Falling at the last hurdle – the worst finals records

Glasgow Rocks’ miserable run continued on Sunday when they slipped to a 10th successive defeat in the BBL final.

The Scottish side were beaten 68-54 by the London Lions in a match they never led.

Here, Press Association Sports takes a look at some of those teams and individuals who have found the last hurdle the most difficult to clear.

Jimmy White

Undoubtedly one of the game’s most naturally-gifted players, Jimmy “Whirlwind” White never managed to lift the World Snooker Championship title many believed his talent warranted. He first reached the final in 1984, where he was defeated 18-16 by Steve Davis and went on to make five more in consecutive years between 1990 and 1994, losing all of them, four times to Stephen Hendry and the other to John Parrott.

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills were a major force in the NFL during the 1990s, demonstrating their prowess by reaching four successive Super Bowls. However, they were to lose on each occasion, by a single point to the New York Giants in 1991 and then to the Washington Redskins a year later before back-to-back defeats to the Dallas Cowboys.

Clermont Auvergne

European rugby’s top prize, the Heineken Cup, has proved painfully elusive for French side Clermont Auvergne. They made the final three times in five years and have yet to come away with the trophy. They lost 16-15 to compatriots Toulon in 2013 and went down 24-18 at the hands of the same opposition two years later before English side Saracens beat them 28-17 in May 2017.

Warrington

Spare a thought for Warrington, who have made a habit of reaching rugby league’s Super League Grand Final in recent years, but going home empty-handed. The Wolves have made four of the last seven finals, but have ended up on the wrong end of the scoreline on each occasion, losing 26-18 to Leeds in 2012, 30-16 to Wigan 12 months later, 12-6 to the same opposition in 2016 and 12-4, again to Wigan, last year.

Jurgen Klopp

It all started so well for Klopp when Borussia Dortmund saw off Bayern Munich in his first final to lift the German Cup in 2012, but it has gone largely downhill since. Bayern gained revenge a year later in the Champions League and then again in the 2014 German Cup, and Wolfsburg claimed the same trophy at his expense the following year. Klopp was denied a first success at Liverpool in the 2016 League Cup by Manchester City and has since lost Europa League and Champions League finals to Sevilla and Real Madrid respectively.