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Mark Cavendish At Top Of Sports Personality Of The Year Odds

The BBC's annual showcase of sporting achievement is almost upon us and whilst bookmakers Paddy Power have given definitive odds for all of the contenders the biggest story so far in the press has been why there are no female names amongst the chosen few. Cyclist Mark Cavendish is a clear 8/15 favourite, with golfer Darren Clarke in second place but it seems that any success they may achieve will be tarnished without the presence of Rebecca Adlington, Jessica Ennis or Sarah Stevensonin the line up.

A pre Olympic sporting year is always going to be rather an anti climax in the sporting world, whilst many athletes will be seeking to build their training regime , all will hope that they will not reach their peak until July 2012. The nation will be hoping that next year there is a plethora of Gold medallists to chose from for the coveted trophy and that the triumphant will have multiples of those sacred gongs and world records to their names.

It is significant at this point to recognise that it is sporting journalists who chose the line up for this award and not the viewers, so the public's choice is limited by the options they are given. There is no doubt that Cavendish has had a sparkling year in 2011, but as an individual he will not be as well known as some of the other possible winners. The inclusion of the word 'personality' in the title of this award is always rather confusing, although it was obviously chosen initially to pre empt the possible arguments that would arise when setting one sport against another, but those rewarded in this programme are not predominantly being recognised for their personalities at all, as proven by years of dire acceptance speeches.

That being said there are some characters who the public certainly warm to more than others and as usual if there is a heart tugging back story there will certainly be more public support. Many could argue that setting a golfer beside a Tour De France cyclist is a non starter but Golf is so widely followed and extensively broadcast that Darren Clarke would seem a real challenger for the title. Having won 22 tournaments worldwide but never having secured a Major title, his success at the 2011 Open Championship was extremely popular. The tragedy of his wife's premature death from breast cancer in 2006 was well documented as was his engagement to Alison Campbell in April 2011,which made his win even sweeter.

Another golfer sits as third favourite with Paddy Power and that is Rory Mcilroy at odds of 15/2. His stunning win of the U.S Open in 2011 came with an exceptional number of broken records. His victorious score was eight shots ahead of the field at a phenomenal 16 under par, which had never been achieved before, and he was the youngest winner of the tournament since Bobby Jones in 1923. With these sorts of statistics, he should really be a mile ahead of Darren Clarke in this particular market which just goes to show what a curious competition the BBC Personality Of TheYear really is .

Sports Personality Of The Year Odds

Odds plus a host of Novelty Betting Opportunities courtesy of Paddy Power

M Cavendish 8/13

D Clarke 11/4

R McIlroy 7/1

M Farah 8/1

L Donald 33/1

A Cook 50/1

A Khan 100/1

A Strauss 100/1

D Greene 100/1

A Murray 100/1

Posted: Friday, 9th December 2011
Author: Suzi Flute
Tags: sports personality of the year, sarah stevenson, darren clarke, rory mcilroy, paddypower,

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