Ennis leads the BBC Sports Personality of the Year race

After her heptathlon gold at the World Championships, what price Jessica Ennis to win Sports Personality of the Year? A week ago she was listed at 33/1 with the bookies - today she is the 3/1 joint favourite.

Smart gamblers, aware that the little-known 23-year-old stood a good change of winning her event, began betting on her strongly last week and after her victory her odds plunged further.

But despite her good looks and down-to-earth personality she is unlikely to stay favourite for very long - as some serious contenders are waiting to step into the spotlight.

First up on centre stage is cricketer Andrew Flintoff, who plays his final Test match for England this week at The Oval. It also happens to the final Test of the Ashes with the series level at 1-1. England must win the match to reclaim the urn and they cannot hope to beat Australia if Flintoff underperforms.

But if Freddie bows out in style and inspires England to victory then the celebrations will rival those of 2005, when the all-rounder embarked on a drinking spree as impressive as his performances with bat and ball, before collecting the BBC award at the end of the year.

This year though Flintoff may find himself shunted off the back pages pretty swiftly if Andy Murray becomes Britain's first male Grand Slam tennis champion since Fred Perry in 1936 at the US Open next month.

Murray's advance to the pinnacle of the game has continued this year, and after the disappointment of a semi-final defeat at Wimbledon he became the world No 2, the highest ranked British player ever, last week en route to the Canada Masters title.

Although the Scot impressed at Wimbledon his game is best suited to the hard courts of Flushing Meadow and he has a very real chance of taking the US crown next month.

Timing is everything in sport and come December the achievements of Ennis and possibly Flintoff and Murray will be starting to fade from the memory, those of Jenson Button, however, will still be fresh.

If the British driver can maintain his lead in the Formula One title race he will be crowned champion in early November, and he could well find himself in pole position for the BBC crown as well. The bookies certainly think so - he is currently the joint favourite with Ennis.

There are other contenders to watch out for - Paula Radcliffe has yet to play her hand, but it would take something special in the marathon at the World Championships for her to knock Ennis off her perch as top athlete.

And while the likes of Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins announced themselves to the cycling world at the Tour de France, they are unlikely to emulate fellow cyclist and 2008 Sports Personality of the Year winner Chris Hoy and become serious contenders for the prize.

Boxers David Haye and Amir Khan may make the shortlist, but barring something miraculous are unlikely to challenge for the crown. Few British golfers have made the headlines this year, despite a solid showing and the likes of diver Tom Daley and triathlete Alistair Brownlee will have better chances in years to come. ·