Back on form for the time being

Feeling a lot happier this week after a better run of results on the betting so its always a bit more pleasureable compiling the blog matter in those circumstances. Have been a bit more selective on the snooker betting which has meant fewer bets but higher stakes and it seems to have come off this time around so far anyway.
Thats not without a few of the early handicap bets going astray though which was probably a knee jerk reaction after having a bad run on the UK qualifying matches, i.e. some of the bets were probably struck without a proper thinking through in a fit of pique in a typically half-hearted attempt to try and claw back some of the recent losses instead of looking at the overall picture.
My main bet was on Ali Carter to beat Peter Ebdon at 8/11 which were unbelieveable odds for me, Peter's form has been pretty woeful this year and he has won very few matches and here he was up against one of the bright new stars of the game, surely "The Captain" had to be shorter than that over a best of seventeen, more like a 4/9 shot for me.
Carter is also flying the flag in the outright market as I speak, leading Marco Fu 5-3 in the first semi final, as I said at the start of the event I somehow had an inkling this might be his tournament and the way he got past Mark Williams in the quarters (the Welshman suffering a decisive kick in the final frame) seemed to back that up. Nevertheless, you can never write Fu off and he stole the last frame of the first session from well behind on the final black, saving him from going four frames adrift which would have been a long haul to get back from.
Slightly kicking myself now that I didnt choose the higher stakes option when backing him each way at 33s, almost doubled the amount I was having on but dont usually like to increase stakes due to hunches so stuck with the normal amount, would still be a decent draw though.
Stephen Maguire was another I backed at 9s although didnt check the exchanges rather sillily where much bigger prices were available apparently but I had already had enough on by the time I found this out, especially in view of his sketchy recent form.
There are a few players not quite taking the bull by the horns though, neither Mags nor Higgins had been at their best in recent outings and was surprised to see the younger Scot touching 2.16 pre commission on Betdaq so had to have a bit of that. Was still making him 4/5 favourite myself as for me Higgins had been mainly winning due to iffy performances from his opponents (OK Ding made a maximum but has been found wanting tactically in the last year or so, and thats one area where Higgins tends to excel).
Not saying Maguire was any better in beating Burnett (in controversial circumstances) and Robertson (in a scrappy encounter) but you had the feeling the odds would have been the other way around just a few months ago.
My other outright pick Judd Trump exited quietly in the first round to Mark King on the final frame but did seem to have a couple of decent chances to take it and he admitted afterwards he was quite disappointed with his performance, he has had a good run of late though and you can't win them all I suppose.
On the local snooker front, our team were put in our place by the current league champions on their own patch, as I suspected they gained their revenge for the shock beating we gave them in the cup, fielding a much stronger team and winning 4-1 though I did manage to salvage personal pride by winning my frame on the black in a Higgins-esque tactical battle (i.e. not a great one for the spectators to watch, which were of Prestatyn-like proportions anyway!!)
On the greyhound front, my faith in the Tote system was restored when Coventry St Leger winner Swift Ninja was returned 4/11 as opposed to 1/6 with the books at Sheffield on Saturday night and registered a runaway success and later in the week the Leger form was franked again when I was on Barnfield Brooke to win at 9/4 on the live Sky meeting at Wimbledon on Tuesday.
Unfortunately my Oaks ante post bet Droopys Quinta could only manage third from a poor draw (seemed to track wide from an inside pitch) with success going to longshot Meenala Amy who made all from the unlucky runner up Ravello Drive.
Saddest sight was at Galway on the Golden Jacket final night though when the usually strong finishing Oakleaf Tom went badly lame in one of the consolation races when carrying my money, not heard the prognosis but didnt look good at all as his leg gave way underneath him on the final bend.
Also returned victoriously to the ice hockey betting in the NHL with a successful double in the week plus the unfashionable Boston Bruins are looking real Stanley Cup contenders this year as they continue to hold sway in the Eastern Conference with matches in hand to boot so the 33/1 each way voucher about a month into the season looks money well spent.
My other picks Philadelphia Flyers have gradually improved into fourth spot after a poor start and Calgary Flames likewise in the Western Conference, now up to third. Perhaps its best not to mention Dallas Stars, but they finally hauled themselves off the bottom with two victories in a row this week and aren't totally out with the washing yet (the top eight from each section go through to contest the end of season play offs).
Away from the punting, just been down to London for a couple of days, the main reason to see the extravaganza that was "the Here and Now Christmas Party" though have to say was a bit disappointed with how things transpired. The day before I set off I got an email through saying the first band would go on stage at 11pm and the show would end at 2am, so that was my main reason for booking a hotel firstly. Also I'm a bit old for hanging around in a disco environment nowadays so decided to time my arrival just before the bands took centre stage at around 10.30pm, there were supposed to be DJs spinning 80s music the rest of the night.
However firstly the Docklands Light Railway was encountering a delay which meant I didnt get there until 10.45pm to see that Belinda Carlisle was already into her set and Curiosity Killed The Cat had already finished their slot (which I'm not sure was a good or bad thing in retrospect, only joking if anyone is a big fan!).
Would have been very angry if I had missed either Belinda or The Kid, but even though I was lucky in that respect, surely the performers should have been given more stage time as opposed to the DJs. With doors opening at 8pm and closing at 2am, no reason at all why they couldnt all have done full sets of an hour or an hour and a half as per the norm.
As it was Belinda did around five or six songs and Kid Creole a measly three, which is understandable at the multi-artist events that are the norm for this type of show, but surely not when it was such a truncated line up as this.
In fact all three acts had come and gone within an hour and a half and the info was totally incorrect about what time they were going to appear to boot. Fair enough, the changeover time between acts was very swift with a house band playing for all three, but that also meant one of the most charismatic performers Bongo Eddie was missing for what must be the first time I can ever remember from a live Kid Creole show.
Hope he is well anyhow, perhaps he thought it wasnt worth his while for just three numbers. Suppose the scantily clad Coconuts were some compensation though and both the Kid and Belinda were on fine form, what little we saw of them (the show was actually done and dusted by 11.45pm and the DJs moved in for the rest of the night, at least it saved me a surplus taxi fare as the trains were still running).
The 02 looks very spectacular too in the night sky, glad it has been put to good use since the Millennium Dome became extinct, perhaps would make a good snooker venue someday if the crowds ever come back!!
Made myself look a complete numpty at the hotel however as I forgot all my PIN numbers when paying for the stay with my credit card, this after forgetting which room I was in on my return from the show, had narrowed it down to three (which is better than I can usually manage on the betting front) but didnt really want to end up in the wrong bed or else funny things might have happened!!
Was pretty impressed with the hotel I must say, had hundreds and hundreds of rooms, its own in house television channel which even had the option for adult films if you should wish.
I found out these were optional extras on your bill though when my finger accidentally slipped down on to the select button on the remote control, must have been my hands perspiring from all that dancing, would much rather see the highlights of Maguire v Higgins anyway!!
Footnote: Glad I didnt increase my Carter stake now lol!!