TQ's A-Z / Tareq Quiroz / 20 May 2008 /

Check out TQ's A to Z of the week on Betfair. What are his alpha bets this week?

A is for Ali Carter. Beaten World Championship finalist Ali Carter got back to winning ways by claiming the Huangshan Cup in China. Carter overcame a stubborn Marco Fu in the final to win 5-3. Carter will be hoping to go one better at next years World Championships and there is already a market available for that, where Carter is currently available at [30.0].

B is for Big Brown. Wonder horse Big Brown lived up to his tag with another impressive display to win the Preakness Stakes. He simply powered away from his rivals for an easy five length success. That was the second leg of the Triple Crown and he now needs the Belmont Stakes in early June to become just the twelfth horse in history to capture the coveted Triple Crown. Keep an eye out for markets on that race.

C is for Celtics. It was a lot closer than many people expected but the Boston Celtics finally dispatched the Cleveland Cavaliers to move onto to the next stage of the NBA play-offs. The Celtics wrapped up the series 4-3 with a home win on Sunday evening and will now face the Detroit Pistons for a place in the final. Check out all the match and outright markets for all the latest odds.

D is for Draw. As the England v New Zealand 1st Test entered its final day the draw was by far the most likely result. The 1st test was something of a damp squib and everyone will be hoping for good weather at Old Trafford for the start of the 2nd Test on Friday. Check out all the market we have available for the crucial 2nd Test.

E is for Exeter. Five years after nearly going out of business, Exeter City are back in the Football League. A hard fought 1-0 win over Cambridge secured their promotion under delighted boss Paul Tisdale. They will be competing in League Two next year and markets will be available for that league later this week.

F is for Finch. Richard Finch claimed a dramatic Irish Open victory by two shots on Sunday afternoon. The Englishman played a superb final round that ended in him falling into the lake at the last after playing a tricky shot. It may have been a wet end for Finch but rather him than the ball and he is slowly becoming a man to be reckoned with on the European Tour. This week's European Tour event is the fantastic PGA Championships. A great field has been assembled and it is Ernie Els who head the market at odds of around [13.5].

G is for Gary Anderson. Scotsman Gary Anderson broke Welsh hearts as he beat world champion Mark Webster in the final of the Welsh Open. It was a destructive display from Anderson as he motored to a comfortable 4-0 win in the final. Darts fans of all ages will now be looking forward to the televised League of Legends competition that features the likes of Eric Bristow and John Lowe. A market for that event is currently on site and it is Bob Anderson who, somewhat unsurprisingly, is the market leader.

H is for Henin. At just 25 years of age world number one Justine Henin retired from Tennis with immediate effect. Henin had a fantastic seven Grand Slam victories to her name although she never quite managed the full set as the Wimbledon title eluded her. In her absence at this year's French Open it is Serena Williams who is the favourite at current odds of [3.9].

I is for Imada. Japans Ryuji Imada claimed his maiden tour win in dramatic fashion at the AT&T Classic. Imada birdied the last to take it to a play-off against Kenny Perry and once the veteran American had dumped his approach in the water Imada was able to win with a comfortable par. This week's PGA Tour event is the Crowne Plaza Invitational. A top field lines up and it is Phil Mickelson who is the market leader at odds of [10.5].

J is for Jankovic. Jelena Jankovic retained her Italian Open crown with a straightforward win in the final over Alize Cornet. It was Jankovic's sixth tour win and she will now go into the French Open full of confidence. If you think she can claim the title then she is currently available at [8.4].

K is for Kanu. It has been a long time coming but Portsmouth finally laid their hands on the FA Cup again. The inspirational Kanu was the man who scored the crucial goal as Pompey beat a resilient Cardiff side 1-0. It was a great day for all the fans of the South Coast team and they now have the added prize of a place in the UEFA Cup to look forward to. Watch out to see where Pompey figure in all of next seasons markets.

L is for Loeb. Reigning World Rally champ Sebastien Loeb claimed his 40th stage win with a narrow victory in the Rally of Sardinia. The maximum points there take Loeb to within three points of championship leader Mikko Hirvonen. Check out the Outright Winner market for all the latest prices.

M is for McManus. Celtic captain Stephen McManus was the man who set his team on their way to a 2-0 win over Hibernian in the vital SPL clash. With that win Celtic are now three points ahead of Rangers and now in full control of the SPL. A win over Dundee Utd should be enough to claim the title and a whole host of markets can be found on site for that match.

N is for Nadal. Once again it was Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer going head to head in a clay court final. And once again it was Nadal who prevailed after an epic battle. Nadal won in three tough sets to claim his first Hamburg Masters trophy. It was a great match and no doubt the most likely line-up for the final of the upcoming French Open. The Outright Winner market currently has Nadal as the clear favourite at odds of around [1.74].

O is for Origin. Last week saw an excellent mid season test between Australia and New Zealand. Some of the skills on show from the Aussies were outstanding and if you thought that was good then you won't be able to wait for the State of Origin series. Wednesday sees the first game in the Origin series between NSW and Queensland with the market suggesting that Queensland are marginal favourites at [1.75].

P is for Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pittsburgh Penguins wrapped up a superb series win over the Philadelphia Flyers with a resounding 6-0 win on Sunday. They now await either Dallas or Detroit in the Stanley Cup final. Check out the Winner market where Pittsburgh are currently trading at [2.22].

Q is for Quality. Just when you need to pull something out of the fire a little bit of quality is required. He has his critics but Leicester Tigers' fly-half Andy Goode stepped up to the mark on Sunday afternoon. With time running out he slotted over a match winning drop goal to send the Tigers into the final of the Guinness Premiership play-offs. Check out the Outright Winner for the latest odds on who will walk away with the trophy.

R is for Recreativo. It was a nervous final day in La Liga for all the teams battling against relegation. The most relieved team will be Recreativo de Huelva who needed a last minute equaliser to gain the point they needed to beat the drop at the expense of Real Zaragoza. The season is now done and markets for next season will be up on site very soon.

S is for Sanath Jayasuriya. Sri Lankan veteran Jayasuriya was in awesome mood last week as he helped his Mumbai Indians side to some vital wins in the IPL. This included a fantastic 114 off 48 balls to steer his team to a win over the Chennai Super Kings. The action continues this week with plenty more games so take a look at all the markets available.

T is for Trent Barrett. Wigan Warriors have only got the services of Trent Barrett until the end of this season and they will be desperately hoping to make it count. The awesome Aussie led a magnificent fightback for his team on Friday night after they trailed Warrington 14-6. Barrett scored two tries as the Warriors came roaring back for a 38-14 win. That win takes Wigan into fifth and nicely placed for a play-off slot. Check out the Grand Final Winner market if you fancy Wigan and Barrett can do it.

U is for US Open. The US Open may be best known in sport such as tennis and golf but the darts US Open is fast becoming a big event. The top players battled it out in Connecticut and not surprisingly it was Phil Taylor who walked away with the trophy. On a superb final day Taylor comfortably beat Colin Lloyd 3-0 in the final. He will now turn his attention to the Premier League semi-finals next week.

V is for Valentino Rossi. Valentino Rossi was at his imperious best in the French Moto GP as he controlled the race and crossed for an easy win in the end. Incredibly Jorge Lorenzo claimed second place despite having to ride with two fractured ankles! That win now puts Rossi three points ahead of Lorenzo in the World Championship standings. Keep an eye out for all the markets for the next Moto GP in Italy.

W is for Wasps. Wasps overcame a tough Bath side to secure their passage to the Guinness Premiership play-off final. They were always on top and ran out 21-10 winners in the end. The day was marred by a nasty injury to Danny Cipriani but Wasps will still be confident they can prevail in the final against Leicester.

X is for X-Rated. The final week of the domestic season in Italy saw a bad tempered affair between Atalanta and Genoa. With nothing but pride to play for it was Genoa who lost the plot and had two men sent-off. In total there were eight bookings as well as the two red cards. With Serie A and La Liga now finished it will be all eyes on Euro 2008 and you can expect a flurry of cards in that major tournament. Watch out for all the bookings markets for that tournament.

Y is for Yawn. We are just days away from the biggest match of the year and possibly one of the biggest games ever for the English game and already I am tired of the sniping. The constant chatter about each team's players is boring, let's get it on and see who is number one on the pitch. Wednesday night will see an English winner of the Champions League, but who will it be? Check out the wide range of markets available, with the Winner market showing Man Utd as the favourites at [1.87].

Z is for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It was a stuttering end to the season but Inter Milan finally wrapped up the Serie A crown with a 2-0 win at Parma. Both goals came from their enigmatic striker Ibrahimovic in the final 30 mins of this tense affair. Inter can now relax and prepare for next season, where they will hope to retain the title whilst pushing closer to that elusive Champions League crown.

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