As January gave way to February, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon saw a spectacular underdog story as the African Nations’ Cup football took place. Big teams flattered to deceive – a Senegal team with the likes of Demba Ba failed to pick up a point – and unfancied Zambia fought their way to a poignant victory as they defeated the Ivory Coast in a final decided by penalties. The fact that the final took place in Libreville, not far from where a previous Zambia team had tragically died in a 1993 plane crash, may well have been the factor which enabled the previously unheralded Zambians to keep Drogba and co. at bay.

Early March saw the quirky farewell of a downhill skiing legend, the Swiss Didier Cuche. After seventeen years on the World Cup skiing circuit, he took to the slopes of Schladming in Austria in the garb of a 1930s skiier. His run, complete with extra-long old-fashioned skis, was perhaps a little slower than he was used to, but having finished the 2012 World Cup season in a 6^th place which had included four individual victories, the thirty-seven year old veteran went out on a high.

The man who has polarised opinion within the snooker world since his first professional wins, the immensely talented Ronnie O’Sullivan,  this April and May used the Crucible Theatre to first of all win his fourth World Championship, and to then announce an indefinite sabbatical. Having entertained with his usual enigmacy, the remainder of the snooker season was that bit more sedate for his absence.

Road cycling erupted into the British sporting consciousness in July, but in May and June the Canadian Ryder Hesjedal made his own national headlines by taking over the Italian hills and winning the Giro D’Italia. In one of the closest finishes to a Grand Tour in many years Hesjedal sneaked the overall victory from Joaquim Rodriguez. This was despite three weeks of attritional cycling, and two incredible stage victories from the Spanish rider. Although to many the Giro became a footnote in a year of cycling dominated by Wiggins and then the ghosts of Lance Armstrong’s past, the battle in the Dolomites should live long in the memory.

June also saw the fifth staging of the VIVA World Cup. The football tournament for nations unaffiliated with FIFA involved a record nine squads and was ground-breakingly staged in Iraqi Kurdistan, who took full advantage of home advantage to win the tournament. Involving teams representing places as diverse as Provence in France and Darfur, it’s easy to find political issues with this competition, but in this case the fact that a match between Zanzibar and Northern Cyprus could even occur reminds us of how potent a weapon sport can be. You can be sure the Iraqi Kurds were celebrating after their tight 2-1 victory over the Cypriots at any rate.

July and August were dominated by the Olympics, but that’s not to say there weren’t some great stories buried amongst rumours about Usain Bolt and the Swedish handball team. The two Saudi women who took part in particular deserved a greater profile; despite being branded ‘prostitutes of the Olympics’ on Twitter, Sarah Attar and Wojdan Shaherkani both took massive steps on behalf of their country. Equally, the Paralympics which led us into September provided an almost endless number of incredible sporting stories, for example Jacqueline Freney. The Australian swimmer won eight gold medals yet seemed to barely cause a ripple in the media, something that seems monumentally unfair when you consider Michael Phelps’ incredible profile.

 Another sport which is overshadowed by a much flashier cousin is Touring Cars. Driving cars that actually resemble your Mum’s Renault Scenic as opposed to the flying machines of Formula One, yet another Brit won a global title in November. Rob Huff took second in his Chevrolet Cruse on the streets of Macau to win the World Touring Car Championship ahead of more experienced and renowned teammates, and despite a crash in the penultimate race which could well have derailed his chances.

However, as the year drew to a close an arguably less-likely nation spoiled the British party as Egyptian pair Ramy Ashour and Mohamed El Shorbagy contested a tight final in December’s Doha-based World Squash Championships. Having both beaten British hopefuls in the semi-finals (former World number one James Willstrop and former World Champion Nick Matthew respectively) Ashour prevailed over El Shorbagy, who is remarkably still a student at BristolUniversity.

Despite a fantastic sporting contest, the most unfathomable element of that squash tournament, maybe even of the sporting year – excluding Mario Balotelli – remains the fact that the two finalists arrived on court via Harley Davidson. However it would seem ridiculous to place the razzmatazz and glamour of some enthusiastic product placement over what has been a spectacular year all over the sporting world. The only way 2013 might top it is if they get the riders in MotoGP to preface the final race with a squash game…

Fresh from a week’s pre-season training, Oxford began the second half of the season with high expectations, but knew that the familiar local rivals would be a tough first game back. The intensity of the rivalry was demonstrated even before pushback, when some overly hyped opposition fans, all muscular and over 6ft, attempted to knock a certain Blues player off his bike as he entered Iffley.

This vicious opening encounter proved characteristic of the match to follow. Within moments of pushback, over-physical marking led Gus Kennedy to threaten his opposite number, while Oliver Lobo’s new blade was quickly covered in nicks and scratches from fierce tackling. Despite the Hawks’ attempts to make the most of their natural advantages by physically intimidating the opposition, the Blues were able to dominate in hockey terms and created numerous scoring opportunities throughout the first half.

The Blues’ perseverance earned them a real early chance in the form of a short corner, but strong defence by Hawks prevented them from converting and taking the lead.  Nevertheless the Blues continued to push forward, with Tom Stubbs, conspicuous by his absence at the Blues’ pre-term training, demonstrating that preseason is overrated with his first deft touches of 2013.

As the first half wore on, with the Blues in control but unable to make a breakthrough, the relative comfort of the Blues’ display was epitomised by centre-back duo Joe Mills and Ollie Sugg, who indulged in a competition to see who could pick an aerial in the most carefree and relaxed manner. This enthralling and close-fought contest was only occasionally disrupted by a Hawks counterattack, forcing the pair to break their repose momentarily. These attacks came to nothing, however, and the half-time whistle blew with the scores still level.

The university side picked up where they left off in the second half, and within minutes were a goal up after Tom Mullins’s trademark trickery baffled the Hawks keeper. But as the Blues pushed for the second goal which their performance deserved, Hawks began to find some possession. Soon, a breakaway attack, as had been threatened all game, was converted. For a tense ten minutes the game hung in the balance, and, but for the agile Andy Meredith in goal, the Blues would have gone behind. The Hawks lived up to their name by intensifying the midfield battle, earning themselves a flurry of green cards. One Hawk midfielder had the temerity to suggest it was not he that had been making trouble, attempting to direct the umpire’s attention to Rupert Allison’s apparently aggressive and malicious character. Allison’s response was to win a short corner minutes later, which this time was successful: a seamless routine allowed Gus Kennedy to open his 2013 account with a deflection.

With a lead re-established, Oxford set themselves up for a tough final 15 minutes. Duncan Graves added some variation to his game with an on-the-run aerial. Nevertheless, the Blues held out for a win which sees them remain top of South Hockey’s Premier division, with hopes still high that promotion into the heady ranks of the National League can be achieved.

In my opinion, fans are overrated. I’ve never seen the appeal of having thousands of strangers hurl abuse at you for 90 minutes. It’s one of many reasons I’ve never handed in a transfer request to my college bursar stating my desire to move to a better supported club in the Premier League. In fact, I’m confident that my college is all the stronger as a club for only really having one person who can be counted on to turn up and cheer us on, week-in, week-out – our 12th man, so to speak. 

There are certainly plenty of advantages to low attendances. I really enjoy being on first name terms with our fan, and I’m sure he appreciates the opportunity to rub shoulders with his playing heroes both pitchside and on our nights off. I never forget to give him a wave before I head into the VIP room of one of Oxford’s hottest nightspots.

This intimate player-fan relationship simply doesn’t exist at bigger clubs, where the closest the fans can get to the players is to follow them on Twitter. Which isn’t to say that our fan doesn’t follow me on Twitter, of course. 

All of which meant I was a little bemused when I saw a story in the papers a couple of weeks ago celebrating the loyalty of the single Udinese supporter who made the trip to watch his team play away at Sampdoria.

If unwavering commitment to your team in the face of abject loneliness and the promise of disappointment is newsworthy, then I can think of several college football fans who more than deserve their fair share of media attention.

I present to you a question: How much do you love Wahoo on a Friday night? Is the answer ‘very much’? I thought so. Would you agree that the £5 entry fee really is a bargain for a night of such fun-filled frivolity? I thought so. Would you give up 12 nights of Wahoo to go to just one football game? Ah, I thought not.

But that is exactly what was asked of Manchester City fans at Arsenal this week. ‘£62!! WHERE WILL IT STOP?’ proclaimed the banner of one City fan at the Emirates Stadium and the unanswerable nature of that question should scare supporters across the land. If anyone else was, like me, neglecting looming deadlines and watching Super Sunday’s late offering instead this weekend, you’d have witnessed a game that was probably worth closer to £6.20 than it was £62. Laurent Koscielny’s early red card effectively ended the possibility of any competitive contest and after two first half goals from Messrs Milner and Dzeko respectively, City cruised to a comfortable win. The question is, even with so many world-class, international footballers on the pitch, is £62 ever a justifiable price to charge hard pressed fans just after the expensive Christmas period?

The commercial and business leaders of the country’s foremost Premier League clubs argue that it is, pointing to the rising cost of tickets across the board, for concerts, theatre performances and other major events across the country. This reasoning shouldn’t be immediately dismissed as preposterous, but it does contain one major flaw: these are all one off occasions. Premier League football clubs play 38 matches in a season, while the figure rises to 46 in the Championship. Almost each and every fan of these clubs would attend every single one of these matches if they had the means to do so, but the outrageous pricing policy of clubs across the country is an attack on passionate and loyal supporters everywhere.

On top of season tickets costing almost £1000, fans of Manchester United will be asked to fork out a minimum of £840 for their 19 away games this season, research by FourFourTwo magazine discovered. It is unjustifiable, untenable and simply unfair to ask football fans, a group traditionally made up of this country’s lower earners, to pay almost £2000 to watch a season of Premier League football. When will this stop? How far can this go? Perhaps, in times of prosperity, with wages rising and the cost of living reducing, ticket hikes would do relatively little damage. But in the current climate of ever dwindling disposable income, Premier League clubs are asking supporters for money which many simply don’t have.

We, the fans, are left asking what really matters to the footballing authorities these days. The banner in question, belonging to Richard Taylor, was removed by a steward at the Emirates under commands from above. Clearly, dissidents will not be tolerated. And the FA and Premier League’s disregard for fans extends beyond ticket prices. The timing of kick-offs has often infuriated fans, with the recent FA Cup tie between Brighton and Newcastle proving a perfect example. A 12:30 kick off when away fans are required to make a 350 mile journey is beyond comprehension: Is football’s governing body actively trying to push football fans away from attending matches?

Football supporters are as faithful and steadfast as it comes, and many wouldn’t blink an eye at putting their hands in their pocket if their club was ever in financial peril. But in fact, Premier League clubs have never been more prosperous. A new £3 billion domestic television broadcast deal comes into force next season, and the Football Supporters’ Federation have estimated that clubs could cut £32 off the cost of every single ticket purely from the increase in the TV pot. I’m not holding my breath. The Premier League have already admitted they will be putting no pressure on Premier League clubs to alter their ticketing policies as long as “attendances remain high.” So, perhaps, there is only one option. If attendances have to plummet before the authorities step in then maybe the time is ripe for a concerted, unified weekend of action. If the authorities actively push fans away from the stadium then let’s be pushed away. I know fans will feel unhappy with the prospect of leaving their clubs out of pocket, but are you willing to continue letting your club do the same to you?

So I ask you, fans of the world, to unite. Those who travel to games and protest are being ignored. Those who spend their hard-earned cash traipsing up and down the country every weekend are being disregarded. It’s time to answer the question “When will it stop?” with a loud and resounding “NOW.”

A new semi-professional Rugby League side Oxford RL are to play at Iffley Road during the 2013 season.

The club, which only formed in September 2012, are set to play in Championship One of the RFL ladder- the third tier of national Rugby League. Agreement has been made for the club to use the University’s Iffley Road Sports Ground, currently home to Oxford University Rugby Football Club.

The club have built strong relationships with, Oxford University, Oxford Brookes and the Armed Forces along with local Rugby Union clubs, whom they hope will back the introduction of this traditionally northern sport into Oxfordshire. Chief Executive Tony Colquitt is particularly pleased at the permission granted to use the ground. “It had to be a bespoke rugby stadium, and for me that meant Iffley Road, the iconic and historic home of Oxford University Rugby Union Club. I have to say the Union club and its board have been fully supportive. Once we had agreed the use of Iffley Road the business plan fell into place.” The club are proud to have a strong local connection, with players already signed up from the Oxford Brookes Rugby League team.

The idea for the club was originally devised by Professor Simon Lee and Andrew Thomas (Head of Sport Development for Oxford University). The team will be one of three new sides entered into the division along with Hemel Stags and the Gloucestershire All Golds. Within the first team, some experienced figures and impressive names have already signed up for the 2013 season; players coming from the likes of Widnes Vikings, Salford City Reds and Warrington Wolves have been brought in to help develop the less experienced players which the club are signing. The club also have an important partnership with Super League outfit Wakefield Wildcats and strong relationships with London Broncos and Australian side Sydney Roosters.

In particular, Media Officer Ryan Cousins says the club is aiming to introduce fans new and existing to the less well-known code of the game. “Rugby League is a fantastic sport. Supporters from the University and the surrounding areas are our key target market for fans. We have put together a brilliant team and we want to see more people involved in the sport. Oxford is a very historic city and we want to play our part in it.”

For Oxford RL’s first few seasons within the Semi-Professional arena, CEO Tony Colquitt hopes to establish the club within the region and consolidate their league position. “Our ambitions are pretty realistic. There is no drive for Super League. The club will represent the whole of Oxfordshire and the intention is to make it a local team managed by local people. If we get the game played within the schools and colleges of Oxford, whilst playing at a decent level, will represent a great success for the game. We want to deliver pathways both on and off the field and work closely with all of our partners.”

The first home league match at Iffley Road will be played on 14th April against the South Wales Scorpions at 3pm. Oxford RL is a club largely run by volunteers. To get involved in any capacity, contact Ryan Cousins on ryan@oxfordrl.com. 

The recent Lance Armstrong debacle has well and truly made a farce out of anti-doping procedures in sport. He has effectively stolen seven Tour de France titles from a peloton of more deserving, legitimate athletes. The fact that it was not questioned earlier, that a recovering cancer patient stormed his way to a cumulative 21000 miles of dominance, is utterly baffling. The systems in place are simply not effective enough, with the majority of tests being conducted a month after a letter of warning, giving athletes in any sport the chance to flush banned substances from their body prior to the screens. I do not even want to imagine how much money is spent on these measures by various governing bodies, but with a single EPO blood test costing $60 and urine tests costing nigh on $400 a piece, I would assume that the companies who produce them are not short of a few quid.

This got me thinking. Modern sport is all about the enjoyment both players and spectators receive from fair competition. Athletes thrive off breaking records and pushing the boundaries of what is humanly achievable, dedicating themselves to a life of toil and strain to achieve their goals, and sports fans love observing their efforts. Surely then, if the fundamental nature of sport is the strife to over-achieve, then why not permit the use of performance enhancers? The money saved on seemingly ineffective tests could go to a better cause, replacing them instead with regular health checks to make sure that the athletes are not being foolish with their new dietary freedom. Moreover, if all athletes partook in the taking of drugs, the fair competition, which we cherish so dearly, would become a whole lot more exciting.

 For instance, I would love to see Usain Bolt running the one hundred metres in six seconds, as opposed to the quite frankly pedestrian nine and a half that he currently coasts along at. I want Chris Hoy to cycle so fast around the velodrome that he creates a rift in the space-time continuum. Imagine if the ockey was set at 20 yards for professional darts tournaments, with Phil Taylor pumped up on a focusing chemical that allowed him to nail treble twenty from absurd range. Rugby would be so much more savage and thrilling if the thirty men who paraded out onto the pitch were gargantuan specimens – stacked troglodytes who looked anatomically unviable. As long as the administration of the substances is safe and controlled, the formation of a culture of performance enhancing drug taking in professional sport would be a welcomed decision for both athletes and spectators alike.

It would be naïve to think that such activities do not already take place, however, with the Lance Armstrong case proving a perfect example. I have also heard stories of top-flight rugby players taking a year out after school to go on a stringent course of muscle developing steroids and hormones, so that they enter their competitive careers with an unnaturally formed bodily advantage. I think it is safe to say that with people consistently getting caught out, one can assume that the partakers are numerous and that they clearly see the drugs as a risk worth taking. I thus suggest that we wash away with the taboo, and make athleticism fairer by dropping the ban of performance enhancing chemicals. The image of Michael Phelps swimming so fast that he planes like a motorboat confirms to me furthermore why they should be introduced. Lift the bans, and observe a transformation of sport as we know it, with the outrageous and the impossible becoming exciting realities. Roll on the first one minute mile.