Graeme Swann
Unlike most athletes on Twitter the England spin bowler’s followers are laughing with him rather than at him. Funny, eloquent, charming, the yardstick by which all twittering sportsmen should be measured. All hail the king of Twitter!
Sample Tweet: “A few of you would relish a scrap then eh? You should know that I’m generally regarded as the hardest man in world cricket*”
Following Tweet: “*not true”

Rio Ferdinand
Oddly for the captain of a club that’s so cagey around the press Rio’s feed is lucid and forthright. Laudable, particularly as it’s not the intern at his PR agency writing the tweets for him. Does, however suffer from over-reliance on the ugly portmanteau “Tweeps”.
Sample Tweet: “Michael Jackson statue outside fulham FC? I’m a huge Jacko fan but why?! Surely there’s a long list of players who deserve a statue b4 Jacko”

Jonathan Agnew
The TMS favourite achieves that rare thing of perfectly evoking the feel of a respected brand within the context of social media. Agnew’s tweets are characteristically perceptive and informed, but if you can train your mind to read them in the style of a soothing TMS commentator they become an oasis of calm within the storm of chatter in your feed.
Sample Tweet: “Love watching Yuvraj bat. Beautiful strokes – rare grace. India going well after early loss of Sachin. 165/2”

Jack Wilshere
As you would expect from one so young, Wilshere gets the internet. Posts candid pictures from Arsenal’s training ground, retweets his fans on request and likes a whinge when things at Arsenal aren’t going quite to plan.
Sample Tweet: “Well done to the Birmingham player who slapped Koscielny on the head when they scored, very big of you!”

David Flaxman
The Bath and England rugby prop, has built a Twreputation (see, you can’t just put “Two” in front of words in a Twitter context and make a new one) on being amusing, replying to the people that engage him and likeable honesty.
Sample Tweet: “Now for some pretend injuries and abuse of referees. Oh, and loads of spitting and blaming others. Match of the Day. Love it, somehow …”

Leon Knight
A maverick. The former Chelsea forward turned lower-league journeyman shot to Twinfamy (better) when he gave the inside track on his shoddy treatment by former club Rushden and Diamonds with compelling levels of rage and scurrilous detail. Since then he’s been up and down: foul-mouthed, sexually explicit, but rarely dull. He’s currently playing for Coleraine in the Northern Irish league. His defence of Andy Gray and Richard Keys over ‘Masseygate’ would have made Roy Chubby Brown blush.
Sample Tweet: “Rebuilding that’s what I’m doing talk to me in 18 months on where I am and what I’m doing use will see trust me”

Mark Bright
BBC pundit has a track record of getting into lots of trouble for saying controversial things through his Twitter site. Highlights include re-posting a rude chant about John Terry and calling Liverpool a mid-table side that was living off former glories. Worth following to watch the barrage of abuse next time he puts his foot in it.
Sample Tweet: “Building a shockingly bad prem team, I’ve already got the centre forward … start with the Keeper, Massimo Taibi, he was bad …”

Lee Westwood
Another enjoyable pursuit on Twitter is the feeling of eavesdropping on the sorts of private conversations you would never usually hear. Westwood is a huge fan of @replying various celebrities, and there’s something endearing about his weak banter and attempts to organise his social life through the site.
Sample Tweet: “@VaughanCricket curry tonight?”

Steve Nash
The NBA veteran straddles two worlds, the glitz of top level basketball as a point guard for the Phoenix Suns, and the grit of being a devoted Spurs fan. Comes across as charmingly self-effacing on Twitter has he has done throughout his 14-year career.
Sample Tweet: “A new day. A new inspiration. A new reason. A new drop of rain on a fresh leaf…..and I’m boring myself to sleepzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz”

Kelly Sotherton
The heptathlete tweets with enjoyable eclecticism, jumping between updates on her maladies (“I have a sinus sore face!”) her football club (“Still think we may need a new manager, as much as I love Arsene!”) and Take Me Out (“This guy has some ears!”) Fond of exclamation marks.
Sample Tweet: “Played street fighter, got beaten too many times so not playing, having a tantrum!”