Who is the greatest British sportsman of all time?

10 PHIL TAYLOR

(16 World titles, 15 World Matchplay wins)

I know straight away what some people will say – darts isn’t a sport. Well, it is, and over the course of more than two-and-a-half decades, Taylor has been instrumental in transforming its status from a washed-up pursuit dreaming of its 80s heyday to a phenomenon that regularly packs out 3,000-seater arenas.

A winner of 16 World titles, not to mention 67 other major crowns, Taylor is the greatest ever darts player by a considerable margin. Between 1994 and 2007, he reached a record 14 consecutive World Championships finals and no player has a winning record against him.

Now 55, he remains as effective and enthusiastic as ever, and only last month, he was claiming titles in Perth and Sydney as part of the World Series of Darts.

9 ANDY MURRAY

(2 Grand Slam titles, 1 Olympic gold medal)

Murray created history when he became the first British winner of the men’s singles title at Wimbledon since Fred Perry 77 years earlier in 2013.

The victory remains a career-defining moment for the 28-year-old, although he also boasts a US Open title from 2012, an Olympic gold medal from the tournament in London in the same year, and four runner-up finishes at the Australian Open.

He deserves considerable credit for achieving his successes in one of the most competitive eras in the history of men’s tennis, with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovoic all guaranteed a place in the top ten of the sport’s all-time list.

He should have another few years at the highest level, and further Grand Slam titles would potentially see him rise up this list.

8 NICK FALDO

(3 Open Championships, 3 US Masters, 5 Ryder Cup wins)

There have been plenty of successful British golfers, but none have dominated the sport in the way that Faldo did over a ten-year period from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s.

His 40 professional victories included six Major championships, with his Open wins in 1987, 1990 and 1992 heralding an era of sustained success for British golfers. He also claimed three Masters titles at Augusta, with his final win in 1996 seeing him get the better of a remarkable last-round tussle with Greg Norman.

He topped the world rankings for a remarkable 98 weeks, was part of five successful European Ryder Cup teams and was renowned for his single-minded, methodical approach to the game.

7 BOBBY MOORE

(World Cup winner, FA Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup winner, 108 England caps)

England’s 1966 World Cup success remains the defining moment in the nation’s footballing history, and it is possible to make an argument for a number of players from Sir Alf Ramsey’s squad to be included in this list.

Moore gets the nod, not only because he was the inspirational captain who lifted the trophy at Wembley, but also because for the best part of a decade, he was regarded as the best defender in the world.

He won the FA Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup with West Ham, was voted Footballer of the Year prior to his World Cup success, and was named in FIFA’s World Team of the Century in 1998.

Pele claims he was the toughest opponent he ever faced, and coming from the Brazilian legend, that’s quite an accolade.

6 TONY McCOY

(20 jump jockey titles, 1 Grand National, 2 Cheltenham Gold Cups)

It can be argued that McCoy was only ever as good as the horse he was sitting on, but that ignores the incredible talents that enabled the Northern Irishman to claim a record 20 consecutive jump jockey titles prior to his retirement in 2014.

Such longevity is unprecedented at the very highest level of National Hunt racing, and McCoy was forced to overcome a succession of serious injuries in order to record a staggering 4,357 career victories.

He claimed a host of big-race wins, the most emotional of which saw him claim the Grand National aboard Don’t Push It in 2010, but his unquenchable thirst for success meant he continued to compete in low-grade contests up and down the country right up to his retirement.

5 GEORGE BEST

(1 European Cup, 2 First Division titles, European Footballer of the Year award)

In terms of purely footballing achievements, Best would not merit a place on this list. He helped Manchester United to two First Division titles and a European Cup, and won Footballer of the Year awards in both England and Europe, but others have achieved more.

As a Northern Irishman, he never appeared at a World Cup or European Championships, and the alcoholism that ravaged him in his later years turned him into a controversial figure towards the end of his playing days. He was hardly the ideal professional.

Yet as Britain’s first sporting superstar, he transformed the way we viewed footballers and football. He was as big as the Beatles and as much a part of the ‘Swinging Sixties’ as the most successful pop stars and actors. For his persona, as much as anything else, he deserves to be regarded as an all-time great.

4 IAN BOTHAM

(5,200 Test runs, 383 Test wickets, five Ashes victories)

The likes of Jack Hobbs, Len Hutton, Fred Trueman and Jim Laker all boast valid claims for inclusion in the list, but Botham trumps them as the greatest English cricketer of all time.

His career statistics justify that accolade, with more than 5,000 Test runs and 383 Test wickets making him the most successful all-rounder in the world game. He played 102 Tests and 116 One-Day Internationals, and was a key component of the England team for more than a decade.

More than that, however, he was a talismanic figure who played with a style and swagger that set him apart from all those who came before or after him. He was also the central figure in the 1981 Ashes Test at Headingley that is widely acknowledged as the most famous game in English cricketing history.

3 STEVE REDGRAVE

(5 Olympic gold medals, 9 World titles)

As the only Briton to win gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games, Redgrave can make a claim to be the nation’s most successful Olympian. He towered over his sport for almost two decades, with his first Gold coming at Los Angeles in 1984 and his final Olympic title coming at the 2000 Games at Sydney.

There is an argument that such longevity means Redgrave should top this list. He came back from retirement to claim his final Olympic title and achieved his successes despite suffering from ulcerative colitis and diabetes.

The only thing that lets him down is the sport he was competing in. Only a small number of nations compete in rowing, and Redgrave was at least partially reliant on the abilities of his partner in the coxless pair. That said, however, he remains a true British great.

2 CHRIS HOY

(6 Olympic gold medals, 11 World titles)

With six gold medals to his name, Hoy is the most decorated British Olympian of all time. His total number of medals, which stands at seven, has never been bettered, and in 2008 he became the first Briton in a century to win three golds at the same Games.

He was at the vanguard of a track cycling revolution that transformed the way the country approached Olympic sport, and helped transform bike riding from a niche pursuit to something approaching a national obsession.

His successes, while predominantly coming in the sprints, encompassed a range of different cycling disciplines, and after carrying the flag at the London Olympics, he overcame huge pressure to sign off his career in style with gold medals in the team sprint and keirin.

1 MO FARAH

(2 Olympic gold medals, 5 World titles)

Is Farah the greatest ever? After his latest double success at the World Championships, he fully deserves that crown. He has achieved the unprecedented feat of completing the long-distance double at three consecutive World Championships and Olympic Games, an achievement that makes him indisputably Britain’s greatest ever athlete.

Prior to Farah, no Briton had won a World or Olympic crown at either 5,000m or 10,000m. He has dominated both events. His successes are unprecedented, and elevate him above the confines of athletics.

He emerged at a time when it was regarded as unthinkable for a British runner to outperform the legions of Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes who were dominating the long-distance scene, and he has had to overcome considerable personal hardships to succeed in his sport.

He was one of the heroes of London 2012, and has successfully continued his winning spree in two of the most gruelling disciplines imaginable. And at 32, his glory days may not yet be at an end.

WHO NARROWLY FAILED TO MAKE THE CUT?

Daley Thompson, Jonny Wilkinson, Chris Froome, Bradley Wiggins, Seb Coe, Lester Piggott, Fred Perry, JPR Williams, Bobby Charlton, Lennox Lewis.

PAUL FRASER'S TOP TEN:

1. Nick Faldo 2. Mo Farah 3. Stephen Hendry 4. Steve Redgrave 5. Chris Hoy 6. Andy Murray 7. Seb Coe 8. Tony McCoy 9. Jackie Stewart 10. Bobby Moore

NICK LOUGHLIN'S TOP TEN:

1. Steve Redgrave 2. Bradley Wiggins 3. Mo Farah 4. Daley Thompson 5. Ian Botham 6. Nick Faldo 7. Andy Murray 8. Chris Hoy 9. Bobby Charlton 10. Tony McCoy