TQ's A-Z / Tareq Quiroz / 05 May 2008 /

TQ goes through the alphabet as he looks back at a week in sport that featured headline-making performances from Quagliarella, Paul Scholes, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Sean Long

A is for Anthony Kim. Twenty two year old Anthony Kim stormed to victory in the Wachovia Championships. On a notoriously difficult course Kim blitzed a high class field to win by five shots from Ben Curtis. This youngster is the real deal and will be looking to play well again at this week's Players Championship where the favourite is Phil Mickelson at current odds of [13.5].

B is for Barney. After somewhat of a lean spell it looks like Raymond van Barneveld is ready to hit top form again. Following a good tournament win in Holland, Barney thrashed hapless Terry Jenkins 8-1 in the Premier League of Darts on Thursday night. We are now down to the semi-final stages of that event and Barney is currently available at [6.6] in the Winner market.

C is for Clay Court King. Rafael Nadal is the undisputed king of the clay court. Seemingly nobody has the answer to his dominance on this surface and this was evident again last week as he secured his fourth consecutive Barcelona Open. David Ferrer put up an excellent effort in the final but Nadal was just too strong in the end. This week Nadal heads off to the Rome Masters where he heads the market at odds of just [1.58].

D is for De la Hoya. Oscar De la Hoya was in imperious form on Saturday night as he totally outclassed Steve Forbes for a comfortable points victory. This fight proved De la Hoya is still hungry to regain the title he lost to Floyd Mayweather last year. The much awaited rematch with Mayweather is scheduled for September so watch out for that one and all the markets that we will have available.

E is for Exciting Finish. League One has had an incredible end to the season with such a tight race for promotion coupled with the doubt hanging over Leeds Utd's points deduction standing. Swansea were only just confirmed as Champions at the weekend and in an exciting final day Doncaster were denied the second automatic promotion place when they lost and Forest won. It was cruel on Doncaster but everyone associated with Forest were ecstatic as they clinched a place in the Championship next season. The play-offs now await Leeds and Doncaster where Leeds are current favourites at [2.74].

F is for Frank Lampard. It was an emotional night at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea finally made it through to the Champions League final. The night belonged to Frank Lampard who played despite the death of his mother just days before. It was a superb performance from Lampard that was capped off by slotting home a vital penalty. Chelsea now head to Moscow to face Man Utd in the final and are currently trading at [2.16] to be Champions League winners.

G is for Gloucester. A powerful Gloucester side proved just too strong for Wasps as they secured a valuable away win. Simpson-Daniel went over for Gloucester after just three minutes and they never looked back as they ran out 25-17 winners. That win puts Gloucester top of the table with just one game left. If you think they can hold on to take the title then check out the Regular Season Winner market where they are available at [1.6].

H is for Henrythenavigator. The stage seemed set for good thing New Approach to storm to victory in the 2,000 Guineas but Henrythenavigator had not read the script. The Aidan O'Brien trained horse came with a fantastic late run to deny the hot favourite by a nose. Racing enthusiasts will now be hoping that they both line-up for the Irish 2,000 Guineas for a rematch. Watch out for markets on that race coming soon.

I is for Inzaghi. Filipo Inzaghi struck the first blow in a 2-1 win for Milan over rivals Inter. That win keeps Milan in fourth but more importantly for Inter they are now only three points ahead of Roma with two games to go. Inter are still in the driving seat but they are not in form and may struggle to fall over the winning line despite being as low as [1.06] in the league Winner market.

J is for Jitters. Lyon seemingly had the French league wrapped up several weeks ago but a sudden drop in form coupled with a good run from Bordeaux means the title race is wide open. Lyon could only manage a 0-0 draw at Nice at the weekend whilst Bordeaux grabbed a superb 2-1 win at Marseille. With two games left the gap is now just two points and Lyon have drifted to as high as [1.23] in the league Winner market.

K is for Kentucky Derby. Big Brown was the hero of the day at Churchill Downs as he stormed to a four length win in the Kentucky Derby. It was an impressive performance by the winner from a difficult draw and the connections will now be dreaming of the Triple Crown. The second leg of the Triple Crown is the Preakness Stakes, keep an eye out for markets on that as the race approaches.

L is for Lawrie. In a dramatic Spanish Open it was Ireland's Peter Lawrie that finally claimed the title. Spain's Ignacio Garrido led for most of the tournament before a storming late run from Lawrie looked to have won it in regulation play. Garrido amazingly holed a 30 foot putt on the last to take it to a play-off before Lawrie matched the feat at the first extra hole with an amazing putt of his own. Lawrie finally won at the second extra hole when Garrido hit his approach into the water. This week's European Tour event is the Italian Open, where Robert Karlsson is the likely market leader.

M is for McBride. How Fulham must wish that Brian McBride had been fit all season. The veteran American netted what could prove to be a priceless goal as he scored the first in Fulham's 2-0 win over relegation rivals Birmingham City. With just one game to go Fulham are now trading at [1.71] to be relegated.

N is for Natagora. The French trained filly Natagora made all in a thrilling 1,000 Guineas on Sunday. The favourite battled all the way to repel several challengers to win by just half a length. It was a well deserved victory for the popular grey and is certainly well worth watching out for in her next outing.

O is for O'Sullivan. You never quite know what you are going to get from Ronnie O'Sullivan but the last two weeks have seen the very best of the Rocket. His performance against Stephen Hendry was nothing short of magnificent and also has another 147 to his portfolio. He currently has a commanding lead over Ali Carter in the final and you cannot see him giving that up. But will he be back next year to defend the title? You just never know with Ronnie.

P is for Paul Scholes. The magician was at it again in midweek as Paul Scholes slammed home a trademark goal in Man Utd's 1-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final. Scholes may be nearing the end of his career but he can still mix it with the best of them and on the biggest stage. First things first for United and with just one game to go they will be looking to win the Premier League on Sunday. If you think they can pip Chelsea to the title then check out the Winner market where United are trading at [1.18].

Q is for Quagliarella. All is all still to play for in Serie A as they approach the final two games of the season. Fabio Quagliarella scored what may turn out to be a crucial goal for Udinese as they push for a European place. Quagliarella is something of a talisman for Udinese and they will be hoping he can repeat his magic in the final two games as they chase a possible fourth place.

R is for Rangers. It has been an incredible season for Rangers as they chase a possible quadruple. With the CIS Insurance Cup already won Rangers are still chasing the Scottish Cup, the SPL and are now in the final of the UEFA Cup. A gutsy penalty shoot-out win over Fiorentina in the semi-final last week gives them a chance of some much desired European glory. First they need to concentrate on the SPL with a vital game at home to Motherwell on Wednesday, check out all the latest prices on that match.

S is for Sean Long. St Helens blitzed a sorry looking Wigan side in a scintillating first half at the Millennium Stadium. Sean Long inspired his side to a 57-17 win with a hat-trick of tries in what was a very impressive display from the Saints. If you think that this is the start of a great run then take a look at the Grand Final Winner market, where they are trading at [3.15] to win another Grand Final.

T is for Tanvir. The IPL really has taken the cricket world by storm with some unbelievable big hitting from the world's greatest batsmen. On Sunday however it was the turn of the bowlers as Sohail Tanvir recorded the best bowling figures in this format of the game with an incredible 6 wickets for just 14 runs in his four overs! It is great stuff so check out all the latest odds for all IPL markets.

U is for Utah Jazz. We are down to the serious end of the NBA season and it was the Utah Jazz who secured their place in the Western Conference semis with a 4-2 series win over Houston Rockets. They now face the LA Lakers in the play-off series in what will be a tough task against the hotly fancied Lakers. Check out all the latest Match and Outright odds.

V is for Valentino Rossi. The China MotoGP saw a return to form for the irrepressible Valentino Rossi. In a magnificent battle with Championship leader Dani Pedrosa it was Rossi who eventually came out on top and now moves into third in the race for the Championship. It is sure to be a tight battle all season and Rossi now just shade favouritism at [2.9] in the Outright Winner market.

W is for West Brom. The baggies have bounced back up to the Premier League by securing the Championship title. A 2-0 win at QPR was enough to guarantee them the honour of returning to the top flight as champions. It will be a tough task once again next year but maybe this time they will be up to the job of staying up.

X is for X-Rated. As the season draws to a close and the battle for titles and to avoid relegation get decided tempers are sure to get frayed. None more so than in La Liga and that was evident at the weekend, especially in the Levante v Espanyol game where there were five bookings and three red cards. Expect more of the same next week in what promises to a card frenzy in La Liga.

Y is for Young Guns. Neil Warnock may not be everybody's cup of tea but he certainly does know how to galvanise a team. He has turned Crystal Palace's season around in the second half of the season and much of that has been down to the fabulous young players he has. The kids will now take their chances in the play-offs in a bid to get into the Premier League. Check out the Promotion market for that league, where Palace are current favourites at [2.98].

Z is for Zenit St Petersburg. In a result that sent shockwaves around Europe, Zenit St Petersburg thrashed giants Bayern Munich 4-0 in the UEFA Cup semi-final second leg. 2-0 down at half-time, Munich never recovered and suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Russians. They will now face Rangers in the final where they will be favourites to win the UEFA Cup and are currently available at [1.66].

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