TQ's A-Z / Tareq Quiroz / 03 December 2007 / 1

TQ goes through the alphabet as he sums up the main stories from the world of sport over the past week

A is for Adebayor. Arsenal hitman Emmanuel Adebayor thumped a header past the helpless Scott Carson as the Premier League leaders won 2-1 at an in-form Villa. Things are tight in the league Winner market where the Gunners are backable at around 2.98

B is for Baa Baa's. World Champions South Africa were comprehensively beaten by a superb Barbarians side. Jason Robinson, in his final ever game, inspired his side to a well-deserved win. I am sure the Springboks won't be too dispirited by this defeat and in the World Cup 2011 market they are currently second favourites.

C is for Countdown. We are almost there, the much awaited clash of the undefeated pair of Hatton and Mayweather is almost there. Tension is building and I am sure that both fighters can't wait for the first bell. Mayweather still holds the edge in the market and is currently trading at 1.56.

D is for Denman. Paul Nicholls was at it again as Denman defied top-weight to take the Hennessy Gold Cup. It was a very impressive run and so much so that he has now been installed as the new favourite in the Antepost market for next years Gold Cup.

E is for Euro 2008 Draw. It may have conveniently escaped most England fans attention but the Euro 2008 finals draw took place in Lucerne on Sunday. Clearly the biggest news is that Holland, Italy and France were all drawn in the same group. This has lead to an edge towards the likes of Spain and Germany. Check out the Winner market for the latest prices.

F is for Finch. Englishman Richard Finch captured his first title on tour with a win in the New Zealand Open. He overcame a nervy back nine to win by three strokes and he certainly looks the kind of player who will win more titles in his career. This week there is a choice of top quality events in South Africa and Australia, check out the Winner markets for the value bets.

G is for Gibbs. An awesome display from Herschelle Gibbs saw South Africa wrap up a one-day series win over New Zealand. A knock of 119 off 101 balls meant that it was a pretty comfortable win for SA. They can have a few weeks off now before their Test series against West Indies, which starts on Boxing Day. Watch out for markets for that series coming very soon.

H is for Hat-Trick. Struggling Toulouse must have thought they were on the verge of turning their season around when Johan Elmander smacked in a second-half hat-trick to bring them back from 3-0 down against Bordeaux. His heroics were to be of no avail however as Bordeaux snatched a late winner. The Hat-Trick scored? market is very popular and can be found on Monday nights Man Utd v Fulham game where I am sure one of the hitmen on show will fancy they can match Elmander's feat.

I is for Immelman. South African Trevor Immelman added his name to a list of great players who have won the Nedbank Challenge on Sunday. It seemed neither he nor Justin Rose wanted to win it as they both faltered at the end, but it was Immelman who came out on top. He is certainly worth following in the big events next year and he is currently on offer at around 60 in the Masters next April.

J is for Jazz. Utah Jazz are making their mark in this years NBA, a big victory over the Lakers in midweek has kept them top of their division. In a wide open championship the Jazz may well represent some value at 25 in the Winner market.

K is for Kaka. AC Milan's superb playmaker Kaka was this week named Europe's Footballer of the Year. It capped a brilliant year for the Brazilian and I am sure he will be looking to add more silverware to his collection this season. Second in that vote was Cristiano Ronaldo and he will be hoping to go one better in the PFA Player of the Year awards. If you think he will then he is currently available at 4 in that market.

L is for Larsson. Former Gunner Sebastian Larsson slammed home a stunning strike to condemn Spurs to yet another defeat. It was a sweet victory for new Birmingham boss Alex McLeish. That win lifts them clear of the relegation zone but if you take a look at the Relegation market you will find you can still lay them at 4.1 to go down.

M is for Muralitharan. Spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan put England to the sword in the 1st Test in Kandy. His haul of 6 wickets in the first innings meant that he overtook fellow spin legend Shane Warne as the all-time test wickets taker. The match itself could still go either way, check out the Match Odds for the latest prices.

N is for Not Again. A big groan went up in many parts of Birmingham on Sunday afternoon as the draw for the 3rd round of the FA Cup was made, as for the fourth time in seven years Aston Villa pulled Man Utd out of the hat. This tough draw has seen both teams lengthen in the Winner market where Chelsea are favourites.

O is for O'Sullivan.The rocket Ronnie O'Sullivan once again confirmed his dominance in the snooker Premier League. He claimed his fourth consecutive crown with a 7-4 win over John Higgins. The UK Championship gets underway this week and Ronnie is a clear favourite and trading at around 4.6

P is for PSV. It has been a great week for PSV with wins in both the Champions League and the Dutch Eridvisie. A 1-0 win in Moscow has kept alive their hopes of qualifying from their group whilst another 1-0 win in the league has sent them top as Ajax suffered a surprise home defeat. That title race is well and truly on, check out the Winner market for that league if you think you can find the winner.

Q is for Quaresma. The top two teams clashed in the big match in the Portuguese Superliga on Saturday and it was Porto who came out on top. A strike from the fabulous Quaresma gave Porto a win 1-0 win at Benfica takes them eight points clear at the top of the table. Porto are now very short to win the title but may be worth a lay in the Winner market if you fancy a late season collapse.

R is for Redknapp. What a difference a week can make in football. Harry Redknapp was being touted as a strong candidate for the Next England Manager at the start of the week and by the end he was yet again involved in off field controversy. The Next England Manager market really is thriving with Capello and Mourinho vying for favouritism at around the 4 mark.

S is for Sports Personality Awards. A short-ish list of 10 has been drawn up for the annual SPOTY awards. The winner will be crowned on Sunday with the market indicating that Lewis Hamilton is in pole position to claim the award. Hatton is hot on his heels though so check out Winner market to see who you think will take the title.

T is for Tcherezov.The Biathlon season is back and in a fantastic opening event the Men's Pursuit race was surprisingly won by Ivan Tcherezov. Biathlon legend Ole Einar Bjoerndalen was hotly fancied to follow up his Sprint victory but a poor final shoot cost him and the Russian gladly took advantage. Check out the range of markets available for this week's event from Hochfilzen.

U is for USA. The Davis Cup was won for the 32nd time by a fired-up US team. They dominated the opening singles matches and secured the title when double specialists, the Bryan brothers, beat the Russian pairing on Saturday. It won't be too long before they start all over again so keep an eye out for our 2008 Davis Cup winner market.

V is for Van Gerwen. The draw for the PDC World Championships threw up a fascinating first round encounter as 13 times world champion Phil Taylor pulled the Dutch hotshot Michael Van Gerwen out of the bag. Neither of them could have asked for a harder first round draw. Markets for all the first round matches are now available so check out your fancies.

W is for Werder Bremen. It was a terrific week for Bremen as they kept alive their Champions League hopes with a 3-2 win over Real Madrid. Clearly buoyed by that win they beat 3rd placed Hamburg 2-1 in the Bundesliga to keep the gap to leaders Bayern Munich to just one point. With only four points separating the top three in that league maybe Bayern are a little short at 1.38 in the league Winner market?

X is for X-Rated. Sevilla's poor league form continued at the weekend when they were beaten 1-0 by Almeria. It was an ill tempered affair that saw nine yellows and one red card. Sevilla are back in action on Wednesday night with a trip to Osasuna, check out the Match Odds market if you think Sevilla can keep their heads this time and get a much needed win.

Y is for Yet Another Position. It seems that every time Rugby League convert Andy Farrell gets settled in a position he gets moved to another. It may well be that he never finds a settled position but he certainly was very impressive at fly-half on Saturday as he inspired Saracens to a super second-half comeback to qualify for the semi-finals of the EDF Energy Cup. If you think Farrell can take them all the way to the trophy then check out the Outright Winner market where Saracens are currently available at around 8.

Z is for Zzzzz. Since beating Reading 7-4 in a humdinger at Fratton Park in September Portsmouth have followed up with three consecutive 0-0 league draws at home. An incredible statistic for one of the leagues most attack minded teams. Watch out for their next home game against Spurs in 2 weeks time, surely 0-0 must be a nailed on lay in that match!

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1. Lewis Appleby | 03 December 2007

   Cannot wait for the fight on Saturday. Still debating on where my money is going but slowly edging towards Hatton.

   When I saw the teams in the Euro 2008 draw I had to admit that England would have difficulty beating the majority of them. I came to the conclusion that it may have been even more of an embarrassment to get there and finish bottom of the group with -20 goal difference!

   Would have loved us to be placed in the group with Croatia and Germany though!

   I'm really surprised with Sevilla's home record. They looked superb against Arsenal the other week.

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