After Bradley’s year of Unseen I have also chosen my personal favourites from a year spent capturing images specifically for this gallery. I have far too many highlights, but spending a day with Aryna Sabalenka, producing a series of selfies, of which she said: “No one has ever asked me to do that before”, and covering the British & Irish Lions tour were particular privileges. I hope this varied and eclectic portfolio shows the range and emotions of sports photography in 2025.

This drone frame taken in early January shows frost still covering the pitch at Harpenden Town FC as they hosted Aylesbury Vale Dynamos and feels a perfect way to start this review of Unseen pictures from 2025.
Equipment used: DJI Mini 2 SE drone.

Collage of an aerial view of a rugby field and surrounding countryside, and a mural of rugby players on a brick wall.

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My close friend Owen Slot, Chief Sports Writer, won the Sports Journalism category at the British Journalism Awards earlier in December and I am delighted to have been involved in one of his award-winning articles. We travelled to Mynydd-y-Garreg Rugby Club, which was once the club of Ray Gravell and is now a symbol of the decline of rugby in Wales.
Equipment used: DJI Mini 2 SE drone.

FebruaryAerial view of Aviva Stadium in Dublin with a rugby field next to it.

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A view of the incredibly impressive Aviva Stadium in Dublin, taken at sunset with my drone, had to be included as I embarked on a project to capture stadiums from the air. I was keen to include Lansdowne Football Club, founded in 1872, which sits sandwiched between the River Dodder and the grand new stadium.
Equipment used: DJI Mini 2 SE drone.

Collage of two football matches: Harpenden Town FC vs London Lions, and Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United.

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One of my aims in the Unseen gallery is to showcase the top and bottom of the sporting pyramid. Here, Harpenden Town’s 2-1 win over London Lions is stacked with the impressive South Stand at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as they played Manchester United (1-0).
Equipment used: Both Canon R5 using RF24-70mm lens. 1/800th sec f8. ISO 800.

MarchCollage of two close-up photos of rugby players in action, one in a blue jersey with a red scrum cap and the other in a white jersey.

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This is a perfect stack of pictures that captures the passion of sport. France blew away Ireland 27-42 in a magnificent display in Dublin, with Louis Bielle-Biarrey celebrating a magnificent solo try in the 60th minute, alongside Marcus Smith celebrating England’s fourth try in an emphatic 47-24 win over Italy at Twickenham.
Equipment used: Canon EOS R1 using RF70-200mm lens. 1/2000th sec f2.8. ISO 1000.

England and Latvia players reacting with hands on heads and a soccer ball in the net during the England v Latvia match at Wembley Stadium.

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From Twickenham to Wembley Stadium, and England players react to a missed first-half chance against Latvia, captured from a gantry position organised by the FA’s brilliant media department.
Equipment used: Canon EOS R3 RF70-200. 1/1600th Sec f 3.2 ISO 3200.

AprilHorses and riders in a race jumping over The Chair at Aintree.

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I wrote in the introduction in April: “The 177th edition of the Grand National took place and it feels like Bradley and I have covered them all!” I really enjoyed my week working alongside Bradley at Aintree. Here the runners and riders tackle the infamous 5ft 3in Chair fence.
Equipment used: Canon EOS R3 using 560mm lens 1/2000th sec f5.6.

The England women's rugby team celebrates lifting the Women's Six Nations trophy after winning the Grand Slam.

More joy for England, this time for the Red Roses as they clinched the Women’s Six Nations Championship with a thrilling 43-42 victory over France lifting the trophy for a seventh consecutive year and securing a fourth successive grand slam.
Equipment used: Canon EOS R1 using 70mm lens 1/1600th sec f4. ISO 800.

MayCollage of three images from the UEFA Champions League semi-final.

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The Parc des Princes in Paris erupted in noise and colour as Paris Saint-Germain weathered an early Arsenal storm before goals from Fabián Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi sealed a 2-1 victory, 3-1 on aggregate, to send PSG into the Champions League final.
Equipment used: Canon EOS R1 using 200-400mm lens (set at 239mm). 1/4000th sec f6.3. ISO 400. (Bottom frame)

Elena Rybakina in shadows on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

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I was back in Paris later in May to cover one of my favourite events, the French Open at Roland Garros. The clay courts offer photographers the most vibrant colours, as seen here with Elena Rybakina running into the shadows on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

JuneCricket players on a green field with Arundel Castle in the background.

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This is one of my best drone pictures from 2025, taken at Arundel Castle Cricket Club, which hosted South Africa against Zimbabwe in preparation for the ICC World Test Championships in early June. I must include a line written in the comments by our very own treasured wordsmith Helga Jones, who wrote: “No softly fluttering sunlit canopies, rather solidly stoic arboreal guardians, clutching still winds of times past.”
Equipment used: DJI Mini 2 SE drone.

A polo player on a brown horse, wearing a black helmet and white shirt, swings their mallet at a white ball on a green grass field.

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I revisited the South Downs to cover the British Open Polo Championships at the stunning Cowdray Park Polo Club and it produced a portfolio of great pictures for unseen. Here I captured Riccardo Garros of King Power MB striking for goal at a slow shutter speed of just 1/60th of a second. The force of the hit bent the mallet around his and the pony’s neck.
Equipment used: Canon EOS R1 using 200-400mm zoom lens (set at 288mm) 1/60th sec , f16, ISO 250.

JulyCollage of Aryna Sabalenka taking selfies with a camera, tennis players competing, and two athletes in wheelchairs embracing on a tennis court.

THE TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND

The summer is both the busiest and most productive time, which kicked off at the Wimbledon Championships. It was difficult to choose my favourite images from SW19, so here is Aryna Sabalenka producing a series of selfies using my camera, a beautiful moment of light and shade on Court No1, and the gentleman’s wheelchair doubles final, in which Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid were defeated by Martín De La Puente and Ruben Spaargaren in straight sets. More light and shade followed as Jannik Sinner defeated two-times defending champion Carlos Alcaraz to win the men’s singles title, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Collage of three images showing rugby players: a fight between two players, celebrating players, and a player walking with a child.

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From Wimbledon to the iconic MCG in Melbourne, via Brisbane, where the British & Irish Lions defeated the Wallabies 29-26 in the second Test to clinch the series 2-0. The Lions series was the highlight of my year.
Equipment used: Itoje frame: Canon EOS R1 using 560mm lens. 1/2000th sec f4. ISO 3200.

AugustCollage of rugby players in a scrum during heavy rain and a jubilant Maro Itoje holding a trophy aloft.

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I have never experienced a rugby match quite like the third Lions Test against the Wallabies in Sydney. On a foul night of unbelievably heavy rain, threats of lightning forced play to be suspended for 40 minutes. The Wallabies shocked the Lions to win a riotous final Test at Stadium Australia.

Harmony Vatau of Samoa scores a penalty and celebrates with teammates.

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At Franklin Gardens, Northampton, England scored 14 tries to break their record for the highest World Cup score, defeating Samoa 92-3. But this picture captures the utter joy of Harmony Vatau’s penalty, which registered Samoa’s first points in the tournament since 2014 and had to be included in this review of 2025.
Equipment used: Canon EOS R1 using 560mm lens. 1/2000th sec f5.6. ISO 800.

SeptemberRugby players in black and blue jerseys on a green field.

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I used a specialised tilt-and-shift lens during the World Cup bronze match between New Zealand and France and captured this image as the Black Ferns scored three tries in seven minutes before half-time, turning a 7-7 stalemate into a 26-7 advantage.

A female rugby player in a white sombrero bites her gold medal, showing off a rose emblem on her front tooth.

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England produced a dominant performance to defeat Canada in front of a record women’s rugby crowd of 81,885 to win the World Cup. Ellie Kildunne strikes a pose by biting her winner’s medal, showing off the red rose on her tooth.
Equipment used: Canon EOS R3 with RF24-70mm lens (set at 25mm). 1/800th sec f4. ISO 800.

OctoberSumo wrestler Hoshoryu throwing salt while a referee in traditional attire watches.

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I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience of the Grand Sumo Tournament held at the Royal Albert Hall in October. Sumo wrestler Tobizaru throws an enormous handful of salt in the dohyo. He was given the Outstanding Performance award but was defeated in this bout by Takayasu.
Equipment used: Canon EOS R1 using 300mm lens. 1/1300th sec f2.8. ISO 5000.

Australia's Reece Walsh being tackled by England rugby players at Wembley.

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After 22 years of waiting, England and Australia locked horns in a rugby league Test match at Wembley Stadium. England full back Jack Welsby gets an eyeful from Reuben Cotter in the bruising encounter that ended in a comprehensive 26-6 victory for Australia.

NovemberFour female lacrosse players on an artificial turf field at night, with one player in red attempting a shot while two defenders in black and yellow and a goalie in purple try to block her.

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The Unseen gallery is about showcasing sports that otherwise would remain unseen and lacrosse is a perfect example. I covered a match between St George’s School, Harpenden, and St Albans High School for Girls and here the brilliant Beatrice Johnson of George’s is checked by outstanding defending.
Equipment used: Canon EOS R1 using RF70-200mm lens (set at 200mm) 1/640th sec f2.8. ISO 8000.

Collage of two football match photos: a group of players jumping for a header in the first frame, and a wide shot of a goal net and the players on the field in the second.

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From local lacrosse to the Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal faced Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Just to prove that Lady Luck is not always with me, the remote camera worked in perfect sync with my pitch-side camera to capture Jurrien Timber scoring, only for his face to be blocked by the goalpost!

DecemberAerial view of a rugby game at Blackheath with players and spectators on the field and buildings and cityscape in the background.

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My year comes full circle with a drone picture overlooking Blackheath Rugby Club when they played Leeds Tykes.
Equipment used: DJI Mini 2 SE drone.

Rugby players from Blackheath and Leeds Tykes in action during a lineout against an orange sunset.

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I specifically wanted to photograph the Blackheath hooker Billy Harding, who this season had scored more tries than any player at county standard or above. As the sun sets on my year of sport, I can report that Harding also now holds his club’s record for a full season, with many, many games still left in his remarkable campaign.
Equipment used: Canon EOS R1 using RF24-70mm zoom lens (set at 51mm). 1/125th sec f5.6. ISO 5000.