Monday 23 December 2013 10:13, UK
We all have our highlights of 2013 , so who better to share theirs than the Sky Sports stars. We asked them what they will remember and why?
My personal sporting highlight was being at the Westfalenstadion Stadium, or the Dortmund Stadium as they like to call it these days, when Borussia Dortmund beat Real Madrid 4-1 in the first leg of the semi-finals of the Champions League and Robert Lewandowski scored all four goals. It was something I never thought I'd see - Cristiano Ronaldo and all the Galacticos being pulled apart. It's the most atmospheric stadium in the world and they've got the so-called 'yellow wall' in the south stand and the atmosphere was just incredible. Graeme Souness - who has played in some of the biggest stadiums in the world, has managed in Istanbul and has enjoyed and endured some of the best and worst atmosphere's in world football - was standing next to me and even he was awe-struck by what was going on around him and in front of him. It was a memorable night.
My highlight has to be David Willey's hat-trick in the final of the Friends Lifet20 final, guidng Northants to victory in more ways than one. It was an absolutely packed house at Edgbaston and a really good cricketer, an emerging cricketer, gave notice of what he can do. I'm sure he'll be playing for England at some stage and that was a special, special moment! He'd batted well enough with a half-century in next to no time (19 balls) but then Zafar Ansari, Jon Lewis and Chris Tremlett were all caught off Willey and that, as they say, was that!
My moment for the season was the look on the face of Huddersfield chairman Ken Davey after watching Man of Steel Danny Brough steer the Giants to top of the table and win the League Leaders' Shield! They thrashed Wakefield that night and after 80 years the club could celebrate finishing top of the pile; it was a long time between drinks but proved that they and other clubs can build towards success with the right attitude, good coaching and a will to play outstanding league football and match it with the big boys like Wigan, St Helens, Warrington and Leeds. They had a fantastic coach in Paul Anderson who produced plenty of ideas away from the norm. The Giants were a joy to watch.
It has to be that last round from Phil Mickelson at The Open. It is hard not to go for Justin Rose winning the US Open but no-one - and I mean no-one - predicted Phil winning on a links course, yet he produced the round of the year to win the Claret Jug. It was a case of double Scotch as well, having won the Scottish Open the week before but even then The Open was never meant for Mickelson! Never mind he is 44 now, it was a windy day, on one of the toughest links courses you'll come across, he shot a fabulous 66. That round was something else, not least when you are talking about a guy who has not won his "home major", the US Open! Well, next up is Pinehurst and if he can win, it will give him the Grand Slam and he thotoughly deserves it, especially after that round.
Andy Murray winning Wimbledon was an obvious highlight and I will remember that, and the final game, forever. The way that final game ebbed and flowed was almost Andy's career in a nutshell; he had us on the edge of our seat and via sheer fight and willpower he was able to get over the finishing line. Having been there to see the match and soak in the atmosphere, it really was something special and I really hope Andy is able to push on in 2014 once he is over his back injury.
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