AS our way of celebrating Christmas, we thought we’d take a look at our top teams of the year from in and around the Bradford District.

Football, rugby league, cricket, rugby union, swimming and even jiu-jitsu will be covered, as we celebrate those who have achieved great things.

And we start with a side who haven’t lost a league game since November 2019.

1) LIVERSEDGE FC

Sedge ended the 2019/20 NCEL Premier Division season on a 12-game unbeaten run, putting them second, but were denied promotion when the season were declared null and void.

They won all seven of their league games in the 2020/21 season, and deservedly went up after the two curtailed seasons were combined to decide promotion on a points per game average.

And they have made a lightning start to life in the NPL East Division, with 15 wins and a draw in their opening 16 games putting them top.

If they win at Brighouse Town on December 27, they will end yet another calendar year unbeaten. Incredible.

2) SALTAIRE CC

The Bradford club stormed to their first ever Aire-Wharfe League top flight title in 2021, winning 17 of their 22 games to win the league by a mammoth 39 points.

It was an extraordinary achievement, with Saltaire only coming up as Division Two champions in 2019.

A sixth-placed finish in the Covid-shortened 2020 season showed they could be competitive in Division One, but even the most die-hard Saltaire fan surely could not have predicted their 2021 triumph.

3) WEST BOWLING ARLFC

Bowling’s open-age side continue to impress on the field.

They won all 11 of their league games in 2021, as they took part in Group F of the National Conference League, in a one-off competition due to Covid.

They then made it to the play-off quarter-finals, where they finally lost to a strong Wath Brow Hornets side, who ended up making it all the way to the final.

4) ECCLESHILL UNITED FC

The Eagles tend to float around in mid-table in the NCEL Premier Division, but some smart recruitment and scintillating attacking play has changed all that in 2021.

Fifteen wins in 22 games has seen them up to second, just two points behind Grimsby Borough, so a win on December 28 at struggling Bradford rivals Albion Sports could send them top.

Luke Aldrich is spearheading their promotion push, with 18 goals in all competitions already, as Lee Elam’s side look to join Liversedge in making it out of the division.

5) GRACIE BARRA BRADFORD

This little jiu-jitsu club in West Yorkshire took their talents to the British Open and the Junior European Championships on successive weekends in September 2021, and returned celebrating unimaginable success.

They picked up nine golds at the British event in Loughborough, and to prove that was no fluke, they won 13 in Wolverhampton at the European event.

With even more big championships, including the Worlds, set to return for 2022, expect even more great things from this Bradford club next year.

6) WOODLANDS CC

Woodlands didn’t play any cricket in 2020, opting out of the Bradford Premier League’s alternative competitions, which came about due to Covid.

But they came back with a bang in 2021, reaching the prestigious Heavy Woollen Cup final and the Yorkshire Premier League finals showpiece too.

They lost both, but made up for those disappointments by lifting the Premier Division trophy, defeating New Farnley by 74 runs in a must-win final game to pip Townville to the title.

7) CITY OF BRADFORD SWIMMING CLUB

It is a rare for there not to be an email in my inbox listing the achievements of City of Bradford’s achievements at their race meets up and down the country.

Whether it be in Sheffield, Leeds or even further afield, they have won gold medals galore in 2021.

On top of that, the likes of Gina Warrior and Alex Dunn broke club records, putting them among the top times in the country for their respective age groups.

The future looks bright for several of these youngsters, and maybe, just maybe, we could see some of them compete at the Olympics one day.

8) KEIGHLEY RUFC

Our final side is Keighley, who have bounced back from relegation in 2020 in spectacular fashion this year.

They are clearly too good for Yorkshire Two, and started the 2021/22 season with 12 straight wins, before drawing their last two at Leeds Corinthians and Hullensians.

They entered the Christmas break five points clear of second-placed Wetherby, and they will fancy their chances of an immediate return to Yorkshire One.