Sport is all about winning – no-one remembers who came second, writes Tim Ashton.

Can you name who came second when Mo Farah won the London 2012 5,000m final?

Or, who followed Jordan Spieth into the clubhouse as the second best golfer at the US Open?

Or, the runner-up in the ladies singles at last year’s Wimbledon grand slam?

I could go on.

And I was always told that the best way to win something was to be prepared to the hilt – leave no stone unturned and go into whatever competition you chose with a winning mentality born from hitting top form at the right moment.

So let’s talk Wimbledon tennis and the Ashes.

Andy Murray was in imperious form at Queens, winning the semi-final and the final on the same day at a canter.

His on-screen persona is that of a calm, unexcitable Scot – there is no chance the number three seed, behind Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, will get carried away with his Queens win.

You know what happened the last time he took that winning form into SW19 – of course you do.

And so, who came second? Ok, it was bound to be Djokovic.

And the Ashes.

England cricket was struggling to find any good momentum ahead of the ding-dong with Aussies next month – but no more.

Admittedly a number of the England lads who did battle with, and beat, New Zealand will not feature come the Test opener in Cardiff on July 8.

But for Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Matt Wood and maybe Adil Rashid – their confidence must be riding high on a winners’ cloud – the little urn can be won.

And I readily admit that, in the two-horse race that is the Ashes, everyone will know who came second.

So maybe people do remember the runner-up?

Dejen Gebremeskel at London 2012, Louis Oosthuizen at the US Open and Eugenie Bouchard at Wimbledon.

No-one wants to come second, chaps, so it is time to find the winning frame of mind.