King of the hill: Ronnie O’Sullivan

2009 World Snooker Rankings is a snapshot of the very best the sport has to offer. The Essex born Ronnie Sullivan finished the 2008/2009 season as the highest ranked pool player on the back of his fantastic start to the year, which sadly tapered off. Having won several snooker championships, including the Northern Ireland Trophy 2008, his bad form later in the year, culminating in a shock loss to Ricky Walden, upset O’Sullivan. With that behind him, the Ronnie O’Sullivan of old looked to be back in in claiming the 2009 Shanghai Masters.

The contender: Stephen Maguire

The 28-year old Stephen Maguire who turned pro at the young age of 17 had a decidedly awful 2009. Having leaped to second place in 2008, he was allowed to retain his second place spot on the 2009 World Snooker Ranking as a result of reaching the quarterfinals in six major snooker championships. But, not reaching a single final all season has weighed heavy on him and could crush his confidence if he doesn’t find form soon.

The rest

Shaun Murphy, John Higgins and Allister Carter round off the top five, with Murphy, Maguire and O’Sullivan making nearly £650,000 in prize tour money from snooker championships the season before.

As for would-be part-time pool hustlers playing for less, to get to this level, one needs to practice constantly. The kind of practice that would require one owned a pool table or snooker table, with the appropriate props and adequate competition. It’s a completely different league of ability at the top of the 2009 World Snooker Rankings.

Motorsport maestro revealed

Jenson Button’s inaugural Formula One title came as a surprise to the racing world. Button, seen as an outsider for the title spot at the start of the season, seized the podium an astonishing six times in the first seven championship races. The technical prowess of his Brawn team certainly aided the British driver and it was this advantage that proved to be decisive throughout the season.

Consistence was essential, and throughout the season the steely competitor captured key points as the title race developed. The Constructers Championship Title was added to his individual triumph but, could not stop Button’s move to McLaren at the end of the year. As his performances proved, this young man is willing to experiment in his quest for further F1 glory.

Sports moments of 2009 – highlighting some of the best action

UEFA Cup glory

The football field delivered up its fair share of ups and downs, but the prestigious UEFA Champions League once again topped its rivals in bringing together the best clubs, footballers and match ups in world soccer to produce classic sports moments.

The 2009 Final was no exception, with a build-up as memorable as any other, Manchester United and Barcelona having battled their way to the deciding round. Barcelona beat Chelsea, firm favourites, in their semi-final tie. Barcelona in the end just had too much star power for United in Rome, Lionel Messi being instrumental in their 2-0 victory.

Marathon match on grass

Wimbledon was stage for one of the most closely fought tennis matches of the last decade. Once again Roger Federer was present, his opponent hard-working Andy Roddick. 2009 proved to be the year Federer reasserted his dominance at the top of the WTA after briefly losing his number one spot to Rafael Nadal the previous season. A marathon battle ensued, with Roddick pushing Federer to the end. The match ended in the fifth set, with Federer edging ahead 16-14. A record fifteenth Grand Slam for Federer added to his French Open title earlier in the season.

100m star smashes world record

Our top spot goes to an unlikely disciple – athletics and the sprinting magic of Jamaican born Usain Bolt. Now a household name after the Beijing Olympics, Bolt went one step further at the twelfth World Athletics Championships in Berlin. The young man secured his place in both the 100m and 200m finals and produced a perfect performance to beat the best line up in sprinting with ease. Sheer sprinting elegance put him metres ahead of rival Tyson Gay and under the world record mark by 0.11 seconds, running a phenomenal 9.58 seconds in the 100m.

2010 promises to be just as exciting for sports fans as 2009 was, with loads of exciting sports moments. Events to look forward to this summer include Wimbledon, the Commonwealth Games in India, The Formula One Grand Prix and, of course, the Fifa world cup in South Africa.