TQ's A-Z / Tareq Quiroz / 12 November 2007 / 1

TQ goes through the alphabet as he covers the names that made the headlines in the world of sport last week

A is for Amadora. In the shock of the week Portuguese Superliga leaders Porto were held to a 2-2 draw at Amadora. Leading 2-0 with 5 minutes to go Porto were cruising to victory but Amadora's late comeback means their nearest rivals Benfica have cut their lead to just four points. Check out the league Winner market if you think Porto will continue to falter.

B if or Boston Celtics. Five games into the NBA season and the Boston Celtics remain the only unbeaten side. The Nets were no match for a rampant Celtics side and were brushed aside 112-101 on Saturday night. Boston Celtics are coming in for support in the NBA Winner market so now might be the time to decide if you think their winning streak will continue.

C is for Cahill. Tim Cahill got a late equaliser at Stamford Bridge to deny Chelsea victory and give Everton a much deserved point. Everton are now unbeaten in their last six games and merit a look in the Winner W/O Big 4 market.

D is for Dale Steyn. South Africa romped to a comfortable victory over New Zealand in the 1st Test. Dale Steyn was the stand-out performer as he finished with match figures of 10-93. After such an easy win the 1.5 about South Africa wining the 2nd Test appears good value.

E is for Eight. Liverpool stuck eight past hapless Besiktas in a record Champions League victory in midweek. Despite that impressive performance they are still on the back foot regards qualification for the knockout stages and in the To Qualify market they can be backed at 2.4

F is for Foster. Scotland's Paul Foster captured the International Open Bowls title with a sudden-death victory over Jason Greenslade. The 3 times World Champion will be full of confidence going into the Scottish International Open in two weeks time.

G is for Gatland. Warren Gatland was this week appointed as the new Coach of Wales. He brings with him a wealth of experience as both a player and coach and the WRU will be expecting great things from Gatland, starting with the Six Nations where they are 8.2 to take the title.

H is for Haye. David Haye claimed the World Cruiserweight crown after flooring Jean-Marc Mormeck in the 7th round of their title battle. Haye has announced he now plans to step up to heavyweight and in what is currently a weak division he could make a big impact. Watch out for a market on his next fight.

I is for Inchnadamph. It came down to the final meeting and even the final ride for the Flat Jockeys Championship to be decided. Jamie Spencer riding the favourite Inchnadamph had to win to share the title and fittingly produced a top class ride to end the season in style. Attention now turns to the National Hunt season and the Top Jockey W/O McCoy market is certainly worth a look.

J is for Justine Henin. The Belgian world number one dominated the WTA Tour Championships and victory in the final over a gutsy Maria Sharapova was the perfect way to end her season. If you think she will start next season in the same form then the 2.4 about her winning the Australian Open could be worth a punt.

K is for Kern. Enrico Kern bagged a hat-trick for Hansa Rostock in the Bundesliga relegation battle with Cottbus that saw his team climb clear of the drop zone. The Hat-Trick Scored? market is very popular and you can lay No at 1.05 in this weeks Reading v Arsenal clash.

L is for Lefty. Phil Mickleson secured the first tournament of European Tour 2008 season in dramatic circumstances as Englishman Ross Fisher contrived to throw away a great opportunity of victory. A market for next years first Major is already available where Mickleson is available at around 11.

M is for Masters Cup. The tour ending championships is already under way with Nadal and Ferrer getting off to winning starts in the Gold Group. With so many doubts surrounding the main protagonists Ferrer could be worth an investment at his current odds of 16.5

N is for Netball. The Netball World Championships are under way in Auckland. The favourites for the event have all got off to winning starts in their pool games and you can expect things to get more competitive once we get through to the knockout stages. Australia are currently trading at around 1.6 to take the title and there may be better value elsewhere.

O is for On Fire Maguire. Belfast was the scene of Stephen 'On Fire' Maguire's first ranking title victory in three years on Sunday. He overcame a determined Fergal O'Brien in the final and on this form will take a lot of beating in the UK Champs in early December. Watch out for the market.

P is for Peach. Blackpool's Daryl Peach became the first Englishman to win the World Pool Champs with victory over Rafael Gomez in a thrilling final on Sunday. The next big event on the Pool calendar is the Mosconi Cup in December where a market is already up and running.

Q if for Quarterback. Legendary quarterback Brett Favre became only the 2nd man in NFL history to pass for over 60,000 yards. Favre threw for over 350 yards in a 34-0 demolition of Minnesota and the Packers must merit consideration in the Superbowl Winner market.

R is for Ronaldo. Ronaldo was on the scoresheet three times in a great week for Man Utd that saw them hammer Dinamo Kiev in the Champions League and dispatch of the in form Blackburn in the Premier League. Check out the Man Utd Team Trophies market if you think they can win both those competitions.

S is for Smith. Tony Smiths. Great Britain Lions ended the series against New Zealand with a hard fought victory at the JJB. With the World Cup next year the GB side will be split into home nations and it will be interesting to see if the England side can carry this same form into that competition. Keep an eye out for that market.

T is for Taylor. Phil 'The Power' Taylor warmed up for this week's Grand Slam of Darts with a win in the PDC Players Championship event in Holland. He overcame Barneveld 3-2 in a tight final and can be backed to take the Grand Slam of Darts title at a staggering 4.1 at the moment.

U is for Underdogs. The FA Cup is the home of the underdog and last week's first round threw up its fair share of surprises. There are several non-league sides left in the competition and they will be desperately trying to get through to the 3rd round and a potential glamour tie against a big club. A Winner market is already on site and watch out for those 2nd round match markets.

V is for Villa. Gabriel Agbonlahor netted three minutes from time to give Villa a vital win in the much awaited derby clash against Birmingham. The win puts Villa up into 8th in the league and at 4.1 they look a decent price in the Top 6 Finish market.

W is for Wasps. Last seasons Heineken Cup winners got off to the best possible start in this years competition with victory over 2006 winners Munster. Twice coming back from large deficits Wasps finally came out on top 24-23. Despite that impressive win you can still back Wasps at 20 to retain their crown in the Heineken Cup winner market.

X is for X-rated. Three players saw red in the Parma v Juventus match on Sunday in an ill tempered game that ended 2-2. If you think that Monday night's Premier League clash between Reading and Arsenal will see similar discipline issues then the Booking Odds market is the place to be.

Y is for Yuvraj. Inidia have the most in-form batsman in world cricket in Yuvraj and once again he was at his destructive best as he smashed 77 in the third one day international against Pakistan. India now lead the series 2-1 and are backable at around 1.8 to win the 4th ODI on Thursday.

Z is for Zambrotta. Gianluca Zambrotta's sending-off for a wild challenge late on was typical of the frustrating time that Barcelona had had against a battling Getafe on Saturday night. That result now leaves them 4 points adrift of Real Madrid and for the first time in a while Barca are now odds against in the La Liga winner market.

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1. Romi Alexander | 13 November 2007

   Love the article 'T is for Taylor - back to winning ways'. Lots of info under the alphabet umbrella - Brilliant concept. When is the next one?

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