Henry Cooper and Stirling Moss yesterday earned the ultimate reward for capturing the hearts of a nation. The sporting legends, who entranced boxing fans and motor racing aficionados alike in the Fifties and Sixties with their courage and dignity, despite never winning world titles, receive Knighthoods in the New Year's Honours.

In a roll swelled to 2,000 names to mark the new Millennium and with the accent on redressing past oversights there are also MBEs for the forgotten heroes of 1966 in the shape of Nobby Stiles, Alan Ball, Roger Hunt, George Cohen and Ray Wilson. Along with those belated honours, however, there is controversy in the shape of Ian Wright, who, despite one of the worst disciplinary records in the modern game, receives an MBE.

In a list packed with sporting greats it is Cooper and Moss, the man synonymous with sheer speed, who lead the way.

For Cooper, who was awarded the OBE in 1969, it is the culmination of a glorious career which was as remarkable as much for his dignity and sense of fair play as for his boxing skills.

He never won the world heavyweight title but was British champion for a record 10 years and five months and won a record three Lonsdale Belts outright. He is perhaps best remembered for 'Enery's 'Ammer - the left hook which famously felled Muhammad Ali, then still Cassius Clay, in 1963 at Wembley.

Moss' honour is also a reward for people power. Despite world motor racing titles for James Hunt, Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill in recent years it is still the name of Moss which evokes most admiration. He was runner-up in the championship three years in succession to the legendary Juan Fangio in the Fifties and also once to Britain's Mike Hawthorn, before his career was cruelly cut short at the age of 32 when he crashed at Goodwood in 1962. In the other world of racing, horse-racing, Martin Pipe receives the CBE to cap a career which has seen him become arguably the most successful and innovative jump trainer in the business. Laura Davies, who once won two Majors in one season and led the US money list for three consecutive years, also wins the CBE.

So does double Olympic gold medallist Daley Thompson. He leads an athletics honours haul which includes OBEs for world 110m hurdles champion Colin Jackson, veteran shot putter Judy Oakes, 1980 Olympic 800m gold medallist Steve Ovett, five-times Paralympic gold winner Tanni Grey-Thompson and an MBE for multiple triathlon world champion Simon Lessing.

Football is also represented by Middlesbrough assistant manager Viv Anderson, who receives an MBE. Veteran Wolves and England striker Steve Bull, also receives an MBE, as does Tony Ford, the much-travelled Mansfield wing-back who broke the all-time record of appearances. In rugby, Scotland's veteran captain and scrum-half Gary Armstrong, gets an OBE and Welsh fly-half Neil Jenkins receives the Order of the Boot in the shape of an MBE for his monumental achievement in becoming the leading international points scorer of all time.

Ice skating legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean receive the OBE as does six-times world snooker champion Steve Davis.

Sue Barker, TV presenter, host of the BBC's A Question of Sport and former French Open tennis champion is awarded the MBE. While Tommy Horton's longevity on the European and Senior golf tours is the lone men's golfer marked with an MBE, perhaps the sporting award which might raise most eyebrows of all, another MBE, goes to a man of whom hardly anyone will have heard - John Philp. He is the links superintendent in charge of Carnoustie golf club which, with its punishing knee-high rough and narrowed fairways, hosted the most controversial British Open in the event's history last July. 99506072