Politicians and sport - an uneasy mix

When Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg showed off his rugby skills at Leeds Rhinos' Headingley Carnegie Stadium a couple of weeks ago, it made us think about the most memorable sporting photo ops involving politicians.

So who out of the current party leaders would win the contest for sporting prowess?

Gordon Brown, who is blind in his left eye after a school rugby accident, could be forgiven for being reluctant to take part in such events.

However, in January 2009 he appeared at Tottenham's training ground to help launch a new sporting initiative with the Premier League. The event saw him play table tennis against Harry Redknapp with mixed results.

We all know David Cameron is a keen cyclist, but he's often showed off his tennis skills, even playing former British number one Andrew Castle at Wimbledon.

However, none of the current candidates could beat Tony Blair's famous head tennis session with Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan in 1995.

The message was clear. New Labour and Newcastle were both meant to be the exciting new boys set to topple the established order.

Sadly that was where the parallel ended, with Tony Blair going on to become Prime Minister and Newcastle failing to become the biggest force in English football.