TQ's A-Z / Tareq Quiroz / 17 March 2008 /

TQ goes through the alphabet to look back at the week in sport which included another win for Tiger Woods, the Houston Rockets' amazing unbeaten run and a new true superstar in Denman

A is for Alan Tabern. Alan Tabern recorded a fantastic win in the North-West Players Championship in Wigan on Saturday. Tabern was in great form as he beat Jenkins, Mardle and finally Chris Mason in the final 3-0 to claim his first win for two years. The main darts feature this week is back in the Premier League where the showpiece game is Taylor v Wade. Check out the markets available for that and all the other games.

B is for Bode Miller. Maverick skier Bode Miller claimed the overall World Cup title in Bormio at the weekend. Bad weather meant the cancellation of some events there but there is no denying Miller his rightful place at the top of pile. You never know with Bode but assuming he races on next season then he will definitely be the man to beat.

C is for Cup Winners. Rangers are the CIS Insurance Cup winners after an enthralling final win over Dundee Utd. Twice coming from behind they forced extra-time and then penalties thanks largely to the finishing of Kris Boyd. There was to be no happy ending for Utd as Boyd once again stepped up to slam home the winning penalty. Rangers will now be hoping for further cup success in the UEFA Cup where they face Sporting Lisbon in the quarter-finals. Check out the Winner market where Rangers are currently available at [13].

D is for Denman. After months of anticipation and much debate the wait was finally over on Friday as Denman and Kauto Star went head to head in the Gold Cup. A fantastic display from the giant Denman was too much for the reigning champ to handle and he could never get close enough to challenge. They may not meet again until the Gold Cup 2009 and an antepost market is already available. Denman is an unsurprising favourite at current odds of [2.74].

E is for East Fife. East Fife became the first British side to secure a league title as they romped away with the Scottish Division Three crown. A 3-0 away win at East Stirling gave them an unassailable twenty four point lead at the top of the table. They will be hoping to celebrate their success at home next Saturday when they entertain second placed Montrose. Check out all the latest prices on that match.

F is for Federer. The once unflappable Roger Federer is starting to feel the pressure as an unusually quiet start to the year has got people discussing whether his dominance is waning. He has a chance to put that right this week in the high class Pacific Life Open. An opening round win has him in a good position and he can be backed at [2.34] to take the title.

G is for Graeme McDowell. A topsy-turvy week for Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell finally ended in victory. He produced an awesome shot at the third extra hole to claim a play-off win over Jeev Milkha Singh in the Ballantine's Championships. The European Tour heads to Portugal this week for the Madeira Open, where Bradley Dredge is the likely market leader.

H is for Hamilton. The F1 season is finally underway, after a seemingly endless close season, with victory for England's Lewis Hamilton in the Australian GP. A faultless drive from the Hamilton in the McLaren saw him lead from start to finish for a comfortable 6 second win over Nick Heidfeld. He will be hoping he can build on this great start and go on to take the Drivers Championship. Check out the Winner market where Hamilton is currently available at [2.14].

I is for Inglis Drever. One of the most popular winners at this year's Cheltenham Festival was World Hurdle champion Inglis Drever. The horse has captured the heart of the racing public and was cheered to success up the famous hill to claim his third World Hurdle. Can he come back and win a fourth? Check out the antepost market where Inglis Drever is trading at around [5.5].

J is for Jelic. Branko Jelic was the man behind a shock 2-0 win for Cottbus over league leaders Bayern Munich on Saturday. His brace was enough to haul Cottbus out of the relegation zone and give them hope of avoiding the drop. If you think they will still go down then check out the league Relegation market, where they are currently [1.5].

K is for Keita. Ivory Coast striker Kader Keita was on the mark twice in Lyon's 3-0 win away at Monaco on Saturday. With Bordeaux also winning, the lead at the top is still six points. Lyon are hot favourites to record yet another title success and can be backed at just [1.14] in the league Winner market.

L is for Late Late Show. Wigan Warriors left it very late to secure a win at the Huddersfield Giants. 19-8 down with just four minutes left, Wigan scored two converted tries to prevail by just one point. It was cruel luck for the Giants but a great win for the ever improving Warriors. They are now second in the table and are a tempting [14.5] in the Regular Season Winner market.

M is for Manfred Moelgg. In a dramatic end to the World Cup Slalom season Manfred Moelgg snatched the crown from Jean-Baptiste Grange. It was cruel luck for Grange who all but had the title in his grasp before a bad mistake close to the end of his run. Moelgg took full advantage to claim the title in front of a delighted home crowd.

N is for Neuner. Magdalena Neuner took the overall World Cup crown at the season ending event in Norway. At just 21-years-old Neuner is a phenomenal biathlete who will frighteningly just get better. She will be looking to improve her standing shooting next year and should she manage that then the young German may dominate for many years to come.

O is for One Day Kings. Yet another comfortable ODI win over Bangladesh saw South Africa climb to the top of the ODI world rankings. Albie Morkel took four wickets and Graeme Smith hit an unbeaten 68 as they romped to a seven wicket win and an easy 3-0 series whitewash.

P is for Pacquiao. Manny Pacquiao edged to a thrilling win over Juan Manuel Marquez in the WBC super-featherweight clash in Las Vegas on Saturday night. It was a brutal fight in which Pacquiao claimed a narrow points decision. You won't see many more entertaining fights this year although the upcoming Hopkins v Calzaghe contest might just be the exception. Check out the Match Odds markets for that as Calzaghe is the current hot favourite.

Q is for Question Answered. For the past few months we have been talking about Danny Cipriani and just how good can he be? In for Jonny Wilkinson on Saturday he showed remarkable composure on such a big stage as he led England to a comfortable 33-10 win over Ireland. Clearly a class act he is the future for England and should he play he will be severely tested when England travel to New Zealand in June. Watch out for markets on that.

R is for Rockets. Houston Rockets are setting records every week as they just refuse to be beaten. They are now an incredible twenty two games unbeaten following their 104-92 win over the LA Lakers on Sunday. The only team ahead of them in the record books is the great Lakers team who went thirty three games unbeaten. They may not get to that but they have certainly staked their claim for the NBA title. Take a look at the Winner market as they are now into an ever reducing [15.5].

S is for Sidebottom. In what promised to be a difficult second test in Wellington it was Ryan Sidebottom who eased the nerves with a great bowling display to remove some key players in New Zealand's second innings. His five wicket haul saw England home by 126 runs and ensured that the series would go down to the final game in Napier on Friday. Check out the Match Odds market for that match where it is The Draw that is the most likely result, trading at just [2.12].

T is for Tiger. Words cannot do the great man justice as yet again Tiger produced a piece of magic to extend his winning streak. An amazing winning putt was the climax to another unbelievable performance from the greatest player the world has ever seen. Woods now heads off to Doral for the WGC CA Champs and it is hard to see how he won't notch another win. Check out the Winner market where he is an amazing [2.0] to win.

U is for Uche. Kala Uche may have struck the most decisive blow in the La Liga title race to date. The Nigerian striker headed home an 85th minute equaliser for Almeria to deny Barcelona a much needed three points. With Real Madrid having already lost it was a great opportunity to close the gap significantly but it wasn't to be. With the gap at seven points Real are hot favourites to win the league at current odds of [1.28].

V is for Vieira. He doesn't get many nowadays but Patrick Vieira was on the mark for Inter on Sunday in their 2-1 home win over Palermo. After bowing out of the Champions League last week they will be desperate to hang on to their lead at the top of Serie A. In the league Winner market Inter are currently available at [1.22].

W is for Wales. Wales completed the Grand Slam with a ruthless demolition of France at the Millennium Stadium at the weekend. In what was probably Wales' most impressive performance of the Six Nations they restricted France to few chances to run with the ball. Shane Williams and Martyn Williams both crossed for tries as Wales ran out 29-12 winners on the day.

X is for X-Rated. Getafe and Racing Santander battled out an ill-tempered affair on Sunday afternoon. Getafe prevailed 2-1 to deny Santander the opportunity to go fifth, but the game was the victim of constant infringements that saw eight yellow cards and two red. This is nothing new in La Liga and be sure to check out the Sending Off? market in this week's big Spanish games.

Y is for Yet Again. It is the same old but pleasant story for Liverpool fans; Torres finds the back of the net and Liverpool win. Fernando Torres swivelled and slammed home the winner in the San Siro on Tuesday night to send Liverpool into the quarter-finals of the Champions League. They have been drawn at Premier League rivals Arsenal in what promises to be a mouth watering encounter. If you think their amazing Champions League form can continue then check out the Winner market, where they are currently trading at [9.2].

Z is for Zzzzz. Things are getting tight in the Championship and it will be down to which teams have the nerve to see who stays up and who can gain promotion to the Premier League. Of the top teams Watford is the one that seams to be unable to break free of a run of draws. Watford fans have now had to endure six draws on the bounce, including three 0-0's, and will be hoping something a little more entertaining when they travel to Plymouth on Saturday. Check out the Match Odds to see if you think yet another draw is on the cards.

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