Northern Ireland

Andy Murray clinches Sports Personality of Year award

2015 Sports Personality of the Year winner Andy Murray 
2015 Sports Personality of the Year winner Andy Murray  2015 Sports Personality of the Year winner Andy Murray 

TENNIS champion Andy Murray has been named Sports Personality of the Year at a ceremony in Belfast.

Accepting the award, the sportsman said he had not prepared an acceptance speech and thanked everyone who had voted for him.

Murray played an instrumental role in helping Great Britain to secure a historic Davis Cup title in November.

Rugby league star Kevin Sinfield was the runner-up while world champion heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill came third.

Murray said: "Thank you very much, I genuinely didn't prepare anything, I didn't expect this.

"A friend actually sent me a message the other day with an article from a newspaper which said that 'Andy Murray is duller than a weekend in Worthing', which I thought was a bit harsh - to Worthing."

Twelve of the biggest names in sport went head to head for the coveted BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2015 award, which was revealed during a live show in Belfast on Sunday.

Around 7,500 people packed into the SSE Arena for the star-studded ceremony.

Others in the running include "king of the long jump" Greg Rutherford, who took gold at the World Championships, Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, world road race cycling champion Lizzie Armitstead and runner Mo Farah, who also enjoyed success in Beijing, winning his third successive 5,000m world gold medal.

However, the inclusion on the shortlist of world heavyweight champion boxer Tyson Fury has sparked a major outcry.

Controversial comments he made allegedly equating homosexuality with paedophilia, joking about being violent to women, and saying a woman's "best place is on her back" have prompted gay and equal rights campaigners to mount protests outside the SSE Arena ahead of the main event.

It is the first time the event has been staged in Northern Ireland.

The awards were hosted by Gary Lineker, Clare Balding and Gabby Logan.

Last year the ceremony took place in Glasgow, when Hamilton took the crown, with golfer Rory McIlroy in second place and athlete Jo Pavey in third.

Bookmakers have reported "one-way traffic" for Andy Murry to win the 2015 title.

According to Coral, the tennis champion has odds of 8-13 while Jessica Ennis-Hill goes into the evening just behind, on 5-2.

Tyson Fury can be backed at 18-1.

Coral's John Hill said: "Over 70% of the bets we are taking today on tonight's award ceremony are for Andy Murray, who is the warm favourite to win this award after he helped Great Britain to their first Davis Cup success since 1936."