By Finola Bracken

ALMOST half of Scots voted their most magical moment of 2008 to be Andy Murray's blistering performance in the final of the US Open, according to a new survey.

The tennis player's heroics propelled the event into 2008's Top 20 Magic Moments.

Great Britain's performance at this year's Olympic Games was hailed as the No1 moment.

And Scot Chris Hoy, newly-named as Glasgow's Sportsperson of the Year, who became the first British athlete for 100 years to win three gold medals at a single Games, saw his exploits take him into seventh place.

This year our athletes scooped an impressive 47 medals - compared to the 30 medals we walked away with in 2004.

Fourteen of the medals were achieved in the velodrome, and 15 on the water.

The poll of 3000 Britons was conducted in conjunction with the release of a new magical fantasy drama Merlin Vol 1 today.

Second place in the poll goes to Barack Obama's victory in the American presidential election. The long-running campaign battle between Obama and John McCain gripped Scots as well as Americans, and many are delighted he has become the first African-American to win the White House.

Third place in the poll goes to another sporting achievement - Lewis Hamilton clinching the Formula One World Championship.

Many thought the driver had lost out on the title after he trailed in six place during the Brazilian Grand Prix, but in a nail-biting final lap he moved back up to fifth place and secured the points needed for victory.

And the return of the Cadbury Wispa bar has caused chocolate lovers across the UK to get excited; its relaunch appears at number five in the poll.

TV and big screen also featured, with the return of X Factor and the release of the Batman movie The Dark Knight completing the top 10.

The poll reveals that cinema is hugely popular with Scots, with the releases of Sex and the City, Quantum of Solace and Mamma Mia! being more important to us than to our English and Welsh cousins.

We took to the streets to ask you, what was your magic moment of 2008? From birthdays to new babies, 2008 was a special year for you FIONA CAMPBELL, 22, Motherwell, banker: The overall performance of Team GB in the Olympics was superb. I don't normally watch it but this year I did. ALLAN GREIG, 55, Paisley, property consultant: As a Paisley man, I would have to say St Mirren's 1-0 victory over Rangers. BLAIR JOHNSTON, 21, Newton Mearns, student: Moving to New Zealand for six months - it was sunny the whole time! GILLIAN CAMPBELL, 23, Motherwell, banker: I thought the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games was better and more spectacular than ever. YVONNE GREIG, 50, Paisley, office manager: Celebrating my 50th year, I had a most enjoyable birthday party. KARINA MOORE, 27, East Kilbride, sales assistant: The birth of my son was the best moment of my year. JOSEPH MAIR, 24, Cranhill, scaffolder: I got a new job, meaning I have more money to spend. CAMMY MURRAY, 40, East Kilbride, charge nurse: Being at the birth of my son was fantastic.