New Year Honours for sports stars

England rugby union coach Brian Ashton and retired former captain Jason Robinson are among the sportsmen and women featured in the New Year Honours.

Ashton, who guided England to the World Cup final in October, is made an MBE and ex-Sale skipper and rugby league great Robinson becomes an OBE.

Brendan Foster, the 1976 Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist and founder of the Great North Run, is appointed CBE.

Snooker star John Higgins is made an MBE and broadcaster Des Lynam an OBE.

Gordon Taylor, the long-serving chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, is made an OBE, as is former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson for charitable services through the Willow Foundation

Rachael Heyhoe-Flint, who captained England's women's cricket team to the inaugural World Cup title in 1973, also becomes an OBE. She was the first woman to sit on the committee of the formerly men-only Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

Peter Jones, the former chairman of the Tote, is appointed CBE for services to racing.

Brian Cookson, president of the British Cycling Federation, is made an OBE, as is Mick Gault, who won 15 Commonwealth Games medals in shooting.

MCC head coach Clive Radley, ex-runner Derek Ibbotson and Frederick Seaward, head groundsman at Wimbledon, are all made MBEs.