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Golf

After a few weeks in Africa, the European Tour meets up with the cricketers this week as it arrives in Abu Dhabi for the HSBC Golf Championship.

Some of the world’s top golfers are back in action this weekend after their winter break and it promises to be a great event. Rory McIlroy is the 13/2 joint favourite having finished eleventh, fifth, third and second in the last four years. Martin Kaymer is also available at 13/2 having won this tournament in three of the last four years.

According to McIlroy, Tiger Woods is back to 100% fitness and is available at 8/1 while the English pair of Luke Donald and Lee Westwood can both be backed at 12/1.

Phil Mickelson is a three time winner of the Farmer’s Insurance Open and is the 14/1 joint favourite this weekend. Reigning champion Bubba Watson can be backed at 25/1.

Cricket

After their heavy defeat in the opening Test, England will be looking to bounce back with a win over Pakistan in the Second Test. The match reaches its climax this weekend (assuming, of course, that England put up a better fight than they did ten days ago).
There’s also a Test match in Napier which finishes on Sunday. New Zealand are 1/4 to beat visitors Zimbabwe.

Tennis

The 100th Australian Open reaches its climax this weekend with some intriguing clashes in prospect.

The top four seeds have, as expected, reached the semi-finals in Melbourne although my each way tip for the title, Andy Murray, faces a difficult challenge in overcoming tournament favourite Novak Djokovic.

Roger Federer has been in imperious form and the 30 year old could well win his 17th Grand Slam title if he can beat old rival Rafael Nadal in the last four.

Before the tournament I tipped Maria Sharapova at 14/1 and the Russian is now into 10/3 for the title. Reigning champion Kim Clijsters is also available at 10/3 in her last Australian Open while Wimbledon champion and potential world number one Petra Kvitova is the 13/8 favourite.

Rugby Union

After last week’s Heineken Cup action, there is more Cup rugby to look forward to this weekend with group stage matches in the LV Cup.

The pick of the weekend’s matches sees the leaders of Pools 1 and 4 go head to head at the Recreation Ground as Bath take on Northampton. Pool 3 leaders Scarlets can consolidate their position with a win over Pool 2 leaders London Irish while Leicester face a tough match at Harlequins.

Gloucester need a win to keep up their excellent recent record in the competition and play the Cardiff Blues on Saturday.

Horse Racing

The Argento Chase at Cheltenham is a trial for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and is one of several good races at Saturday’s Festival Trials Day. Previous winners include Exotic Dancer and Neptune Collonges and Grand Crus is the 2/1 favourite from Captain Chris and Diamond Harry.

Sunday sees the BHP Irish Champion Hurdle from Leopardstown with Cheltenham Champion Hurdle winner Hurricane Fly the 4/7 favourite.

Elsewhere, there is racing on Saturday from Doncaster, Lingfield Park and Uttoxeter.

Premier League Matches

Weekly Sports Preview and Betting Tips

Nick — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:21:58 +0000

Weekly Betting Tips

Football

There are a couple of belting matches to look forward to this weekend as four of this season’s ‘big five’ meet on Sunday.

First up, Manchester City provide the biggest test of Spurs’ Premier League title credentials so far as the two sides meet at Eastlands. It’s arguably the perfect time to be playing City considering they are missing several key players through injury, suspension and international call-ups. Spurs can take a giant stride towards their first league title in decades with a win at 3/1, but I fancy the home side to prevail at 10/11.

Man City v Spurs

The second big match on Sunday sees Arsenal welcome Manchester United. There’s less rivalry between these two sides than there was in the infamous Battle of the Buffet days and United have held the upper hand in recent meetings. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side are 13/8 to win at the Emirates.

Arsenal v Man United

Norwich are excellent value at 9/2 to beat struggling Chelsea at Carrow Road on Saturday while Stoke should be backed at 10/11 to see off West Brom. Wolves are 7/5 to record a vital win over Aston Villa.

The African Cup of Nations begins this weekend with the Ivory Coast the clear 6/4 favourites for the title. I fancy Senegal at 11/2 and the Lions are 4/7 to beat Zambia on Saturday.

Golf

There’s a strong local contingent at Fancourt this weekend for the Volvo Golf Champions tournament.

Recent Africa Open winner Louis Oosthuizen is the 5/1 favourite from compatriots Charl Schwartzl, Retief Goosen and Ernie Els. Padraig Harrington had a poor 2011 and can be backed at 20/1 while the young Italian Matteo Manassero could be worth backing at 33/1.

The renamed Humana Challenge is the PGA tour event this week with the tournament having been reduced from 90 holes to a traditional 72 hole competition this year. Phil Mickelson and Matt Kuchar are the joint 16/1 favourites with Bill Haas available at 20/1. Haas has a good record in this event having won in 2010 and narrowly failing to retain his title in a playoff in 2011.

Cricket

It was an inauspicious opening day for England as they began their 2012 Test campaign against Pakistan in Dubai. Assuming that the Test runs its course it will run to this weekend with the ‘home’ team looking to take a 1-0 win in the series.

South Africa play Sri Lanka in two further one day internationals; in Kimberley on Friday and in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Tennis

Reaching the second week of the Australian Open is the aim of the major seeds in the baking heat of Melbourne this weekend.
Novak Djokovic remains the 6/5 favourite to retain his title, although I like the 5/1 available on Andy Murray who has been beaten in the final in each of the last two years.

The women’s tournament is wide open with a dozen potential winners. My tip before the tournament was Maria Sharapova who is currently available at 14/1 while reigning champion Kim Clijsters can be backed at 8/1.

Rugby Union

The last eight for this season’s Heineken Cup will be decided this weekend as the final round of pool matches take place across Europe.

There’s a titanic battle for qualification from pool 2 with both Edinburgh and Cardiff Blues on 17 points. The Blues should beat Racing Metro while Edinburgh face the trickier of the games at home to unpredictable London Irish.

Leinster and Munster have already qualified and so can take things easy against Montpellier and Northampton respectively, although the Saints could still qualify as the best second place team with a good win.

Ulster thumped Leicester last weekend to stay on top of pool 4 although they face a tough trip to my tip for the Cup, Clermont Auvergne, on Saturday. With 19 points already, the Irish side may still qualify even if they lose this tie.

Saracens can book their place in the quarter finals by beating Treviso while Harlequins can join them if they win in Connacht on Friday night. Premiership rivals Gloucester would do the Quins a huge favour by beating their pool 6 challengers Toulouse.

Rugby Betting

Horse Racing

The big race on Saturday is the Victor Chandler Chase over 2 miles at Ascot, won by Master Minded in two of the last three years.
Finian’s Rainbow is the 7/4 favourite this year although is prone to errors which could prove costly in this company. Somersby at 6/1 may be the better bet having finished second to Master Minded in this race last year. Al Ferof is the second favourite at 11/4.

Weather permitting, the other racing this Saturday comes from Haydock Park, Lingfield Park and Wincanton.

2012 Australian Open Betting Preview

Nick — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:40:00 +0000

2012 Australian Open

Just a few weeks after Roger Federer won the end of season ATP Tour Finals event in London, the 2012 Grand Slam season is upon us.

It’s a very special Australian Open in 2012 as it marks the 100th time the tournament has been played. Can Novak Djokovic continue where he left off in 2011 and retain his crown? And can Serena Williams shake off her injury problems to win three consecutive Australian Opens in which she has featured?

The Men

It was in Melbourne last year that Novak Djokovic began his stunning run that saw him win 70 of his 76 matches in 2011, capturing three Grand Slam crowns along the way. Rival Rafael Nadal described Djokovic’s performances as “probably the highest level of tennis that I ever saw” while Boris Becker called Djokovic’s season “one of the very best years in tennis of all time.”

The Serb is just 6/5 to win his third Australian Open title and if he can produce the same form as he showed last year, few are likely to be able to live with him.

[image]

Rafael Nadal is the 4/1 joint second favourite to regain the title he last won in 2009 although the former world number one hasn’t had a great run at this event in recent years. Seventh seed David Ferrer beat his compatriot in straight sets last year while Nadal retired when two sets down against Andy Murray back in 2010. I think there is better value elsewhere.

Roger Federer continues to show glimpses of the form that carried him to a record 16 Grand Slam titles – particularly at the ATP Tour finals - but has experienced an un-Federer like number of defeats in recent months. The former world number one hasn’t won a Grand Slam since the Australian Open in 2009 and had to retire before the semi-final of the Qatar Open last week due to lower back pain.

Millions would love Federer to get back to his best, but I’m not sure he’s quite consistent enough anymore.

Andy Murray reserved his best form for Grand Slam events in 2011 and should be backed each way at 9/2. With new coach Ivan Lendl on board, Murray’s season got off to the perfect start with victory in the Brisbane International event and the Scot has reached the last two Australian Open finals.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the next best bet after his Qatar Open win at 11/1 whilst fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils may also be one to follow at 50/1.

The Women

Serena Williams has dominated the Australian Open in recent years, winning three of the last four tournaments she has appeared in. She missed the 2011 competition through injury and was forced to withdraw from the recent Brisbane International event due to an injured ankle.
Williams is great value at 7/2 – if she can stay injury free for the fortnight.

Maria Sharapova enjoyed a good year in 2011 and the beaten Wimbledon finalist is good value at 20/1 to emulate her 2008 performance and take her second Australian Open title. Her conqueror in SW19, Petra Kvitova, is the 13/5 favourite but it is worth bearing in mind that her record in Melbourne isn’t great. A quarter final elimination to Vera Zvonareva in 2010 is her best appearance at this event.

Kim Clijsters is the reigning champion and 7/1 third favourite. An injury and some mediocre form meant that it was a frustrating 2011 for the Belgian who also had to withdraw from her most recent tournament through injury.

Victoria Azarenka is many people’s tip for the title having risen to number three in the world and it could finally be the breakthrough tournament for the Belarusian at 15/2. Bear in mind however that the 22 year old has only one Grand Slam semi final appearance to her name and her best performance in Australia was in 2009 when she reached the quarter final.

World number one Caroline Wozniacki continues to top the rankings without having reached the final of a Grand Slam event since 2009 and is available at 10/1 while Vera Zvonareva is good each way value at 25/1 having reached the semi final in two of the last three years.

There’s also bound to be plenty of patriotic money on last year’s US Open winner Sam Stosur at 11/1. However, the Aussie’s record in her home tournament is pretty mediocre and the world number six has failed to get past the fourth round in nine attempts.

Sports Betting Weekly Tips and Preview Jan 6th

Nick — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:40:24 +0000

Football

While the FA Cup may have lost some of its magic over recent years, the third round weekend remains one of the most romantic sets of fixtures in the football calendar.

The ties kick off on Friday night as Liverpool welcome Oldham and the Latics are 20/1 to register a shock win at Anfield. There’s a Fylde Coast derby on Saturday as Fleetwood Town welcome Blackpool with the non-league team available at 7/2. Crawley are just 6/4 to beat Championship Bristol City while Cheltenham are 22/1 to beat Spurs at White Hart Lane.

Sunday’s big match sees Manchester City play Manchester United and Roberto Mancini’s side are excellent value at 6/5 to win. Chelsea are 1/6 to beat Portsmouth while Sheffield Wednesday can beat West Ham at 15/8. Sunderland have been in good form since Martin O’Neill took over and can beat Peterborough on Sunday at evens.

FA Cup Matches

Football Betting

Golf

Just 25 days after Luke Donald claimed the 2011 Race to Dubai title, the long slog to be crowned Europe’s top golfer starts again this weekend.

There’s a strong local contingent at the Africa Open with reigning champion Louis Oosthuizen the 5/1 favourite to retain the title he won in 2011. Retief Goosen is an 11/1 chance with Thomas Aiken and George Coetzee available at 14/1.

The PGA Tour also gets underway this week with the Hyundai Tournament of Champions – an event restricted to PGA Tour winners from last year.

Nick Watney, Steve Stricker and Webb Simpson are the 8/1 favourites with Bubba Watson available at 16/1.

Cricket

After an excellent series, the third Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka climaxes this weekend in Cape Town. The tourists secured an excellent victory in the second Test to level the series although are already up against it with the home side having racked up almost 350 runs on the first day.

Tennis

It only seems like a few days since the 2011 season ended at the ATP finals in London but most of the big names are back in action this week.

Roger Federer is the reigning Qatar Open champion and is looking to retain his title in Doha. Rafael Nadal, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils are also in action in the Middle East.

Andy Murray’s preparations for the Australian Open begin in Queensland where the Scotsman is the favourite to win the Brisbane International tournament on his debut at the event. Gilles Simon, Alexandr Dolgopolov and Tommy Haas are Murray’s closest challengers in the Australian city.

The WTA tour is also in Brisbane this week and Serena Williams is the 2/1 favourite to win 2012’s opening event. Kim Clijsters is available at 11/4 with home hopeful Samantha Stosur a 11/2 chance.

Rugby Union

There’s a mouth watering tie to open this weekend’s Aviva Premiership fixtures. League leaders Harlequins travel to Franklin’s Gardens to face Northampton on Friday night and it promises to be a close game. It could go either way but backing the away side with a 6 point head start at 10/11 looks to be the call.

Leicester are improving week by week and are now up to fourth in the table. The Tigers host Wasps on Saturday and should win at a canter. Saracens should beat Bath on Sunday while London Irish can beat Sale by more than 6 points at 10/11.

Leinster remain top of the RaboDirect Pro12 after the festive matches although the leaders face a tricky trip to Cardiff Blues this Saturday. Ospreys are on a good run and can win at local rivals the Dragons while Glasgow are up to third in the table and travel to the Scarlets.

Munster can bounce back from their defeat to Ulster last time out with a comfortable home win over Treviso.

Rugby Betting

Horse Racing

Weather permitting, racing this Saturday comes from Newcastle, Sandown Park, Lingfield Park and Wincanton.

Weekend Sports Preview and Betting Tips - December 2nd

Nick — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:15:53 +0000

Weekly Sports Betting Tips

Football

The pressure on Andre Villas Boas increased again this week after Chelsea were knocked out of the Carling Cup and things could get even tougher for the Portuguese manager this weekend. Chelsea travel to high flying Newcastle and the 3/1 about a home win will tempt many.

Newcastle v Chelsea

League leaders Manchester City have a straightforward looking home tie against Norwich while Manchester United travel to Aston Villa in Saturday’s late kick-off. Arsenal are a skinny 4/7 to win at Wigan while Spurs are 1/3 to beat Bolton at White Hart Lane.
Sunderland continue to struggle and so I like the 13/10 available on Wolves to beat Steve Bruce’s side at Molineux on Sunday.

The FA Cup second round takes place this weekend with famous minnows Sutton United once again hoping to knock out a famous old club. The conquerors of Coventry in 1989 welcome Notts County this Sunday. Bristol Rovers have a tricky away tie at AFC Totton while Conference leaders Fleetwood Town are 23/20 to beat Yeovil on Friday night.

FA Cup Betting

It’s the famous ‘Borussia Derby’ in Germany’s Bundesliga on Saturday as second place Monchengladbach play leaders Dortmund while in La Liga Barcelona will be looking to keep up the pressure on leaders Real Madrid as they welcome Levante.

Tennis

There’s one last tennis title to be decided in 2011 as the Davis Cup final takes place this weekend.

Spain are the overwhelming 1/5 favourites to win in Seville and with Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and Fernando Verdasco to call on they certainly have a great chance to regain the trophy they last won in 2009. They play Argentina who have never won the title and the South Americans will be keen to go one better than they did in 2006 and 2008.

Argentina include the talented Juan Martin del Potro, Juan Monaco and David Nalbandian – three men with lots of experience. Considering Nadal and Ferrer’s efforts at the ATP finals, Argentina could well cause an upset at 7/2.

Golf

The European Tour is in Hong Kong this weekend with Ian Poulter looking to retain the UBS Hong Kong Open title he won in 2010 having shot terrific second round of 60. Rory McIlroy is the 5/1 favourite and the Irishman will have to win to have any chance of overhauling Luke Donald at the top of the Race to Dubai.

The Chevron World Challenge is a charity event hosted by Tiger Woods with a field of 18 players including current major winners and the top 11 available from the Official World Golf Rankings. The former world number one is the 3/1 favourite although I prefer the chances of Webb Simpson at 11/1 or World Cup winner Matt Kuchar at 16/1.

Lee Westwood defends his Nedbank Golf Challenge title in Sun City this weekend with world number one Luke Donald available at 9/2. Martin Kaymer, Charl Schwartzl, Graeme McDowell and Anders Hansen also feature in a small but strong field.

Cricket

After their 1-1 series draw with South Africa, Australia begin another Test series this weekend. Michael Clarke’s side play New Zealand in Brisbane and look worth backing at 5/6.

Saturday also sees the second one day international between Bangladesh and Pakistan in Dhaka.

Rugby Union

Harlequins kept up their terrific start to the season with their 39-8 win over Newcastle last weekend. The league leaders can make it ten wins out of ten in the Aviva Premiership if they can beat Wasps on Sunday.

Second plays third on Sunday as Saracens look to bounce back from their heavy defeat to Northampton last weekend as they play London Irish. Leicester can continue their recent revival with a home win over the Saints while Bath play fellow strugglers Sale on Saturday.

Ospreys remain top of the RaboDirect Pro 12 after their won against Connacht last weekend although the Welsh side have a tough match against third place Munster on Saturday evening. Leinster welcome Cardiff Blues on Friday evening while Edinburgh should beat bottom of the table Aironi.

Horse Racing

There’s a strong field at Sandown Park on Saturday for the grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase over 2 miles. Sizing Europe is the 11/8 ante-post favourite from Tataniano and Wishful Thinking.

Aintree hosts the Becher Chase on Saturday over the National fences. Half a dozen horses are likely to be vying for favouritism by the weekend including Master Overseer, Another Palm, Uncle Junior and Niche Market.

Elsewhere there is racing on Saturday from Chepstow, Wetherby and Wolverhampton.

This Weekend’s Betting Tips and Preview - November 25th

Nick — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:02:51 +0000

Football

After Manchester City ended their unbeaten start to the campaign last weekend, Newcastle United face another tough trip this Saturday as they face Manchester United at Old Trafford. The home side haven’t been firing on all cylinders of late but I expect them to win at 4/11.

Man United v Newcastle

Sunderland have been struggling of late and so the 4/1 against Wigan Athletic winning at the Stadium of Light may tempt a few, as may the 7/2 you can take on Blackburn Rovers making it three consecutive home defeats for Stoke City.

Sunday sees Manchester City take their unbeaten record to Anfield as they play Liverpool. Kenny Dalglish’s side have arguably been better away from home this season although the 2/1 on them looks great value.

Liverpool v Man City

Swansea are excellent value at 13/10 on Sunday’s earlier kick-off to beat Aston Villa.

There’s a top of the table clash in Serie A this Saturday as Lazio welcome Juventus while Atletico are 12/1 to win the Madrid derby at the Bernebeu in Spain’s La Liga.

Tennis

The season ending ATP World Tour Finals concludes in London this Sunday.

As I mentioned last week, the in-form Roger Federer is the man to beat this year and the Swiss former number one is looking for his sixth season ending title. Injuries and fatigue seem to have affected most of the players and so the finalists are anyone’s guess. I still fancy Novak Djokovic to end his incredible year on a high although David Ferrer could be an outsider to watch.

Golf

The Italian brothers Eduardo and Francesco Molinari will be attempting to retain their World Cup title this weekend at the Blackstone Course at the new Mission Hills resort in Hainan Island.

The Italian pair are 10/1 to retain the title they won in 2009 although they face fierce competition from some talented teams. Ireland are the 10/3 favourites with Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell looking like a great partnership, while the South African pair of Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzl should also go well.

It may also be worth keeping an eye on the French pair of Gregory Bourdy and Raphael Jacquelin at 28/1.
The European Tour is at the Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate this week for the South African Open.

Home favourites Ernie Els and Retief Goosen lead the betting alongside England’s Simon Dyson.

Cricket

It’s a quiet weekend of cricket with the only real action being the last couple of days of the third Test between India and the West Indies in Mumbai. India lead the series 2-0.

In addition, Pakistan play Sri Lanka in a Twenty20 international in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

Rugby Union

Domestic rugby resumes this weekend with Harlequins looking to make it nine wins out of nine in the Aviva Premiership. The league leaders host bottom club Newcastle on Sunday and so should keep up their 100% start to the season.

Second place Saracens have a tricky away fixture at Northampton although the Saints were out of sorts in their Heineken Cup defeat at Franklin’s Gardens last weekend. Leicester will want to continue their climb up the table with a win at Gloucester while London Irish take on Wasps.

RaboDirect Pro 12 leaders Ospreys travel to Connacht on Saturday looking to stay ahead of the two leading Irish sides who sit directly behind them. Munster have a winnable home tie against Edinburgh while Leinster face Treviso in Italy.

Cardiff Blues should have no trouble seeing off bottom side Aironi on Friday night while Glasgow can continue their good start with a win over Ulster.

Horse Racing

The big race on Saturday is the Hennessy Gold Cup from Newbury and Paul Nicholls has three of the favourites for the race. Aiteen Thirtythree has been backed into the 6/1 ante-post favourite but Nicholls believes that Michel Le Bon has an equal chance. “He hasn’t run for two years and only had one run over fences. If he can put a clear round in and get into a rhythm he’d have a chance.”
Michel Le Bon is available at 7/1.

The Long Distance Hurdle precedes the Gold Cup and Big Bucks is looking to make it a hat-trick of wins although is an unbackable 1/6.

Elsewhere there is racing on Saturday from Newcastle, Bangor on Dee, Towcester and Wolverhampton.

Premier League Matches

The Weekend’s Betting Tips and Previews

Nick — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:30:36 +0000

Football

The Premier League returns this weekend with a couple of interesting matches that pit promoted sides against the title hopefuls.
Norwich City have acquitted themselves well since their return to the top flight and Paul Lambert’s side welcome Arsenal in Saturday’s early kick-off. Arsene Wenger’s team are on a good run of form although many will be tempted by the Canaries at 4/1.

Norwich v Arsenal

Swansea also look comfortable amongst the Premier League big boys and they welcome Manchester United to the Liberty Stadium. Again, the 13/2 available on the home side looks tempting against a United side who have looked ragged of late.

Swansea v Man United

Manchester City are 1/3 to end Newcastle United’s unbeaten start to the season while Chelsea are excellent value at 4/5 to see off Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Man City v Newcastle

Chelsea v Liverpool

There’s a great looking match in La Liga on Saturday evening and Valencia should be backed at 11/2 to beat Real Madrid at the Mestalla. If Mourinho’s men do lose this game, we’ll refund all losing first/last goalscorer, correct score and scorecast singles!

Valencia v Real Madrid

Tennis

The season ending ATP World Tour Finals heads to London again this weekend as the top eight players in man’s tennis go head to head for the final prize of the year.

The in-form Roger Federer is the man to beat this year with the former world number one having won five of the last eight World Tour finals. The Swiss player opens his campaign against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Sunday and is available at 7/4 to win the tournament. Last year’s runner-up Rafael Nadal plays Mardy Fish in Sunday’s second match.

Novak Djokovic’s season isn’t ending as strongly as it began, but the 2008 winner looks good value at 4/1 considering his group includes Andy Murray, Thomas Berdych and David Ferrer.

Golf

The European Tour is in South Africa this week for the Alfred Dunhill Championship.

Pablo Martin is looking to join an elite group of players who have won a European Tour event in three consecutive years and the Spaniard is 28/1 to retain the trophy he won in 2009 and 2010. Thomas Aiken is the 12/1 favourite at Leopard’s Creek.

The Presidents Cup sees the best golfers from the USA and the Rest of the World (minus Europe) go head to head in a Ryder Cup format. Two strong teams will be in Melbourne this weekend and the two sides can’t be separated in the betting.

The US team boasts nine of the world’s top 20 golfers including Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, the in-form Webb Simpson and Phil Mickelson and so I’d be tempted to back the ‘away’ team at 10/11.

Cricket

It’s not very often we get to snigger at the exploits of Australia in Test cricket, but their second innings total of 47 against South Africa in their eight wicket defeat would have raised a smile amongst many international cricket fans.

The fact that John Daly scored more on one hole of the Australian Open golf than any Australian batsman managed in the second innings tells its own story, and Michael Clarke’s side have the chance to make amends in the second Test which concludes this weekend.

South Africa v Australia

Elsewhere, it’s 1-1 in the one day series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka heading into two further internationals on Friday and Sunday.

Rugby League

England’s excellent 28-6 win over world champions New Zealand last weekend means that they will face the mighty Australia in this Saturday’s Four Nations final.

Australia won the fixture between the two sides by 16 points a fortnight ago, but England should be closer this time after some encouraging performances. It promises to be a great match at Elland Road and I’d back the home side with a 12 point start at 10/11.

England v Australia

Rugby Union

After an intriguing first set of fixtures, the 17th Heineken Cup continues this weekend.

Jonathan Sexton’s last minute penalty rescued a draw for Leinster at Montpellier last weekend and the reigning champions should kick-start their campaign with a win over Glasgow. However, I fancy the Scottish side on the handicaps with a 17 point start at 10/11.

Leinster v Glasgow

Munster travel to Castres while Ulster have a tricky away tie at Welford Road as they face Leicester Tigers.
I fancy Biarritz to overcome their three point handicap to beat Saracens while the Ospreys can win by more than nine points in Treviso at 10/11. Northampton should prove too strong for the Scarlets while the Cardiff Blues can make it two wins out of two with victory over London Irish on Friday night.

Heineken Cup Matches

Horse Racing

The highlight of Saturday’s racing comes from Haydock Park where there are some well-known runners in the Grade 1 Betfair Chase over three miles. Long Run is the clear 5/6 favourite while 2006, 2007 and 2009 winner Kauto Star is available at 7/1.

Ascot hosts the Coral Hurdle on Saturday and the Nicky Henderson trained six year old Oscar Whisky is the 6/4 favourite. Paul Nicholls’ 2008 Triumph Hurdle winner Celestial Halo is available at 5/1.

Elsewhere there is racing on Saturday from Huntingdon, Lingfield Park and Wolverhampton.

International Matches

This Weekend’s Sports Betting Tips and Preview

Nick — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:10:52 +0000

Football

The Premier League takes a break this weekend as eight nations fight for four berths at next season’s Euro 2012 Championships.
Ireland are 13/10 to win in Estonia on Friday evening, although the value there lies with a talented home side at 11/5.

Estonia v Ireland

Turkey can beat Croatia at 13/10 while Bosnia can nick a first leg win against Portugal at 21/10. Czech Republic host Montenegro in the final play-off tie.

Euro 2012 Playoffs

England welcome the world and European champions Spain to Wembley on Saturday for a friendly and, having named a strong squad, there will be plenty of money on the visitors at 5/6.

England v Spain

Wales can continue their recent run of good results with a win over Norway.

The FA Cup reaches the first round stage this weekend with plenty of non-league sides looking to advance. Nantwich Town are 11/1 to win at the MK Dons while Maidenhead United are 10/3 to see off Aldershot.

AFC Wimbledon can cause a shock by beating Scunthorpe at 9/5 while Oxford United are good value at 9/2 to beat Sheffield United.

FA Cup Matches

Tennis

It’s the last regular season event of the ATP tour this week ahead of the Tour Finals later this month. There’s a very strong field in France for the BNP Paribas Masters and with three spots still up for grabs at the lucrative end of season event it promises to be a great week of tennis.

Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and last week’s Swiss Indoors champion Roger Federer head the betting but much of the focus will be on the seven players with a chance to make the Tour finals in London.

Tomas Berdych, Mardy Fish and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will take the three places if they all qualify for the quarter finals while complicated permutations could also see Janko Tipsarevic, Nicolas Almagro, Gael Monfils and Gilles Simon also qualify.

Golf

The European Tour is in Singapore this week for a co-sanctioned event between the European Tour and Asian Tour. The Singapore Open takes place over two courses - the Serapong and Tanjong - at the Sentosa Golf Club and after his excellent third place showing in Shanghai last week, Graeme McDowell is the 16/1 favourite.

Phil Mickelson is good value at 18/1 as is Simon Dyson at 28/1 while Ernie Els has twice been a runner-up at Sentosa and is available at 33/1.
Tiger Woods continues to try and get his career back on track down under this weekend and is 10/1 second favourite for the Australian Open. In-form Adam Scott is the man to beat at 8/1 while Dustin Johnson is available at 16/1.

Cricket

After Pakistan sealed their Test series win over Sri Lanka last weekend, the two teams meet on Friday in Dubai in the first of their one day international series.

The weekend also sees the conclusion of the first Test between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town.

Rugby League

England’s four tries were still not enough to beat the mighty Australians last weekend but the home side can end their Four Nations campaign with a win over the reigning World Champions this weekend. They play New Zealand and I like England’s chances at 5/6 with a four point start.

England v New Zealand

The other match sees Australia take on Wales. Wales failed to score a point as they lost to New Zealand last weekend and this could be a heavy defeat. Back Australia to win by over 50 points sat 10/11.

Wales v Australia

Rugby Union

The 17th Heineken Cup kicks off this weekend with some intriguing fixtures to look forward to.

Reigning champions Leinster start their defence in Montpellier while last season’s beaten finalists Northampton face a tricky start as they travel to Munster – a team that have only lost two home matches in European competition.

I fancy Leicester Tigers to overcome the 14 point handicap to win at Aironi at 10/11 while 9/2 tournament favourites Toulouse should have no problem winning their home tie against Gloucester.

Arguably the match of the weekend is on Saturday as two of the most consistent teams over recent years meet. The Ospreys have reached the quarter final stage in three consecutive seasons and play host to Biarritz, the 2010 runners-up. Biarritz can be backed at 10/11 with a six point start.

Heineken Cup Matches and Previews

Rugby Betting

Horse Racing

It’s Paddy Power Gold Cup day at Cheltenham on Saturday – the day when the jumps racing season gets into top gear. Mon Parrain has been backed in to the 4/1 favourite with Wishfull Thinking and Noble Prince the next two in the betting.

The Greatwood Hurdle sees the up and coming stars of the hurdling world take centre stage on Sunday and there’s been plenty of money for Moon Dice in the run-up to the race.

Elsewhere there is racing on Saturday from Wetherby, Lingfield Park, Uttoxeter and Wolverhampton.

Weekly Sports Preview and Betting Tips

Nick — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:50:41 +0000

Football

Newcastle continued their excellent start to the season with a 3-1 win at Stoke last Monday and Alan Pardew’s side look good value at 5/4 to keep up their unbeaten run with a home win over Everton in Saturday’s early kick-off.

Newcastle v Everton

The ‘big four’ have straightforward fixtures this weekend with Chelsea travelling to Blackburn, Arsenal hosting West Brom, Manchester United welcoming Sunderland and Manchester City facing QPR at Loftus Road.
Wolves can get their season back on track with a win over struggling Wigan on Sunday while Fulham are good value at 11/5 to beat Spurs.

In the Championship, Steve Cotterill takes his Nottingham Forest side to previous employers Portsmouth while Southampton are good value at evens to win at Coventry. Cardiff can beat Crystal Palace at 10/11.

Celtic are struggling in Scotland and so the 9/2 available on second place Motherwell beating Neil Lennon’s side at Fir Park on Saturday looks excellent value. Rangers are 1/4 to beat Dundee United at Ibrox.

Tennis

There are two big ATP events this year in Spain and Switzerland. Defending champion David Ferrer leads the field at the Valencia Open from last week’s ATP Tour winner Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils and Nicolas Almagro.

Three of the world’s top four players are in Switzerland for the Swiss Indoors Basle with Roger Federer looking to win his fifth title. Federer faces a tough challenge from world number one Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Golf

The four 2011 Major winners and four of the five winners of this year’s WGC events are in Shanghai this week amongst a strong field for the WGC – HSBC Champions.

Luke Donald’s absence gives his rivals the chance to close the gap at the top of the Race to Dubai and Rory McIlroy is the 5/1 favourite for the title. Lee Westwood features strongly in the betting as does WGC – Bridgestone Invitational champion Adam Scott and Masters champion Charl Schwartzl.

Cricket

It has been a difficult week for cricket in Pakistan after the conviction of three Test players as part of the ‘spot betting’ scam. However, the current Test side took a 1-0 lead in their series with Sri Lanka last weekend and the two meet in the Third Test in Sharjah this weekend. Pakistan are the 15/8 favourites to win.

Sunday also sees the start of the first Test between India and the West Indies in Delhi.

Rugby League

After their comfortable 42-4 win over Wales last weekend, things get much tougher for England on Saturday as they face the world’s leading side, Australia, in the Four Nations. The Kangaroos beat world champions New Zealand last weekend and I expect the dominant Aussies to win this one.

England v Australia

New Zealand should bounce back to their defeat with a win over Wales.

Rugby Union

Harlequins made it seven wins out of seven in the Aviva Premiership last weekend although the league leaders face a tricky match on Saturday against fourth place Bath. There’s also an attractive looking game on Sunday as second place Saracens take on third place Sale.

Leicester’s season looks to have got up and running with their excellent win last weekend and the Tigers should beat London Irish on Saturday. The bottom two sides also meet this weekend as Newcastle host Worcester.

The big game in the RaboDirect Pro 12 sees second play third as Leinster face Munster on Friday evening. It promises to be an intriguing tie between arguably the best two teams in the league.

Ospreys 100% record came to an end last weekend with their surprise 28-17 loss to Glasgow but they can bounce back by beating the Scarlets on Saturday. Glasgow can beat bottom club Aironi in Italy on Saturday.

Horse Racing

The highlight of Saturday’s racing comes from the USA with the high quality Breeders Cup meeting. Goldikova is the 2/1 favourite to win their fourth successive Breeders Cup Mile while So You Think will be disputing favouritism with Uncle Mo and Havre de Grace in the Breeders Cup Classic.

Big Drama is the 3/1 ante-post favourite for the Breeders Cup Sprint and A U Miner has been backed into 3/1 for the Breeders Cup Marathon.

Closer to home there is racing on Saturday from Doncaster, Kelso, Sandown Park and Wincanton.

Sports Betting Weekly Tips and Preview

Nick — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 07:20:36 +0000

Football

After their humiliating defeat to local rivals Manchester City last week, Manchester United will want to bounce back quickly, although they face a tricky away tie on Saturday against improving Everton. United are a slender 5/6 and I’d prefer to back the home side at 7/2.

Everton v Man United

Chelsea face Arsenal in another of Saturday’s earlier kick-offs and Arsene Wenger’s side are 5/1 to win this – the longest odds I can remember available on the Gunners in a long time. Leaders Man City should beat struggling Wolves at Eastlands while Norwich are great value at 21/20 to beat struggling Blackburn. Stoke should be backed at 6/5 to end Newcastle’s unbeaten run in Monday evening’s match.

There are a couple of great looking games in Serie A as Roma host AC Milan while Juventus travel to Inter. Barcelona are 1/16 to overcome Mallorca at the Nou Camp in La Liga.

Tennis

2011’s Top 8 women will be in Istanbul this week for the season-ending finalé that is the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships. The players will compete for the largest prize money purse on the WTA calendar: $4,900,000.

World number one Caroline Wozniacki has been handed an extremely tough group alongside Vera Zvonareva, Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and the in-form Agneiszka Radwanska and so the value probably lies in the second pool of players. Victoria Azarenka is the 3/1 favourite to bag the $1.75 million first prize whilst Maria Shaparova could be worth an investment at 14/1.

On the ATP Tour, home favourite Jurgen Melzer is bidding to win the Erste Bank Open in Vienna for the third year in succession although he faces tough competition from Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Juan Martin del Potro.

Last week’s Kremlin Cup winner Janko Tipsarevic remains in Russia this week for the St Petersburg Open alongside Gilles Simon and Alexandr Dolgopolov.

Golf

After his stunning eleven shot victory at the Castelló Masters last week it’s no surprise to see Sergio Garcia the clear 7/1 favourite for this weekend’s Andalucia Masters.

Martin Kaymer is 12/1 to win and close the gap on Race to Dubai leader Luke Donald with seven tournaments to play after Andalucia. Graeme McDowell is 20/1 to retain the title he won last year whilst Justin Rose looks good value at 22/1.

The focus of the PGA Tour now heads overseas with the second edition of the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic Malaysia. Ben Crane is 14/1 to retain his title in a tournament in which only one player failed to finish under par last year. Brandt Snedeker is also available at 14/1 whilst Jason Dufner is good value at 20/1.

Cricket

There’s plenty of international cricket action this weekend.

After their series thumping in the one day internationals England have a chance to restore some pride as they face India in a Twenty20 international in Kolkata on Saturday.

India v England

After a draw in the first Test, Pakistan’s second Test against Sri Lanka in Dubai concludes this weekend while Bangladesh take on the West Indies in their second Test after a draw in Chittagong.

Rugby League

The Four Nations kicks off this weekend with Australia the 4/11 favourites to life the trophy. The Kangaroos open their campaign with a tough match against world champions New Zealand although I expect the Aussies to win this one.

Saturday sees England play Wales and whilst the home side weren’t entirely convincing in their warm-up win over France they should have enough to triumph over their neighbours here.

Rugby Union

While most eyes have been on the Rugby World Cup, both the Aviva Premiership and RaboDirect Pro 12 are six games into their regular season.

Table toppers Ospreys have won six out of six this season and can make it seven wins in a row with victory over Glasgow this weekend while second place Munster should easily see off Aironi on Friday evening. Leinster travel to Edinburgh and the Cardiff Blues face Connacht.

Harlequins also have a perfect league record and can make it seven on the bounce with a home win over Exeter on Saturday. Second place Saracens travel to Gloucester while there are must-win ties for two struggling giants. Leicester have lost five matches already this season and travel to high flying Sale while Northampton should beat Newcastle.

Horse Racing

Ascot stages its first National Hunt action of the season this weekend although the highlight of Saturday’s action comes from Wetherby with the Charlie Hall Chase.

Last season’s Hennessy Gold Cup winner Diamond Harry is the 9/4 ante-post favourite from Time For Rupert, Poquelin and the consistent Nacarat.

Elsewhere there is racing from Ayr, Newmarket and Wolverhampton.