TQ's A-Z / Tareq Quiroz / 07 April 2008 /

TQ runs through the weekend's sporting heroes

A is for Alfonso Alves. Bought for £12.5m, Alfonso Alves was beginning to look like a suspect purchase by Boro. On Sunday afternoon that all changed as the Brazilian hitman netted a brace against league leaders Man Utd. Those goals will settle him down whilst giving Utd a reminder that the title race isn't done and dusted just yet. If you think they can still be caught then check out the league winner market, where they are currently available at [1.4].

B is for Boston Celtics. A 101-78 win over Charlotte Bobcats extended Boston Celtics' winning streak to six and further emphasised their position as the season's in-form team. It is a long hard season however and the Eastern Conference's lead team will have plenty of tough rivals come the play-offs. If you think they are too good for the rest then check out the outright Winner market, where they are current market leaders at [3.75].

C is for Comply Or Die. A magnificent ride from Timmy Murphy saw Comply Or Die win the Grand National on Saturday afternoon. Always in the mix the David Pipe trained horse took the lead over the final fence and fended off all challengers to take the coveted prize. Early antepost prices for the 2009 Grand National have Comply Or Die available at around [19.0] to complete back-to-back wins.

D is for Dale Steyn. South African pace bowler Dale Steyn rattled through the Indian batsmen in quick fire fashion as SA completed a comfortable win over India in the 2nd Test. Steyn took eight wickets in the match and helped SA to a 1-0 lead in the series. India will be hoping for revenge in the 3rd Test on Friday and are currently available at [2.88] in the Match Odds market.

E is for Empoli. An 87th minute strike from Vannucchi was enough to give Serie A strugglers Empoli a vital 1-0 win away at Torino. That victory has taken them off the foot of the table and given them renewed hope that they can avoid the drop. They are still in the bottom three however and are currently trading at [1.6] in the league relegation market.

F is for Fenerbahce. It has been a great week for Turkish giants Fenerbahce as they earned two valuable wins. On Wednesday they came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 in the Champions League first leg before claiming a crucial league win over Kayserispor. They are odds on to secure the Turkish Super League but face a tough test to progress to the next stage of the Champions League. Despite their first leg lead Fenerbahce are currently [3.75] in the To Qualify market for that tie.

G is for Gregory Bourdy. Frenchman Gregory Bourdy claimed the Estoril Open on Sunday afternoon in dramatic fashion. Bourdy had a comfortable overnight lead and it seemed he would saunter to victory but that thought was quickly erased as he made a poor start to the final round. A great back nine was enough to force a three-way play-off which he won at the third extra hole. All attention now turns to the Masters, where the main European challenge is likely to come from Padraig Harrington at current odds of around [29.0].

H is for Hyderabad Heroes. Against popular opinion Hyderabad Heroes took the ICL Twenty20 trophy with a 2-0 series win over hot favourites Lahore Badshahs. In a dramatic second match the Heroes somehow failed to reach an easy looking target and eventually tied the match. The match was then settled by a bowlout in which none of the Badshah bowlers managed to hit the target and the Heroes won 3-0. All attention now turns to the much awaited IPL series which is due to start on the 18th April. The Outright Winner market is already on site and Hyderabad are the current market leaders.

I is for Inter Milan. After a rocky period Inter got back to winning ways with a 2-0 win Atalanta. Vieira opened the scoring and Inter never looked in much danger after that. Their lead is just four points with six games left to go so the race for the title is still very much on. Check out the Serie A Winner market, where Inter are still clear favourites at [1.26].

J is for Johnson Wagner. What a week for Texan Johnson Wagner. A player in no form whatsoever led the Shell Houston Open from start to finish to claim his first tour title. Despite looking shaky coming down the stretch he held on for a two shot win and grabbed the added bonus of a place in the Masters. The big one starts on Thursday and with the excitement already at fever pitch it is Tiger who heads the Winner market at current odds of [2.3].

K is for Khan. Amir Khan shows remarkable levels of composure for one so young and that was apparent again in his seventh round KO of Dane Martin Kristjansen. Khan bided his time with a tricky opponent before eventually finding the winning shots. There is no doubt he will get a world title crack very soon and it would take a brave man to oppose him.

L is for Leuluai. Wigan and Brian Noble in particular seem to have a bit of a hold over world champions Leeds. The Warriors went to the Rhino's on Saturday and with a tremendous defensive effort ground out a 14-10 win. With talisman Trent Barrett injured it was Thomas Leuluai who stepped up to the plate with a fabulous display to inspire his team to a well deserved win. If you think Wigan can carry this form on then check out the Regular Season Winner market, where they are trading at [8.4].

M is for Massa. It hadn't been a great start to the F1 season for Brazilian Felipe Massa but that was all put behind him with a fairly unopposed win in Bahrain. Starting from second on the grid he flew to the first corner and was never headed as he came home ahead of Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen. The next GP is in Barcelona in three weeks time, watch out for all the markets on that.

N is for Nikolay Davydenko. Nikolay Davydenko is a man that often goes overlooked when searching for the winner of a major title. Perhaps the world number four will grab more of the limelight after his stunning win over Rafael Nadal in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open. There is no regular tournament this week for the guys as all attention turns to the Davis Cup. Check out all the markets currently available for this weeks matches.

O is for Olympiacos. The Greek National Liga looks like it is going to go right down to the final game. Olympiacos currently head the league after a hard fought 2-1 win over Larissa on Sunday. The three points there keeps them just two points ahead of AEK Athens with just two games left to play. Check out the league Winner market for all the latest odds.

P is for Peter Manley. 'One Dart' Peter Manley was in top form on Thursday evening as he beat Barney 8-6 in the Premier League. It was a surprising win for Manley and he will be hoping to follow it up with a win over Terry Jenkins this coming Thursday. The big match that night however is Taylor v Barney and with Taylor in ominous form Barney will have to find something special to beat him. All match prices are now available on site.

Q is for Quality. There is no substitute for class and that is what Toulouse have in abundance. They are an absolute joy to watch as they play such an attractive style of rugby and were at their usual best on Sunday as they comfortably beat Cardiff Blues 41-17 in the Heineken Cup. Toulouse will now head to Twickenham for their semi-final, where they will meet an extremely useful London Irish outfit. Watch out for markets on that match in a few weeks time.

R is for Ramnaresh Sarwan. West Indies claimed a six wicket victory in the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka and ended the series tied at 1-1. Set the target of chasing down 253 for victory it was Ramnaresh Sarwan who provided the bulk of those runs, scoring 102 off 172 balls. That gave the West Indies the impetus they needed to go and level the series quite comfortably in the end.

S is for Saracens. Saracens put their EDF Energy defeat to the Ospreys firmly behind them with a fantastic win over the same rivals in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup. It was a brutal defensive effort from Saracens to keep the Ospreys at bay for much of the match and that resulted in a well deserved 19-10 win. Now into the semis anything can happen and Saracens are currently available at [8.2] in the Heineken Cup Winner market.

T is for Trilogy. Much of the football talk over the last week has been in relation to the three games inside a week between Arsenal and Liverpool. Unbelievably, just like their first match earlier the season the first two games both finished 1-1. Clearly there is very little to choose between the two sides and that should make for an intriguing encounter in the final match-up on Tuesday night in the Champions League quarter-final second leg. Check out the latest prices on the Correct Score, where 1-1 is trading at [6.8].

U is for Unstoppable. Tiger Woods is the main man in the world of golf but in the women's game we have a similar dominant figure in that of Lorena Ochoa. The Mexican is wiping all that goes before her at the moment and she emphasised that with a five stroke win in the first major of the season at the weekend. Keep an eye out for our next set of Women's golf markets.

V is for Voy Por Ustedes. Many experts thought that the most impressive win at the Cheltenham festival was that of Master Minded in the Champion Chase. He simply sauntered home that day and many thought he would do the same at Aintree on Friday, but surprisingly he found one too good. Voy Por Ustedes was the worthy winner of the Melling Chase as he exposed Master Minded for an apparent lack of stamina at the trip. Master Minded will definitely head back to two miles now and is currently [2.5] in the antepost market for next years Champion Chase.

W is for Williams. It was a topsy-turvy tournament for Serena Williams but she eventually claimed the Sony Ericsson Open with a win over Jelena Jankovic. Earlier in the week she had destroyed Justine Henin before looking to be heading out against Kuznetsova after hurting her back. She battled back in that match and seemingly cruising against Jankovic in the final she inexplicably seemed to tighten at the vital points before finally putting her rival away. The WTA Tour heads to Florida this week for the Bausch & Lomb Champs, where it's Maria Sharapova that heads the market.

X is for X-Rated. In a massive game for Villarreal it was their temper that finally got the better of them as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at Sevilla. With their title chances slipping away it was a fiery second half that saw the match end with nine bookings and one red card. Keep an eye on next weeks big La Liga game for all the bookings related markets.

Y is for Yet Again. There is something about Dwain Chambers that just draws him to the forefront of the sporting focal point. Once more he was on the back pages of all our newspapers with stories of him now having a trial at with rugby league team Castleford. Chambers was at Castleford's game against St Helens on Sunday and saw them record a superb 30-24 win. Cas are still hot favourites to finish bottom of Super League but they are certainly no pushovers, as St Helens and Leeds can vouch for.

Z is for Zzzzz. Barcelona are renowned for their attractive football and certainly with the fabulous array of talent they have on offer they are usually great to watch. Sunday however was a different matter as a stuttering Barca side were held to 0-0 at home to Getafe, despite being safe in the knowledge that league leaders Real Madrid had only drawn the night before. This bore draw may well be the end of their challenge for the title as Real are now seven points clear with seven games to go.

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