TQ's A-Z / Tareq Quiroz / 24 March 2008 /

TQ goes through the alphabet as he looks back at a week in the world of sport that included headlines made by Ana Ivanovic, Phil Taylor, Juventus and Scott McDonald amongst others

A is for Alain Bernard. Frenchman Alain Bernard has had a tremendous week at the European Swimming Championships. The 24-year-old claimed three world records with the latest being an impressive demolition of the 50 metres freestyle record. Watch out for Bernard in the Olympics later this year, where we have markets on all the swimming events.

B is for Bojan. 17-year-old wonderkid Bojan netted a brace on Sunday as Barcelona smashed Valladolid 4-1. It was a much needed win for Barca as the race for the title really starts to hot up in Spain. With leaders Real Madrid surprisingly losing at home the gap at the top is now only four points. If you think Barca can do it then check out the league Winner market, where they are current available at [3.55].

C is for Celtics. It was the Boston Celtics who finally ended the magical run of the Houston Rockets in the NBA. Houston's 22 game winning streak was the second longest in NBA history. It will have come as no surprise that the Celtics were the team to break that run as they are the current favourites for the NBA title at current odds of [4.4].

D is for Drogba. Chelsea hitman Didier Drogba was the hero of Grand Slam Sunday as he bagged two late goals to keep them in the title race. The title looked to be slipping away from Chelsea until Drogba's late strikes and although they are still six points off Man Utd they will feel they can still do it. The Premier League Winner market shows Man Utd as clear favourites at [1.32] but Chelsea are right in the hunt at current odds of [5.5].

E is for Eastmond. St. Helens youngster Kyle Eastmond put the icing on the cake in the Good Friday clash with bitter rivals Wigan. It was a decisive 46-10 win for Saints as they bounced back well from their shock defeat at Catalans last week. They will now set about chasing league leaders Leeds. Check out the Regular Season Winner market, where Saints are currently [3.8].

F is for Forsyth. The Madeira Open was the event on the European Tour last week and with many top players away at the WGC event it was a great opportunity for the tour's lesser lights. Alastair Forsyth was the man who took full advantage with a play-off win over Hennie Otto. The European Tour heads off to Spain this week for the Valle Romano Open where Lee Westwood is the likely market leader.

G is for Greg Kraft. The Puerto Rico Open was the regular tour event on the PGA Tour last week and it was journeyman Greg Kraft who claimed a one shot victory. It was Kraft's first win on tour after turning pro twenty two years ago. The PGA Tour returns to normal status this week with the Zurich Classic, where Jim Furyk is likely to be the main fancy.

H is for Hull. Hull City are the form team in the Championship and reaffirmed that with 2-0 win at Leicester on Saturday. That win takes them to third in the league and just three points off the top. If you think the Tigers can carry on with this run then check out the league Winner market where they are currently trading at [7.6].

I is for Ivanovic. Number one seed Ana Ivanovic was majestic in her win over Kuznetsova in the final of the Pacific Life Open. The 20-year-old Serbian was in great form all week and will be a contender for all the majors this year. The French Open is the next one up and Ivanovic is currently trading at [8.2] in the Winner market.

J is for Juventus. Inter Milan suffered their first home league defeat of the season on Sunday as they lost 2-1 to third placed Juventus. With eight games left it is still possible for Juve to challenge for the title but it is a tough ask from ten points back. Inter have traded as low as [1.04] in the Winner market but are now out to [1.4].

K is for Kimi Raikkonen. The F1 season is off to a great start with both the main protagonists off to winning starts in the first two GP's. On Sunday it was the turn of Kimi Raikkonen to take first place with a smooth drive in the Malaysian GP. Once Massa span out he was never in any danger and is now right behind Hamilton in the Drivers Championship. Check out the Winner market for that title and you will see Raikkonen just favourite at [2.1].

L is for Long Last. It has been a long time coming for Kevin Keegan and all Newcastle fans but the Geordies finally secured their first win under King Kev on Saturday. The 2-0 win over fellow strugglers Fulham eased fears of possible relegation and gave fans something to smile about for the first time in fourteen games. They are not safe yet however and can still be backed at [17.0] in the league Relegation market.

M is for McDonald. SPL leading goalscorer Scott McDonald broke the deadlock at Gretna on Saturday as Celtic went on to record a comfortable 3-0 win. That win keeps them just three points behind leaders Rangers with the teams meeting in the Old Firm derby next week. A good result for Celtic there will have a big effect on the league Winner market, where Rangers are favourites at [1.53].

N is for Novak Djokovic. Novak Djokovic made it a Serbian double as he claimed the Pacific Life Open title with a hard fought final win over Mardy Fish. Number three in the world Djokovic appears to be man most likely to challenge Federer's long period of domination. Djokovic will now be looking to add the French Open to his Australian Open title and is currently available at [8.2] in the Winner market for that event.

O is for Ospreys. The form of the Welsh continued in the EDF Energy Cup semi-final on Saturday. The Ospreys were in sparkling form in the second half of their clash with Saracens, finally running out 30-3 winners. Shane Williams once again stole the headlines with another couple of tries but he was ably assisted by the likes of Gavin Henson. The final will be against Leicester On April 12th and you can expect a very close match.

P is for Phil Taylor. Just weeks ago it appeared as though thirteen time world champion Phil Taylor was on the decline, how wrong the doubters were. On Thursday he comfortably beat James Wade 8-4 in the Premier League before heading off to Germany for the Players Championship. He continued where he left off as he won both events there, beating Barney in the final on Saturday and Wayne Jones in the final on Sunday. There was also a nine-darter thrown in there for good measure! Adrian Lewis is his next opponent on Thursday in the Premier League and you can't see past another Taylor win. Check out all the latest odds for that match and the outright markets.

Q is for Quickest Try. Lee Blackett scored the fastest try in Premiership history as he scorched over just 8.2 seconds into Leeds' win over Newcastle on Friday. It was a much needed win for bottom club Leeds and just about keeps hope alive that they can produce a great escape. Check out the Rock Bottom market if you think they are destined to prop up the table at the end of the season.

R is for Ryan Sidebottom. It has been a topsy-turvy tour of New Zealand for England but one man who has come out of it with a lot of credit is Ryan Sidebottom. He has constantly been England's best bowler and rubber stamped that accolade with a fabulous performance in Napier where he helped skittle NZ out for just 168 and took an amazing seven wickets in the process. This match is certainly in the tourists' hands now and are currently trading at [1.19] to take the 3rd Test.

S is for Smokey Oakey. The well fancied Smokey Oakey came through to win the Flat's first big race of the season. The Lincoln is the traditional curtain raiser and Jimmy Quinn gave Smokey Oakey a great ride to take the spoils. The Flat season will now gear up for the start of the Classics in early May. Antepost markets are already on site for those.

T is for Tiger Tamer. Finally the Tiger has been tamed and the champion of the rest of the tour is Geoff Ogilvy. In the rain disrupted WGC CA Championships Ogilvy had a big lead that he managed to hold on to despite being chased hard by Tiger, Singh, Goosen and Furyk. All the big boys will now be gearing up for the Masters where Tiger is the obvious market leader at [2.32].

U is for Unbelievable. In a quite remarkable turn around in fortunes the French giants PSG are now in the bottom three of the French league. Unstoppable in the mid-nineties they secured the UEFA Cup amongst many other honours. Following a 4-2 defeat to league leaders Lyon on Sunday they now find themselves in this precarious position with just eight games left. If you think they are doomed for the biggest relegation surprise of the season then check out the league Relegation market for the latest prices.

V is for Villarreal. Whilst all eyes in La Liga are on Barcelona and Real Madrid, it is Villarreal who just quietly go about their business week in week out. They are now just six points off the top after a 2-1 win at Levante on Sunday. If you think they can continue this amazing run then they are currently available at [15.5] in the Winner market and [1.7] in the Top 3 Finish market.

W is for Webster. In atrocious weather conditions the Hull derby was won by a quite remarkable drop goal from Hull KR's James Webster. Wind, rain, sleet and snow made this encounter tough for all and with just minutes remaining Webster somehow slotted a drop goal over right into the teeth of the wind. It was a big win for Hull KR and they will now be hoping to build on that. If you think they can maintain their current fourth place position then take a look at the To Make Play-Offs market for all the latest prices.

X is for X-Rated. Unusually it was a Bundesliga game that stole the show for poor discipline this week. A league that is more renown for its vast amount of goals featured an ill-tempered affair between Wolfsburg and Hamburg on Saturday. There were five bookings that were followed by a flurry of red cards late on as both sides were reduced to nine men. If you think this will be repeated next week then check out the Sending Off? market for the big Bundesliga games.

Y is for You Decide. With all the attention on the major leagues in Europe it is easy to miss the fact that it is probably the Turkish Super League that has the most intriguing finish to the season in store. The top four teams are separated by just two points and although Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are just market favourites it really could be won by any of the four teams. If you think you can decide who will prevail then check out the Winner market.

Z is for Zzzzz. We are getting towards the end of the season and you have to expect nervous scrappy football and that is just what fans watching Bolton v Man City on Saturday got. It was a tepid affair that rarely had anyone off their seats and had plenty of spectators heading off early for their Easter break. Bolton have now failed to score in their last four games and next week host Arsenal, where the Arsenal Clean Sheet? market may be the one to take your interest.

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