TQ's A-Z / Tareq Quiroz / 13 May 2008 /

Tareq Quiroz goes through the last week of sport ... from A to Z

A is for Anastasia. Women's World Darts Champions Anastasia Dobromyslova is the new name in the world of darts. She blitzed her way to the world title last year and the 23-year-old Russian is now preparing to take on the men. She qualified through a tough field last week and will now take on the next stage of the UK Open this weekend. Watch out for Anastasia as she may one day be the first woman to play in the World Champs.

B is for Bradley. American Tim Bradley shocked Junior Witter as he claimed a split points decision to rob Witter of his WBC light-welterweight belt. Witter battled bravely after being knocked down in the sixth round but it wasn't enough as Bradley recorded a shock win. Witter wanted to fight Ricky Hatton but that might be put on hold now. Hatton is in action in two weeks and a full range of markets are available for that contest.

C is for Casual Conquest. Dermot Weld trained Casual Conquest stormed to victory in the Derrinstown Derby Trial at Leopardstown on Sunday. It was an extremely impressive performance that has it trading at around [13.0] in our ante-post Derby winner market, and it would certainly be shorter than that if it had already been entered in the race. Keep an eye out for developments on whether Casual Conquest's owners pay the supplementary fee and how that will affect the prices.

D is for Djokovic. In a gruelling week at the Rome Masters it was eventually Novak Djokovic who took the title. It was the Serbian's third title of the year and he fully deserved it following a hard battle in the final against Wawrinka. The tour's top players now head off to the Hamburg Masters, where it is Rafael Nadal who heads the market at current odds of [1.99].

E is for Everton. Many will regard Everton's fifth place finish in the Premiership as them winning the second league within the league. David Moyes 'side were too strong for Newcastle as they ran out 3-1 winners in their final game of the season. They have now qualified for the UEFA Cup and will be hoping to bolster their squad in what promises to be an exciting summer of transfer activity. Keep an eye on them for a similar finish in all the markets for next season.

F is for Felipe Massa. Brazilian Felipe Massa once again dictated proceedings in the Turkish GP. Massa is clearly very confident on this track and in a very good Ferrari he was never in danger of not winning the race for the third year running. With Raikkonen and Hamilton dominating the headlines it may be Massa that slips up the inside to challenge for the Drivers Championship. Check out the market for that, where the Brazilian is available at [6.2].

G is for Garcia. Regarded as the next best thing to a major, the Players' Championship is a much sought-after title in the world of golf. Sergio Garcia was the man who claimed that crown on Sunday evening as he prevailed over gutsy Paul Goydos in a dramatic conclusion to the event. Goydos failed to par the last to win in regulation play and having dumped his tee-shot in the water at the first play-off hole Garcia comfortably held his nerve. The PGA Tour heads off for the AT+T Classic this week and it is Stewart Cink who heads the field at current odds of [14.0].

H is for Hull City. The Tigers have never played at Wembley and they have also never played in the top flight of English football. Following a dramatic 2-0 win at Watford in the first leg of their Championship play-off Hull are now just 90 minutes away from achieving one of their milestones whilst the Premiership is now mouth-wateringly close. Check out the Promotion market for that league as Hull are now favourites at [2.1].

I is for Intertoto. A much maligned competition in recent years, the Intertoto Cup is now regarded as a handy gateway to Europe. This year Aston Villa are the Premiership's entry after finishing a very respectable sixth in the league. It means an early start back for Villa so watch out for the markets for those Intertoto matches in the near future.

J is for James Simpson-Daniel. In a tough end to the regular season Gloucester managed to edge out Bath 8-6 on Saturday to take top place in the Guinness Premiership. James Simpson-Daniel was the only try scorer on the day in a very physical encounter. He and the rest of the Gloucester squad will be hopeful of adding the Outright Winner crown to this title in the play-off series.

K is for Kobe Bryant. LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant was last week deservedly named the NBA's MVP. Despite three previous NBA titles in a long career, this the first time Bryant has received the prized award. He will now be hoping to add a fourth title with the Lakers as the play-offs reach the latter stages. Check out the NBA Winner market where the Lakers are trading at [3.3].

L is for Lyon. In keeping with many of the other European leagues it seems that the Ligue 1 is going to have a similarly exciting end to the season. Lyon secured a crucial 1-0 win over Nancy at the weekend that gives them a two point lead over Bordeaux heading into the final game. The Winner market suggests a Lyon title win but you just never know.

M is for Murphy. Danny Murphy was the unlikely hero as Fulham completed one of the great Premiership escapes by beating Portsmouth 1-0 on the final day of the season. It was an amazing end to the season for the south Londoners and they will be hoping for a less nervy end to the season in the next campaign.

N is for Novo. Rangers are seemingly playing a match every other day at the moment but the players are digging deep and getting the wins they need to stay in control of the SPL. Nacho Novo was the hero on Saturday as he netted an early brace to set Rangers on their way to a 3-1 win over Dundee Utd. The league title is still well and truly up for grabs with Rangers marginal favourites in the Winner market at [1.82].

O is for Otto. South African Hennie Otto claimed a long-awaited tour win on Sunday as he held on to take the Italian Open. Otto had a five shot lead at one stage of the final round but that was whittled down to one as he made his way nervously up the last. Otto was victorious in the end and he now makes his way to the Irish Open where a top field is on show. Padraig Harrington is the likely market leader for that event.

P is for Panucci. Christian Panucci scored the opening goal in Roma's 2-1 win over Atalanta. It was a vital three points as table toppers Inter Milan once again failed to win. It will be an exciting final day in the Serie A with just one point separating the top two. If you fancy Roma can do it then check out the league Winner market where they are now down to [3.65].

Q is for Quality. In a long season the class and outstanding quality of the Detroit Red Wings has always been evident. The NHL is now down to the final four and the Red Wings are in full control of their play-off series against Dallas Stars. Check out the Outright Winner market where they currently head the market at odds of [1.85].

R is for Recreativo. The title may be decided in Spain but there is still plenty to play for at the bottom of La Liga. The big movers at the weekend were Recreativo de Huelva who claimed a 2-0 away at Almeria. That win takes them outside the bottom three with just one game to play. Any one of four teams can still go down so check out the league Relegation market for all the latest odds.

S is for Safina. It was a tremendous week for Dinara Safina as she shot back to her best form in the German Open. On her way to the title she beat both Justine Henin and Serena Williams before overcoming Elena Dementieva in the final. Safina now heads off to the Internazionali BNL D Italia where most of the top players are in action.

T is for Talau. In an exhilarating Challenge Cup match on Saturday St Helens overcame a sterling effort from Warrington by 40-34. Centre Willie Talau was one of the driving forces behind an exciting Saints display and weighed in with two tries. If you think St Helens are now all set to take the trophy then take a look at the cup winner market where they are marginal favourites.

U is for Unstoppable. It has been a superb season for Man Utd and although they have rather stuttered in recent weeks they maintain that look of a team that is all set for an amazing double. Goals from Ronaldo and Giggs gave United a 2-0 win at Wigan to secure another Premiership title. It was nervy stuff for most of the afternoon but in the end Ferguson's men were comfortable winners. All eyes will now switch to the Champions League final in Moscow next week where United are [2.54] in the Match Odds market.

V is for Varndell. Leicester flyer Tom Varndell was the saviour on Saturday as he scored the winning try in the dying seconds of their game with Harlequins. That win squeezed them into fourth place in the league and of course the play-offs. If you think Leicester can now go all the way then take a look at the Outright Winner market for the league where you can get [4.6] about Leicester at the moment.

W is for Watson. The IPL continues to go from strength to strength and never fails to amaze with the big hitting displays. One of the stars of the tournament is Aussie Shane Watson. Playing for the unfancied Rajasthan Royals Watson has been one of the main reasons that they now head the IPL table. League games continue every day for another two weeks so check them out for all the latest odds.

X is for X-Rated. If you are looking for a game that is sure to have plenty of tackles flying in then always head for a local derby. Real Betis and Sevilla were involved in a typically fiery encounter on Sunday as local pride was at stake. Six bookings and two red cards were the result of this no holds barred clash and with just one week of La Liga left you can be sure there will be more to come in that crucial last round.

Y is for Yankees. It hasn't been the greatest start to the MLB season for the New York Yankees but they secured a good win in Detroit before the last of their series with the Tigers was postponed due to bad weather. The Yankees indifferent form hasn't led to them drifting too much in the outright market and they are currently available at [9.2].

Z is for Zzzzz. Just as the English season is coming to an end it seems that Portsmouth have completely taken their foot of the pedal. Another tame display on Sunday against Fulham must have Pompey fans worried ahead of the FA Cup final this weekend. It was their third defeat in a row and they have only scored four goals in the last five games. They now have to pick themselves up for the big day at Wembley and if you fancy they can put in a big performance against Cardiff then check out the huge array of markets available for the Cup final.

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