many demons. Now, I've already said I think some sports are better than others. And, sometimes sports that don't involve much sweat, much sturm und drang, many tortuous hours on the treadmill, fall in my estimation. But not snooker. Not really. Snooker is the greatest of the little sports, I think, of the parlour games. The level of skill, the range of skills, the mental capacity, the rise and fall, the everchanging story, in a great snooker match or tournament, is phenomenal. The world final is Best of 35 Frames. That's hour after hour of delicacy and concentration. If I'm being honest, I think I rank snooker above golf as a sport, in terms of drama and exceptional skill levels, it's just not a global game. So I really do think Ronnie O'Sullivan is one of the most talented sportsmen the world has ever seen. We've all played pool or snooker, we've all played it a lot and tried our best, so we know how astonishing it is that he makes look simple, even boring.
And now he's added accomplishment to talent, albeit reluctantly. 5 strolls to world titles, and endless self-pitying strops. You've got to love the Rocket.

117. Jason Leonard (Rugby union, 1990s-2000s)

 A stalwart amongst stalwarts, someone who played rugby in the places that don't often get seen, but didn't appear to resort to the dirty tricks and foul play of so many. Appeared in the World Cup finals of both 1991 and 2003, as well as being on the winning Lions Tour of 1997. Won four Grand Slams - basically achieved everything a rugby player could possibly achieve.

116. Laura Davies (Golf, 1980s-2000s)

 Women's golf is a pretty prestigious business, particularly in the States - and Laura Davies has done more than any other British player to bring it to the forefront, winning four Majors and topping money lists both here and in America. Another Question of Sport regular for decades!

115. Barry McGuigan (Boxing, 1980s)

 One of the most likeable, intelligent men in the boxing business, Barry McGuigan was a beloved non-sectarian figurehead for Northern Ireland in the 1980s. He was a featherweight world champion whose career as a top-class fighter came to a pretty sudden halt when he lost his world title to a relative unknown, Steve Cruz, in brutal heat.

114. Bob Fitzsimmons (Boxing, 1880s-1900s)

 Another fighting man of a rather different vintage. Bob Fitzsimmons was Britain's first Heavyweight champion (and remained the only one for almost a century) as well as being the very first three weight world champion and is still rated as one of the hardest punchers in the history of boxing. Good style, good style.

113. Jonathan Davies (Rugby union, rugby league, 1980s-1990s)

 Although he was a fabulous union player, for me, Jonathan Davies achieved sporting greatness through his exploits as one of the first great successes of the code switch. Very different sports which often flummox people who think they'll cross over easily, Davies became one of the very best rugby league players in the world, at a time (pre-union professionalism) when league was arguably the stronger code. A real old school rugby wizard, but would undoubtedly have been an even bigger star now.

112. Rory McIlroy (Golf, 2000s)

 Perhaps this is excessive and premature, that this is about potential rather than existing achievement, but McIlroy has already done what other European golfers have spent decades trying and failing to do. The making of a real world class golfer is winning two majors, which McIlroy's done before he's 25, he's reached World Number 1, when he plays well, he looks way better than everyone else.

111. Paul Scholes (Football, 1990s-2000s)

 So often called underrated that he was perhaps a little overrated, Scholes was nevertheless a fabulous player, one of the most decorated players in football history, a controller of games with an incredible range of passing and a thunderous shot. To his detriment, he lacked flexibility - managers both club and international tried to get him to do different things like playing as a second striker and playing on the right, but he could really only play as a game-controlling central midfielder, but, boy, did he do that well.