The Greatest British Sportspeople 130-121

130. Colin McRae (Rally Driving, 1990s-2000s)

The youngest person and the first Brit to be the World Champion in the genuinely thrilling sport of Rally Driving, which always strikes me as a far more interesting way to test people's driving ability than going round and round a track, but there we go.

129. Lawrence Tynes (American Football, 2000s)

The most successful British (well, somewhat British) player of the American game, having won two Super Bowls, and kicked last minute winning field goals in play-off games. I do like a bit of NFL, but it does bother me the way everyone's job is compartmentalized. They do all this training and have all this athleticism and yet they do one job, and are not even all on the field all the time. This guy's a kicker. He just kicks. It must require absolute nerves of steel, but I wonder if he ever wishes he could do something different.

128. Lyn Davies (Athletics, 1960s-1970s)

Britain's greatest ever long jumper, and until recently Britain's only great long jumper, Lynn Davies was Olympic champion in 1964 and held the British record at 8.23 for over three decades. His distances would still put him up there now, and though his performance in 64 was dwarfed by Bob Beamon's in 1968, it still makes him one of Britain's greatest ever track and field competitors.

127. Kathy Cook (Athletics, 1970s-1980s)

 Sport is all about context and opportunity. Kathy Cook was definitely Britain's best female sprinter, an all rounder who still holds the UK record for the 200m and 400m. She won various medals at world, Olympic and European level, but not that much in the way of gold. But, then, you see that she was competing against the phenomenal, unrivalled performances of the East German team in the 1980s, and you realise that, actually, she was probably the best sprinter in the world, that her times, now things have normalised a bit (though steroids may still be taken, they are not being in taken in the same unbridled, ridiculous fashion) are still world class (her British record for the 400m would have beaten Christine Ohuruogu to Olympic gold in 2008). It must rankle....

126. Tony Greig (Cricket, 1970s)

 An enormous man of somewhat limited Britishness who nevertheless captained England at cricket, Tony Greig should not just be remembered for changing cricket forever by awakening the players' commercial potential, and as a man of many words, some unfortunate, some hilarious, but he was also a really excellent all rounder, whose statistics are the equal of Flintoff, not even that far below the likes of Botham. A real porst morster and hord torskmorster.

125. Frank Lampard (Football, 1990s-2000s)

 Frank Lampard's the real deal and I'd have to be more of a fool than I am not to realise it. He's quite a simple footballer, but he does everything well, he's galvanised his (accursed) club team to unprecedented success, and though people feel he's underperformed for England, hell, 28 goals in 95 games from midfield is not to be sniffed at. And who's fault was the Gerrard and Lampard don't play well together thing? Clue - not Lampard's. He's never not played well with anyone else. How many other Liverpool midfielders have thrived next to Stephen Gerrard (Answer: 1, and he scarpered to be even better at Real Madrid).
But it's for Chelsea that Lampard has been a real phenomenon - over 200 goals in 10 years from midfield. Utterly magnificent.

124. Angela Mortimer (Tennis, 1950s-1960s)

Another of several great British female tennis players, she won three Grand Slams and got to World Number in the 1950s, including Wimbledon in 1961. 

123. David Wilkie (Swimming, 1970s) 

Another moustachioed badass of the swimming world, he won a range of titles, culminating in one silver and one gold in the breast stroke at the 1976 Olympics. He was also very good at the individual medley and held various world records. 

122. Anita Lonsbrough (Swimming, 1950s-1960s)

From one of Britain's greatest male swimmers to one of its great female swimmers, and the last one before Rebecca Adlington to win an Olympic gold, in 1960, as well as breaking the world record in that race. Was one of only two British winners that year.

121. Malcolm Cooper (Shooting, 1970s-1980s)

Rather fewer photos of this fellow on google than of Frank Lampard, he was the best marksman in the world in his time, winning two consecutive Olympic golds and a panoply of other medals. Not that people should win prizes for shooting things. Hmmph.