TQ's A-Z / Tareq Quiroz / 21 January 2008 / 1

TQ goes through the alphabet as he looks back at the week in the world of sports betting

A is for Adebayor. Arsenal have received lots of plaudits this season for playing amazing football and being the entertainers. Worryingly for others they have now found a Plan B. Adebayor got on the end of some decent deliveries at the weekend and helped himself to two goals as Arsenal beat Fulham 3-0. The title race is still in the balance and the Gunners are available at [4.2] in the league Winner market.

B is for Benjani. Portsmouth finally found the net at home with a solid 3-1 win over Derby. The star of the show was Pompey hitman Benjani who bagged a hat-trick to take his league goal tally to twelve for the season. He will looking to add to his goal haul this weekend as Portsmouth face Plymouth in the FA Cup. Markets for this match are already available with Pompey hot favourites.

C is for Cardiff Blues. A 17-0 win at Bristol was enough to secure Cardiff Blues an unlikely place in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals. Unfancied at the start of the campaign the Blues have impressed with their resilience and determination to progress. They now face a tough trip to Toulouse in the next phase where a win would be a major upset. The Blues are currently available at 20 in the Outright Winner market.

D is for Darcheville. Jean-Claude Darcheville came to Rangers' rescue with a late winner at Inverness. Just when it looked like Celtic were going to be rejoicing at having reduced Rangers lead at the top of the SPL to two points Darcheville slotted home to keep Celtic at bay. The Winner market is intriguing and Rangers just hold the edge as [1.8] favourites.

E is for Easy. There is something about Martin Kaymer that makes golf look very easy. He strolled around the Abu Dhabi golf resort last week without ever really looking like he was too troubled and deservedly came away with his maiden tour win. Can he follow that four shot win up with a victory in Qatar? He is currently available at [26.0] for that event, where Henrik Stenson is the likely favourite.

F is for Ferry. When Bjoern Ferry puts his best ski forward he can be very difficult to beat. He showed that he is hitting form at just the right time with a win in the pursuit race in Antholz at the weekend. Next up is the Biathlon World Championships in Ferry's home country of Sweden. Check out all the markets we already have available for the big event of the year.

G is for Ghana. The opening match of the African Cup of Nations promised much but in reality was a tense affair as the home crowd were expecting a comfortable Ghana win. Their wish came true in dramatic fashion as Portsmouth's Sulley Muntari fired home an unstoppable shot in the last minute to send the crowd into raptures. Check out the latest prices in our Winner market, where Ghana are now [4.3] to win the tournament.

H is for Hewitt. It was the late late show in Melbourne last week as Leyton Hewitt finally secured his passage through to the fourth round at 4:33am local time. Organisers allowed the match to start shortly before midnight and the players duly obliged with a marathon five-setter. Baghdatis looked beat in the fourth set but came roaring back only for Hewitt to take the deciding set. Will we ever see a match finish that late again?

I is for India. India spoiled the party as they ended Australia's hopes of recording a seventeenth straight test win. Despite stubborn resistance from the Aussies, India finally secured a 72 run victory on day four. If you think Australia will bounce straight back then check out the markets for the fourth test which starts on Thursday.

J is for Jones Jr. Once regarded as the best pound for pound boxer ever, Roy Jones Jr was back with a vengeance on Saturday night. He comprehensively outboxed the legendary Felix Trinidad to take an easy points victory. Roy is now talking about taking on Calzaghe, although the Welshman has to beat Hopkins first and that is no easy task. That fight looks sure to go ahead in April so watch out for markets on that very soon.

K is for King Kev. It has been an unbelievable week in Tyneside with the arrival of the man all Geordies wanted. Kevin Keegan is back in football management to try and rescue a forlorn looking Newcastle side. Following an opening draw with Bolton Keegan must now take his side to Arsenal for the FA Cup tie on Saturday. A full range of markets are now available for this in-play game.

L is for Liverpool. It has been an uncertain few weeks for the Merseyside giants and there are no signs of life getting any easier. A 5-0 win over Luton was a brief highpoint that is constantly overshadowed by the takeover talk. All this is putting a lot of pressure on manager Rafael Benitez when he least needs it. If you think the pressure will finally tell and he will be the next Premiership manager to go then check out our Managerial Change market where Benitez is the favourite to be the next to get the axe.

M is for Mark Selby. The Jester from Leicester was no laughing stock on Sunday as he strolled to a resounding 10-3 win over Stephen Lee in the final of the Masters. Selby has proved himself to be a top draw player over the last couple of years and has now got the title his great play has deserved. If you fancy he can go on and take the World Championships in April then you can currently back him at [11.5]

N is for New York Giants. The Giants booked their place in the Superbowl with an overtime win in Green Bay. A 47 yard field goal from Lawrence Tynes was the decisive act that meant that the Giants would face the Patriots in the biggest event in the US sporting calendar. There will be a huge range of markets available for what promises to be a fantastic occasion.

O is for Osasuna. The bottom of the Spanish Primera Liga is very tight so Osasuna's 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao was huge in their fight to escape relegation to Segunda division. Ten man Bilbao couldn't hold out Osasuna and although they are only one point off the bottom three they are now trading at [3.6] in the Relegation market.

P is for Putting. To win golf tournaments there is nothing more useful than a hot putter on a Sunday afternoon. DJ Trahan found that out as stormed to a three shot victory in the Bob Hope Classic. Trahan took only 23 putts in the final round as he overcame overnight leader Justin Leonard. This week's PGA Tour event is the Buick Invitational where Tiger Woods makes his first start of the 2008 season. Rather predictably he currently heads the market at current odds of [2.44]

Q is for Qera. Gloucester secured a home tie in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals with a hard fought win over a gallant Ulster side. Fijian Akapusi Qera was a constant thorn in Ulster's side and finished the game with two tries. This well fancied Gloucester side are now 6.6 to become Heineken Cup champions this year.

R is for Rocky. Havant & Waterlooville have produced the story of the FA Cup this year. The non-league outfit beat Swansea 4-2 in the cup replay on Wednesday night to set up a money spinning trip to Anfield. Great rewards for a great cup run and striker Rocky Baptiste will be looking to add to his two goals against Swansea with another against the mighty Liverpool. There are lots of markets currently available for this game.

S is for Siena. Relegation threatened Siena hauled themselves out of the bottom three with a valuable away win at Palermo. Having twice been pegged back after taking the lead Siena's third goal proved decisive and has given them renewed hope of avoiding the drop to Serie B. The bottom of Serie A is very tight and so is our Relegation market, where Siena are currently 2.4 to finish in the bottom three.

T is for Tamarinbleu. In form trainer David Pipe took the honours with the weeks big race win. Well ridden by Tom Scudamore, Tamarinbleu made all to win the Victor Chandler Chase by a comfortable twelve lengths. Hot favourite Twist Magic was well beaten but still tops the antepost market for the Champion Chase, where Tamarinbleu is still a tempting 9.4

U is for Unbelievable. You can put as much careful preparation into your pre-season as is possible but you cannot legislate for injuries picked up in friendlies. Bradford Bulls found this out to their cost on Sunday as two of their big name stars were injured in a friendly with Wigan Warriors. The inspirational figure of David Solomona will be a massive loss with the start of the Super League only two weeks away. It should be a fantastic season with plenty of teams aiming for the Grand Final. St. Helens head our Grand Final Winner market at odds of around [3.4]

V is for VVV. PSV are top of the Dutch Eredivisie and looking good to secure the title but they were surprisingly held by VVV to a 1-1 draw on Sunday. Even more surprising considering VVV played the final hour with only ten men. A great result for VVV and a let off for PSV as Ajax failed to win to close the gap at the top. PSV are currently available at 2.42 in the league Winner market.

W is for Women's World Cup. Sun City played host to a fabulous Women's World Cup of Golf. A thrilling finale saw a surprise win for the Philippines. Dorothy Delasin and Jennifer Rosales were the happy pair that lifted the trophy with a two shot victory over Korea. Keep an eye out for all our markets on the next Women's golf tournament.

X is for X-Rated. All the top European leagues have their fair share of fiery encounters and this week it was the turn of France. There were a few lively games but the pick of the bunch was Le Mans v Bordeaux. There were 5 yellows and 2 red cards in the 2-1 win for Bordeaux. Check out our Sending-off? markets if you think you know which league will have its disciplinary problems this week.

Y is for Yet Again. We are now into the second week of the Australian Open and after an exciting first week with plenty of great matches there is now a sudden inevitability about the outcome. Federer only gets better in these events and looks hard to beat now that he has had his one fright. Currently available at [1.66] for the title that may seem like a big price come Sunday.

Z is for Zzzzz. It's not often that Juve are associated with a bore draw but they were certainly involved in an unappetising 0-0 draw on Sunday at home to Sampdoria. Usually a free scoring team, they couldn't find a way past Sampdoria's stubborn defence. Juve are away at Livorno this week and you can expect them to get back on the scoring trail there. Check out our Match Odds market where Juventus are currently available at [1.9]

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>

(1)

1. Leo | 21 January 2008

   Good stuff. Very informative....I neednt buy the papers anymore! Selby could be the next big thing but I have to doubt he will win the world champs this year. Roy Jones wouldnt get any joy out of Calzaghe but I guess it would make good box office.

:

:

:

?

: