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Top, predictably, is football. One hundred and eleven MPs declared an interest in soccer (91 Labour, against only 10 Tories), although 21 confessed only to watching it, including the former prime minister John Major, whose wonky knee prevents him from playing. The Tory MP for Worthing West, Peter Bottomley (husband of Virginia), is a former captain of the House of Commons Football Club, as well as a former parliamentary swimming champion, and current parliamentary dinghy sailing champion. Dennis Canavan (Lab, Falkirk West) is a former Scottish Universities' football international. Clive Efford (Lab, Eltham) admits to being a Millwall supporter, as well as a member of the FA Coaches Club. Clifford Forsythe (Ulster Unionist, Antrim South) was a professional footballer for seven years in the 1950s.

Swimming is the next most popular sporting activity, listed by 69 MPs. Among them are the Minister for Overseas Development, Clare Short, and the leader of the opposition, William Hague. Nicholas Winterton (Con, Macclesfield), an MP since 1971, claims to swim and jog as well as to play squash, tennis and hockey. Desmond Swayne (Con, New Forest West) does 440 yards daily in the Serpentine. Of the swimmers, 42 are Labour against 19 Conservatives, who are presumably now skilled at swimming against the tide.

Cricket is only just beaten into third place, with 63 MPs declaring that they like it. (Eight admit they only watch but, as with football, some of the rest are probably only watchers too, but don't say so.) The cricketers include Bernie Grant (Lab, Tottenham), both the Eagle sisters, Maria (Lab, Liverpool Garston) and Angela (Lab, Wallasey) - Maria played for Lancashire women - and the arch-Europhobe John Redwood (Con, Wokingham), who no doubt likes a 22yd dash along the village green, providing it doesn't cross the border into Germany.

Tennis is played by 51 MPs. Among the ball tossers are the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, and Caroline Flint (Lab, Don Valley), who is said to be [he best-looking woman in the Commons. Also a tennis player is the youngest MP in the House, Chris Leslie (Lab, Shipley). The number of tennis players is roughly even between Tory and Labour, with the Liberal Democrats calling the lines.

Forty-five MPs are golfers, 18 of them Conservatives. They include the Defence Secretary, George Robertson (who probably feels at home in a bunker), the Scottish National Party leader, Alex Salmond (who, appropriately, also fishes) and the Labour MP for Rugby & Kenilworth, Andy King (who, despite his constituency, doesn't play rugby). King also lists dominoes as a recreation. Finally there is Tim Yeo (Suffolk South), a Tory golfer who resigned from office over a love-child episode.

The real men are the mountaineers. Alas, there are but seven of them, including four ministers, but if you add them to the hill and fell walkers, and general climbers, they number 39. Of these, 31 are Labour MPs - perhaps because they are used to uphill struggles.

While Labour marches resolutely up hills, nearly the same number of MPs (34) are coming down the other side skiing. These are overwhelmingly Tories (30): this may reflect a higher standard of living but it may equally be the result of their now having more time to get away. Among the few Labour skiers is the appropriately named Bob Blizzard (Waveney). Not to be outdone, the Tories have a skier called Howard Flight (Arundel & South Downs).

Thirty-one MPs sail. The most prominent is Sir Edward Heath (Con, Old Bexley & Sidcup), whose exploits are recounted in Sailing: a course in my life, published in 1977. Jonathan Sayeed (Con, Bedfordshire Mid), eight years in the Navy, also sails. Not to be outdone, with nine years in the Navy, his colleague Richard Ottaway (Croydon South) races yachts, and specialises in maritime law - useful if he hits someone.

Labour's Gareth Thomas (Harrow West) canoes. Other boaters include the worryingly named Tory Roger Gale (Thanet North), but sadly not the appropriately named undersecretary at Health, Paul Boateng. If one adds the sailors to the windsurfers, water-skiers and divers, they number 41.

Thirty-two MPs run, of which three admit to jogging. Of these, 24 are Labour, including three ministers - Geoff Hoon at the Lord Chancellor's Department, Alun Michael at the Home Office and Alan Howarth, the new Arts Minister. Chris Pond (Lab, Gravesham) has run three London marathons but is getting slower each time; Howard Stoate (Lab, Dartford) and David Lock (Lab, Wyre Forest) also ran the marathon this year. Other runners include Steve McCabe (Lab, Birmingham Hall Green) and Tom Brake (Lib Dem, Carshalton & Wallington), who presumably has no problems stopping.

Thirty-two honourable members express an interest in rugby (17 from Labour - enough for a team) but they do not necessarily play it (eight confess to watching). Humfrey Malins (Con, Woking) once played for Southern Counties against the All Blacks. And Labour's Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey), chair of the all-party rugby group, who helped to found the Women's Sports Foundation in 1984, played for the Barbarians and England, Bedford, Bath and Oxford University.

THE FITNESS INDEX

Sport All parties Labour Tories Lib Dems

Football 111(*)17% 91 22% 10 6% 6 13%
Swimming 69 10% 42 10% 19 12% 7 15%
Cricket 63(*)10% 38 9% 19 12% 6 13%
Tennis 51 8% 23 6% 23 15% 2 4%
Golf 45 7% 17 4% 18 11% 7 15%
Watersports(**) 41 6% 17 4% 20 12% 3 7%
Climbing/Walkg# 39 6% 31 7% 7 4% 1 2%
Skiing 34 5% 4 1% 30 18% 0
Running 32 5% 24 6% 4 2% 1 2%
Rugby 32(*) 5% 20 5% 6 4% 5 11%
Fishing/Angling 25 4% 13 3% 5 3% 2 4%
Cycling 19 3% 15 4% 2 1% 2 4%
Squash 19 3% 10 2% 8 5% 1 2%

* includes uncertain number of non-players

+ includes sailing, windsurfing, water-skiing, all diving

Twenty-five MPs fish or angle, 13 of them Labour men. They include Jack Cunningham, moved this week from Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to cabinet "enforcer". Appropriately named is Andrew Rowe (Con, Faversham & Kent Mid) while the Home Office minister George Howarth is the only man to list that he specifically likes coarse fishing.

Nineteen MPs cycle (four women) including Labour's "Beast of Bolsover", Dennis Skinner. Jon Trickett (Lab, Hemsworth) races and is also an aspiring triathlete; Sir George Young (Con, Hampshire North-West) used to bike into work when he was the secretary of state for transport, and a clear run at his rear wheel must have tempted many a motorist. Desmond Swayne does 12 miles daily but not, this time, in the Serpentine. He also boxes and fences, making him the most dangerous MP to slap around the face with a glove.

Nineteen MPs play squash, including David Faber (Con, Westbury) who lists his special interests as "drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and under-age drinking", which must surely affect his game. About a dozen Tories shoot - though not always themselves in the foot - while 11 MPs (eight Labour), again including the Eagle sisters, play chess. Nine MPs enjoy riding (seven Tories) and nine (five Labour) play badminton, including Bridget Prentice (Lab, Lewisham East), who is a qualified coach. Two MPs hang-glide, including Lembit Opik (Lib Dem, Montgomeryshire) who has been in hospital having vertebrae corrected because of it.

The closest thing to Superman in the Commons is probably Menzies Campbell (Lib Dem, Fife North-East) who held the UK 100m record between 1964 and 1967 and carried the Olympic torch for one leg during the Tokyo games in 1964.

Of the others, some curious pastimes are listed. Sir Anthony Steen (Con, Totnes) is a "tree-hugger", while Brian Sedgemore (Lab, Hackney South & Shoreditch) likes "sleeping on the grass". At least, I think these are pastimes. They could be previous offences. Meanwhile, don't upset Roseanna Cunningham (SNP, Perth), who is into martial arts and aikido, or Desmond Turner (Lab, Brighton Kemptown), one of three MPs who fence. You could end up in a rather different surgery to the one you expect.