X-Factor / Mike Norman / 12 December 2010 /

Matt Cardle's victory brings the curtain down on this year's X Factor, and it's fair to say punters got this one correct from the very start.

He was the favourite to win from the very start, and tonight Matt Cardle put a smile on the face of many Betfair punters when he was crowned the winner of this year's X Factor.

Cardle was originally installed as the [5.1] favourite and was only joined at the head of the market briefly when Aiden Grimshaw put in a brilliant performance in week one. But Cardle - who was matched at a high of [6.4] - saw the opposition off one by one until it was just him, Rebecca Ferguson, One Direction, and Cher Lloyd vying for the title.

Lloyd was eliminated on Saturday night, and she was followed by One Direction who were the first to be eliminated on Sunday night. Cardle was then matched at a low of just [1.57] before his name was announced as the winner by the show's presenter Dermot O'Leary.

In the Winning Mentor market Dannii Minogue was never available to back at odds higher than [4.3], her victory putting an end to Cheryl Cole's run of two successive victories.

Of course, The X Factor wasn't the most fiercely contested competition this year, that honour went to our very own 'Battle of the Tipsters'. In Mike Norman's very first article he tipped up both Rebecca and One Direction to win, whilst Jack Houghton was sweet on the chances of Matt. But tipping the final three acts between them won't be any consolation to Mike who finished with a virtual balance of just £375, losing out to his nemesis Jack who finished with a whopping £1,892.

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