Only FA Cup Final fans singing at Wembley tops horseracing's iconic 'Cheltenham Roar' when it comes to atmospheric UK sporting events, a new study has revealed. And while 30% said a football crowd was the best sound in sport, 17% adore the 'thunder' of horses' hooves on turf, and 13% are thrilled by the cricket 'crack' of leather on willow.

The "Cheltenham Roar" is the enthusiastic cheer from over 65,000 spectators that erupts at the start of next Tuesday's opening race of the Cheltenham Festival - the Supreme Novices' Hurdle. It signifies the start of the four-day event in March, so ahead of next week's event a survey by bookmakers Coral of 1,001 sports fans found that as a nation we are obsessed with sporting sounds.

When it comes to specific events and their crowd noises, the FA Cup Final came top, followed by Cheltenham, the World Darts Championship, the tennis at Wimbledon and the British F1 Grand Prix at Silverstone.

In terms of physical sensations, 31% said they get goosebumps when the tape goes up for the start of a race at Cheltenham, while 26% said their spine tingles - 14% shout themselves hoarse and lose their voice.

For those dedicated fans who lose their voices in the grandstand, 31% said it takes them half a day to recover, while 16% have to wait a full 24 hours for theirs to recover.

David Stevens, Head of Coral PR said: "The Cheltenham Roar is a release of months of anticipation and nervous energy and signals the start of the biggest racing event of the year.

"Our research shows that sports fans find it more iconic than the Mexican Wave, proving that while the wave might be fun for the cameras, nothing beats the raw - or should that be roar - passion of the Cheltenham Festival."

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Which is the most atmospheric UK sporting event?

The FA Cup Final (37%)

Cheltenham Festival (22%)

The World Darts Championship (14%)

Wimbledon (12%)

British Grand Prix (11%)

What sporting sound do you like the most?

The chant of a football crowd (30%)

Horse hooves thundering down the straight (17%)

The Cheltenham Roar (14%)

The sound of a cricket bat striking a ball (13%)

A driver hitting a golf ball (7%)

Getting a 180 in darts (7%)

Boxers being introduced (7%)