TQ's A-Z / Tareq Quiroz / 19 November 2007 / 1

TQ goes through the alphabet as he looks back at an intriguing week in the world of sport

A is for Australia. The Aussies are trying to win the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka after declaring on 210 and setting Sri Lanka 507 to win. But despite no team in Test history ever chasing down such a monumental total, the visitors have given themselves a fighting chance after a superb ton from Kumar Sangakkara who is still not out on 109. Check out the match odds on this one.
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B is for Bristol. French Champions Stade Francais found a stubborn Bristol team too much for them to handle at the Memorial Ground on Sunday. Are outsiders Bristol now a team to be reckoned with in the Heineken Cup? Last matched at 180 they will certainly be worth keeping an eye on.

C is for Crouch. The much maligned Peter Crouch came to a stuttering England's rescue in Vienna. With Owen injured Crouch will be leading the line against Croatia on Wednesday night. If you fancy Crouch to carry on where he left off in Austria then check him out in the First Goalscorer market.

D is for Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys had to dig deep against a fired-up Washington Redskins but finally prevailed 28-23. That win keeps Dallas in a good position in the NFC and firmly on the tails of Superbowl favourites New England Patriots. At around 8 in the Winner market they may still be worth a punt.

E is for Ebbsfleet. Non-league side Ebbsfleet Utd have this week agreed to sell the club to fans community website MyFootballClub. 20,000 people will all have an equal share in the club and even get involved in picking the team. Innovative yes but if you think it can be successful then check out our league Promotion market.

F is Federer. Just when you think he is starting to lose his aura of invincibility, the Federer express comes roaring back to sweep aside all before him. After suffering an opening tournament loss to Fernando Gonzalez the man was imperious and finally wrapped up the Masters title by destroying Ferrer in a one-sided final. He is currently 1.62 for the Australian Open title and that price, prohibitive as it is looks, seems pretty fair to me.

G is for Gekas. Greece secured top spot in their Euro 2008 qualifying group with a resounding 5-0 win over Malta. Star of the show was Theofanis Gekas who bagged a hat-trick. If you think anyone can repeat the feat in the midweek Internationals then take a look at the Hat-trick scored? market in all our in-play matches.

H is for Healy. Northern Ireland striker David Healy became the record scorer in a Euro qualifying campaign when he scored a sublime goal against Denmark on Saturday. It was Healy's 13th goal of the campaign and he will be looking to add to that tally against Spain on Wednesday evening. Check out the To Score market for that game.

I is for Israel. Omer Golan was the most popular player in England on Saturday as he netted the winner for Israel against a disbelieving Russian unit. That 2-1 win gave the Israelis some pride and the English reason to celebrate. If they avoid defeat against Croatia England will qualify, and are currently 1.12 in the To Qualify market for Group E.

J is for Jimenez. Cigar smoking, fast car loving Miguel Angel Jimenez picked off yet another tournament victory in the Hong Kong Open. A man in form at just the right time, Jimenez could be worth an investment in the Order of Merit market at around 100.

K is for Kallis. South Africa needed only 3 days of their test match to record a victory over New Zealand. Jacques Kallis did all the damage with the bat as he top scored with 131. Can South Africa continue their domination of the tour with victory in the T20 International on Friday? They are currently 1.4 in the Match Odds.

L is for L'Antartique. Well fancied L'Antartique came out on top in a dramatic Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Saturday. The game seven year old held on by a neck for a deserved victory in the week's big race. The showpiece this week is the Betfair Chase and prices are available in the Antepost market which is lead by last year's winner Kauto Star.

M is for MK Dons. Paul Ince is working his managerial magic down at MK Dons and after a solid 2-0 win at Chester they are now 4 points clear at the top of League Two. If you think they can kick on from there and win the league then 2.4 is certainly a decent price for them in the league winner market

N is for Netball. The World Netball Champs came to a close in Auckland on Saturday with defending champions New Zealand just beaten in the final by a determined Australia. England were pipped by Jamaica for the 3rd spot and will be hoping for better next time.

O is for Ochoa. There has been a changing of the guard in Women's golf and new World number one Lorena Ochoa showed her class in the ADT Championships with a two shot victory. The $1Million first prize will certainly come in handy but will count for nothing at the start of next season when no doubt Sorenstam will be back to try and reclaim her number one status. Watch out for the prices on those two in the big tournaments.

P is for Poulter. Englishman Ian Poulter claimed the Dunlop Phoenix tournament with a three shot win over Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano. Poulter has been in great form all year and that win was always on the cards. Teamed up with Justin Rose in next week's World Cup they will be incredibly hard to beat and represent good value at around 4 in the Winner market.

Q is for Qualification. The talking is almost done and the final action is upon us in the bid to qualify for Euro 2008. Wednesday night sees a whole host of teams still striving to qualify for the finals next June. Four of the eight groups still have qualification questions to be answered so check out the group To Qualify markets for a sign of value.

R is for Riquelme. The Villareal playmaker was at his best as Argentina overcame Bolivia 3-0 to boost their chances of qualification for the World Cup 2010. Riquelme bagged a brace in the comfortable win but things are likely to be a lot harder on Tuesday night in Colombia.. Check out the Match Odds if you think you know how that contest will pan out.

S is for Samoa. The 10th and final place in next year's Rugby League World Cup was secured by a useful Samoan side in the final eliminator against Lebanon. Many former New Zealanders have switched allegiance to play for Samoa and although Rugby League is a sport dominated by the three superpowers you can be sure that Samoa will have their eyes on a surprise next year. Australia are very short at 1.3 in the Winner market so take a look elsewhere for the value.

T is for Thornton. In a thrilling climax to the Winmau World Masters title, Scotsman Robert Thornton claimed a 7-5 win over showman Darryl Fitton. It was a great end to a super weekend of darts but now the attention switches to the Grand Slam of Darts where the action is only just underway. Taylor has shortened in the Winner market but is still value and you cannot ignore Barney at a big looking 4.3

U is for Undecided. Just watching a Next Manager market develop can be very intriguing. Incredibly we have had four different candidates trade at odds on for the Next Wigan Manager market as rumours fly in and prices plummet. Has Dave Whelan finally settled on Steve Bruce? Check out that and the other manager markets for great trading opportunities.

V is for Vargas. Juan Manuel Vargas is this week the toast of Peru as he scored an unexpected equaliser in the World Cup 2010 qualifier against the mighty Brazil. Both teams get a chance to improve on their qualification record on Wednesday night with away fixtures. There are plenty of markets available for both matches so go check them out and see if Brazil are a good price to bounce back.

W is for World Rally Champs. Sebastien Loeb secured a vital win in the Rally Ireland on Sunday. Championship leader Marcus Gronholm crashed out of the race on Friday and Loeb took full advantage to now take over as the leader with just one race to go. Anything could happen in that final rally so take a look at the WRC Winner market and see where you think the value lies.

X is for X-rated. Leeds are the form side of League One but with a certain Dennis Wise at the helm they are not likely to win any fair play awards. However, last weekend it was the opposing side Swindon who were the offenders as they had seven players booked as frustration got the better of them against the useful Leeds outfit. If you fancy a bet on plenty of bookings in this week's in-play games then check out the booking markets we have available.

Y is for Y? Why oh why did Italy get that free-kick in the dying minutes of their game with Scotland? There seemed to be no way that the decision could go to the Italians way but the officials saw it differently to everybody else and the rest, as they say, is history. I don't think the Italians will need any such interventions against the Faroe Islands on Wednesday. In such one-sided games it can pay to check out our range of match markets. Total Goals is always a good option and 6 or more goals catches my eye.

Z is for Zzzzz. League One may not be the place to see the most enlightening football of a weekend but the least a fan deserves is a bit of action. This is not the case at Luton recently, they have recorded back to back 0-0 draws in the league. This is not what the fans need as the winter draws in and they will be looking for at least a goal on Saturday as Luton entertain Southend. Surely they won't get a hat-trick of 0-0 draws so check out the Correct Score market and lay that 0-0.

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1. Juan | 19 November 2007

   Like the style of this piece. I even backed some of the winners from last week so its always good to read about them again!

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