Still in the middle of a hectic sport-watching schedule this week with the Twenty20 county cricket campaign now just getting into full swing and amazingly enough Derbyshire my local team for once getting off to a flyer with back to back wins, why didnt I take that 50/1 outright beforehand!
At least I partook in some of the 5/6 to beat Leicestershire yesterday which was never really in doubt from an early stage and the trip up to Durham before that was a very pleasant one too with the Phantoms again making short work of the pre tournament favourites no less.
Notts come to the County Ground tonight and that usually attracts the biggest crowd of the campaign so will be setting off early for that one and then Yorkshire are up at our secondary ground Chesterfield on Sunday which should also attract a healthy gathering.
The weather has certainly perked up too at just the right time and it was blisteringly hot down in Ruislip on Sunday when a bumper crowd gathered to see London (or Londain as it is in gaelic) put up a creditable show against the much more illustrious Galway in the first round of the Connacht Championship, though a late penalty concession rather put a spoke in the final scoreline with an eleven point loss.
The hurlers scored a comfortable win on Saturday over Fermanagh in front of a much more modest turn-out.
The highlight of the weekend was probably the Here and Now Show at Wembley Arena though, the last stop off for this particular line-up and it really was a great night. Howard Jones came across particularly well reeling off most of his repertoire of hits and surprisingly Altered Images and Clare Grogan who I never really took to back in the 80s sounded quite refereshing too, not to mention the old favourite Kid Creole too (though still no Bongo Eddie as the house band held sway). A much better show than the Christmas Party I attended when there was just a truncated line-up doing a few songs each.
Should also give a mention to old-stagers 10cc who I also saw a couple of weeks ago, led by only original member Graham Goulding nowadays though still with a couple of other band members who have been with them for some time and this also was a cracking nights entertainment for a very reasonable entry fee, great value for money.
On to the greyhounds and last weekend saw the final of the Ladbrokes 600 in Shelbourne Park and although I scooped the each way part of the bet with 20/1 shot Dundrum Minor finishing fourth, College Causeway my main selection found trouble in running and failed to catch Accordello on the run in, the latter holding on by a length. Ironically it was my old favourite Jemmy Doodlebeag, who I was hoping would do me a favour by holding up the eventual winner, who cut my selection off at the bend so perhaps serves me right for having such devious thoughts lol.
Elsewhere the Scurry Cup, Cock o The North and Irish St Leger are all underway but all eyes will be on Wimbledon on Saturday night for the final of the Derby.
I have three in the final, Ballymac Ruso and Wise Thought who are vying for favouritism along with the perhaps not so well drawn Farloe Reason. If Ruso can get clear as he has been doing in the last two rounds he should win but he may have to battle for the lead with the three other fast starting railers so in these circumstances perhaps the wide seed Wise Thought can skip around the outside to glory. Fear Zafonic the original ante post favourite has drawn his preferred box in one but even on his best form in this perhaps needs to improve a little, as with any dog here though if he gets a lead to the bend he would be a big player.
In the consolation plate, Ninja Jamie seemingly holds all the aces and ought to have too much pace for the opposition which includes my other bigger priced selection Head ItOn Ellis while the Champion Hurdle looks very open and I'm rooting for Platinumlancelot, The Other Outlaw or Freedom Man.
Finally the snooker also refuses to take a back seat and the invitational Jiangsu Classic starts in China on Wednesday with Ding Junhui attempting to defend his crown in his birthplace of Wuxi City though I've not really had a proper look at it yet.
All the best for now
Rick
Friday, 29 May 2009
Friday, 22 May 2009
Only the odd aubergine this week...
As you may know I'm continuing my ongoing push to try and catch up with the horse racing form whilst keeping my eyes on every other sport imaginable but that conversely means that I never quite seem to manage it!
The closest I got was a week and a half behind last October but then the snooker season intervened and I'm now a couple of months off the pace again and attempting to wade through my backlog of Racing Posts - ever the professional!
It does have some benefits though as I still get to read the musings of the late great Sir Clement Freud (who sadly passed away in April at the age of 85) for a while yet - I liked the bit about his Cheltenham selections being stuffed like aubergines (though wish they had won for him) and Prestbury Park being such a great place to be, that is unless you held the slightest desire to remain solvent.
I remember him telling a story about a stand up show he did on one of his tours and at the end, apologetically in his usual deadpan style, he asked for the owner of a car of a certain number plate to stay behind afterwards and exchange insurance details as he had accidentally reversed into it in the venue's car park, the crowd thought this was a great encore and heady laughter rang down the aisles until he re-inforced that it was actually true and he was really inviting an offer for that person to step forward after the show!!
David Ashforth also tells us he's off to America (he's probably there now!!) and gives us his life story of how he got where he is today.
Thought I maybe ought to reveal a bit more of myself in that respect here, no not by unveiling my torso or putting up a mugshot which all the Racing Post journalists seem quite partial to - think I'd like to remain incognito just in case the selections didnt win myself, but its probably company policy or something like that.
I remember in my days as a nipper hating football with a vengeance until all of a sudden I decided I quite liked it and started playing at about the age of seven - a late developer compared with most - though a promising clogging career was cut short when I sold a backpass short in a school match resulting in the decisive losing goal and was never picked again. I tell a lie, I was a sub in the next match but the fact there was one sub too many on the bench that day perhaps should have told me I shouldnt really have been there and there was a miscommunication lol. What an unforgiving lot they were!!
I also propped up the school cricket team in the lower order and occasionally bowled too which was as well as our opening two batsmen seemed to play as if it was a test match and we often seemed to end up with no wickets down yet only having scored about four an over. I think I was a bit of an all or nowt bowler, mainly leg spin, on the right wicket I could skittle almost an entire team but on some of the smaller grounds I was despatched over the ropes to such an extent that the crowd ought to have had danger money.
As a batsman I accidentally devised a great way of getting rid of any short leg fielder as one particular unfortunate in that position had just got up from his crouching-down position when I missed a ball to the wicket-keeper and I decided to practice the shot again (I'd seen them do this on the TV), however he bobbed up just at the wrong time and I connected with my thick wooden bat right across his rather less thick head, hopefully no long term damage was done!
As I got bigger the weight of my bats tended to increase too but not in proportion unfortunately - I think I'd been watching too much of Beefy Botham at the time - and eventually my form deserted me mainly due to the fact that I could hardly lift the bat up off the floor before the ball had whizzed by straight on to middle stump!
My first betting interests came at around junior school stage, I think my first ever bet was in the Lincoln Handicap from memory - an each way which got placed - my grandma used to take the bets up to the bookies for me - and from that moment on I was hooked. I certainly remember backing Mon Fils, the 1973 2000 Guineas winner at 50/1 and my eyes boggled at the amount of money I got back from a piddling stake as it was in those days. I'm not sure the bookie in question was too keen on what were mostly akin to a shopping list of horses names, perhaps a penny on each one, but at least I didnt have to face the music. He apparently complained about it to my gran every weekend as she appeared through the door with something akin to a medieval scroll.
I also used to run my own snail racing cards in the back garden in a purpose made cardboard box, lovingly sticking miniature numbers on their backs with sellotape and then sprinkling them with water to get them to show an interest before placing them on the track. A full betting market was formed beforehand, all the form was published and remember one or two deluded friends used to come round to experience these big events too! My parents put a stop to these when one day the rebellious molluscs found an escape route from my disintegrating sodden box after a rainstorm and our rather leafy garden quickly became an unleafy one as the following weeks progressed.
I was almost exclusively a horse player until fairly recently when the fixture list seemed to be spiralling out of control and due to extra travelling with the amalgamation of working departments to an outlying area plus longer hours, I had far less time on my hands.
So I switched to sports betting and immediately seemed to hit a rich vein on the snooker especially, I think it helps having an insight into the game as I have played at an amateur level for many years and in my day have beaten such luminaries as one time World Championship runner up Nigel Bond no less (though modesty prevents me from mentioning it usually).
With new technology coming in and redundancies in the offing, it didnt take a rocket scientist to realise our typesetting department (for a branch of newspapers) was soon for the chop so I thought I'd try a few other sports and see how I got on with those in preparation for giving the betting a prominent role once the axe fell on the real job.
This also brought me around to the gaelic football which I always loved watching on World of Sport as a young un - they mainly showed it when all other sports were washed out - and now the dogs which I always felt a bit of a lottery but by playing the ante post markets you can still get some nice prices and hopefully have your picks progress through the various competition heats to the finals.
I've also tried some others - the rugby league has been aborted as I never really understood the tactical side of the game though reckon I would be better placed nowadays to profit, the ice hockey which I havent cracked as yet but am still working on it, aussie rules - this has been going OK this year and is a close relation of the gaelic football of course; and also the cricket which I'm pretty even on overall. Oh and also hurling of course, another gaelic game but not so far as successful for me as that variety of football. Plus the odd dabble for or against my own team Derby County when an opportunity beckons, its got to be some kind of advantage to see a team week in week out when the bookies are pricing up from afar.
Anyway with that in mind this weekend I'm off down to Ruislip to watch London's gaelic games teams in action - the hurling team who have been doing quite well at a moderate level take on Fermanagh in the Ulster Championship on Saturday afternoon whereas on Sunday a much bigger crowd will be in attendance to witness the gaelic football team up against Galway in the Connacht Championship. As you can tell from the differing geographical sections I think they just put London in where it fitted the numbers best!
To my delight I then noticed theres a Here and Now Party at nearby Wembley Arena on Saturday night so quickly snapped up a ticket for that and a great weekend is in the offing hopefully. Had originally been thinking of going down to Wimbledon that evening to see the semi finals of the Greyhound Derby as I still have some interest in that but couldnt pass up the chance to see Kid Creole (or for that matter The Coconuts) one more time so will be relying on Sky+ now for the dogs.
That said was thinking about calling in at Coventry greyhounds on the way back as an alternative but will see how I feel on the journey back as I don't want that backlog of Racing Posts to get too high!
Plus Tuesday sees the start of the Twenty20 campaign for Derbyshire's cricket team (who are priced up as 50/1 rank outsiders) and I'm off up to the Riverside with a few friends to see them take on the tournament favourites Durham and then back down to Grace Road, Leicestershire on Thursday.
Its not been the busiest betting week but after some deliberating I stuck with World Series Grand Finale winner in Portugal Shaun Murphy to double up in Killarney in the first leg of this series Tour and he obliged at 13/8.
It always looked a case of either him or Higgins once again but with the fallout of the World final maybe affecting the winner more than the runner up, I felt Murphy was the one to plump for at similar prices. Ken Doherty was a possible in his home country but you had to forgive him some very poor form and a stark lack of match practice in recent months so soon dispensed with that idea.
It turned out quite a decent earner as I also backed the Irish No 1 ranked youngster Jason Devaney to get top break of the wildcards at 13/8 which he did with a 55 (the next highest was only 29) and also got 11/10 Jimmy White to beat Ken in the semi and 2/5 Murphy to defeat White in the final (some were going as low as 1/7 for that scenario).
Had a bit of a stock-take on the snooker betting after the World Championships as the season as a whole didnt really go to plan - most of the profits were made from one big priced outright winner - and hopefully I've pinpointed a few areas of improvement from hereon in on the baize, perhaps I'd gotten a little complacent after doing so well on it from an early stage.
You may remember I had a bit of an inquest initially in mid season but didnt have the time to go into such depth and hopefully that has been addressed now.
On the dogs, Faypoint Man (an ante post pick at 6/1) landed the Oran Majestic Classic at Shelbourne last Saturday winning from one of my other selections Skywalker Queen in second place. And in the Ladbrokes 600, College Causeway, Dundrum Minor and Mid West Blue all made it through to this weekend's final though a big danger to all is Accordello, who did a flying time in the semi final from the front.
Perhaps an old favourite Jemmy Doodlebeag may help me out this time around by leading that one up in the early stages as otherwise he would be a very tough nut to crack if he sees daylight ahead of him.
The pessimistic view of my Derby picks wasn't entirely vindicated thankfully or at least not just yet as I still have three at the semi final stage. Ballymac Ruso and Wise Thought go in the first heat along with the one time ante post favourite Fear Zafonic (now narrowly deposed) and I also have Farloe Reason in the other heat.
Just hoping they can get through to the final at this stage though would probably settle for two of them making it. Have already lost about four or five contenders along the way of course so won't be making any astronomical sums out of it whatever and could be a fair reversal if it doesnt go my way (the withdrawal of Thurlesberg Joker without running didnt do me any favours).
Catch you later
Rick
The closest I got was a week and a half behind last October but then the snooker season intervened and I'm now a couple of months off the pace again and attempting to wade through my backlog of Racing Posts - ever the professional!
It does have some benefits though as I still get to read the musings of the late great Sir Clement Freud (who sadly passed away in April at the age of 85) for a while yet - I liked the bit about his Cheltenham selections being stuffed like aubergines (though wish they had won for him) and Prestbury Park being such a great place to be, that is unless you held the slightest desire to remain solvent.
I remember him telling a story about a stand up show he did on one of his tours and at the end, apologetically in his usual deadpan style, he asked for the owner of a car of a certain number plate to stay behind afterwards and exchange insurance details as he had accidentally reversed into it in the venue's car park, the crowd thought this was a great encore and heady laughter rang down the aisles until he re-inforced that it was actually true and he was really inviting an offer for that person to step forward after the show!!
David Ashforth also tells us he's off to America (he's probably there now!!) and gives us his life story of how he got where he is today.
Thought I maybe ought to reveal a bit more of myself in that respect here, no not by unveiling my torso or putting up a mugshot which all the Racing Post journalists seem quite partial to - think I'd like to remain incognito just in case the selections didnt win myself, but its probably company policy or something like that.
I remember in my days as a nipper hating football with a vengeance until all of a sudden I decided I quite liked it and started playing at about the age of seven - a late developer compared with most - though a promising clogging career was cut short when I sold a backpass short in a school match resulting in the decisive losing goal and was never picked again. I tell a lie, I was a sub in the next match but the fact there was one sub too many on the bench that day perhaps should have told me I shouldnt really have been there and there was a miscommunication lol. What an unforgiving lot they were!!
I also propped up the school cricket team in the lower order and occasionally bowled too which was as well as our opening two batsmen seemed to play as if it was a test match and we often seemed to end up with no wickets down yet only having scored about four an over. I think I was a bit of an all or nowt bowler, mainly leg spin, on the right wicket I could skittle almost an entire team but on some of the smaller grounds I was despatched over the ropes to such an extent that the crowd ought to have had danger money.
As a batsman I accidentally devised a great way of getting rid of any short leg fielder as one particular unfortunate in that position had just got up from his crouching-down position when I missed a ball to the wicket-keeper and I decided to practice the shot again (I'd seen them do this on the TV), however he bobbed up just at the wrong time and I connected with my thick wooden bat right across his rather less thick head, hopefully no long term damage was done!
As I got bigger the weight of my bats tended to increase too but not in proportion unfortunately - I think I'd been watching too much of Beefy Botham at the time - and eventually my form deserted me mainly due to the fact that I could hardly lift the bat up off the floor before the ball had whizzed by straight on to middle stump!
My first betting interests came at around junior school stage, I think my first ever bet was in the Lincoln Handicap from memory - an each way which got placed - my grandma used to take the bets up to the bookies for me - and from that moment on I was hooked. I certainly remember backing Mon Fils, the 1973 2000 Guineas winner at 50/1 and my eyes boggled at the amount of money I got back from a piddling stake as it was in those days. I'm not sure the bookie in question was too keen on what were mostly akin to a shopping list of horses names, perhaps a penny on each one, but at least I didnt have to face the music. He apparently complained about it to my gran every weekend as she appeared through the door with something akin to a medieval scroll.
I also used to run my own snail racing cards in the back garden in a purpose made cardboard box, lovingly sticking miniature numbers on their backs with sellotape and then sprinkling them with water to get them to show an interest before placing them on the track. A full betting market was formed beforehand, all the form was published and remember one or two deluded friends used to come round to experience these big events too! My parents put a stop to these when one day the rebellious molluscs found an escape route from my disintegrating sodden box after a rainstorm and our rather leafy garden quickly became an unleafy one as the following weeks progressed.
I was almost exclusively a horse player until fairly recently when the fixture list seemed to be spiralling out of control and due to extra travelling with the amalgamation of working departments to an outlying area plus longer hours, I had far less time on my hands.
So I switched to sports betting and immediately seemed to hit a rich vein on the snooker especially, I think it helps having an insight into the game as I have played at an amateur level for many years and in my day have beaten such luminaries as one time World Championship runner up Nigel Bond no less (though modesty prevents me from mentioning it usually).
With new technology coming in and redundancies in the offing, it didnt take a rocket scientist to realise our typesetting department (for a branch of newspapers) was soon for the chop so I thought I'd try a few other sports and see how I got on with those in preparation for giving the betting a prominent role once the axe fell on the real job.
This also brought me around to the gaelic football which I always loved watching on World of Sport as a young un - they mainly showed it when all other sports were washed out - and now the dogs which I always felt a bit of a lottery but by playing the ante post markets you can still get some nice prices and hopefully have your picks progress through the various competition heats to the finals.
I've also tried some others - the rugby league has been aborted as I never really understood the tactical side of the game though reckon I would be better placed nowadays to profit, the ice hockey which I havent cracked as yet but am still working on it, aussie rules - this has been going OK this year and is a close relation of the gaelic football of course; and also the cricket which I'm pretty even on overall. Oh and also hurling of course, another gaelic game but not so far as successful for me as that variety of football. Plus the odd dabble for or against my own team Derby County when an opportunity beckons, its got to be some kind of advantage to see a team week in week out when the bookies are pricing up from afar.
Anyway with that in mind this weekend I'm off down to Ruislip to watch London's gaelic games teams in action - the hurling team who have been doing quite well at a moderate level take on Fermanagh in the Ulster Championship on Saturday afternoon whereas on Sunday a much bigger crowd will be in attendance to witness the gaelic football team up against Galway in the Connacht Championship. As you can tell from the differing geographical sections I think they just put London in where it fitted the numbers best!
To my delight I then noticed theres a Here and Now Party at nearby Wembley Arena on Saturday night so quickly snapped up a ticket for that and a great weekend is in the offing hopefully. Had originally been thinking of going down to Wimbledon that evening to see the semi finals of the Greyhound Derby as I still have some interest in that but couldnt pass up the chance to see Kid Creole (or for that matter The Coconuts) one more time so will be relying on Sky+ now for the dogs.
That said was thinking about calling in at Coventry greyhounds on the way back as an alternative but will see how I feel on the journey back as I don't want that backlog of Racing Posts to get too high!
Plus Tuesday sees the start of the Twenty20 campaign for Derbyshire's cricket team (who are priced up as 50/1 rank outsiders) and I'm off up to the Riverside with a few friends to see them take on the tournament favourites Durham and then back down to Grace Road, Leicestershire on Thursday.
Its not been the busiest betting week but after some deliberating I stuck with World Series Grand Finale winner in Portugal Shaun Murphy to double up in Killarney in the first leg of this series Tour and he obliged at 13/8.
It always looked a case of either him or Higgins once again but with the fallout of the World final maybe affecting the winner more than the runner up, I felt Murphy was the one to plump for at similar prices. Ken Doherty was a possible in his home country but you had to forgive him some very poor form and a stark lack of match practice in recent months so soon dispensed with that idea.
It turned out quite a decent earner as I also backed the Irish No 1 ranked youngster Jason Devaney to get top break of the wildcards at 13/8 which he did with a 55 (the next highest was only 29) and also got 11/10 Jimmy White to beat Ken in the semi and 2/5 Murphy to defeat White in the final (some were going as low as 1/7 for that scenario).
Had a bit of a stock-take on the snooker betting after the World Championships as the season as a whole didnt really go to plan - most of the profits were made from one big priced outright winner - and hopefully I've pinpointed a few areas of improvement from hereon in on the baize, perhaps I'd gotten a little complacent after doing so well on it from an early stage.
You may remember I had a bit of an inquest initially in mid season but didnt have the time to go into such depth and hopefully that has been addressed now.
On the dogs, Faypoint Man (an ante post pick at 6/1) landed the Oran Majestic Classic at Shelbourne last Saturday winning from one of my other selections Skywalker Queen in second place. And in the Ladbrokes 600, College Causeway, Dundrum Minor and Mid West Blue all made it through to this weekend's final though a big danger to all is Accordello, who did a flying time in the semi final from the front.
Perhaps an old favourite Jemmy Doodlebeag may help me out this time around by leading that one up in the early stages as otherwise he would be a very tough nut to crack if he sees daylight ahead of him.
The pessimistic view of my Derby picks wasn't entirely vindicated thankfully or at least not just yet as I still have three at the semi final stage. Ballymac Ruso and Wise Thought go in the first heat along with the one time ante post favourite Fear Zafonic (now narrowly deposed) and I also have Farloe Reason in the other heat.
Just hoping they can get through to the final at this stage though would probably settle for two of them making it. Have already lost about four or five contenders along the way of course so won't be making any astronomical sums out of it whatever and could be a fair reversal if it doesnt go my way (the withdrawal of Thurlesberg Joker without running didnt do me any favours).
Catch you later
Rick
Friday, 15 May 2009
Boston fightback fails in overtime
It was certainly a late one last night as I stayed up to watch the Stanley Cup quarter final (or Eastern Conference semi final if you prefer!) deciding game between Boston and Carolina which didnt finish until something like 4.30am.
If you remember I'd backed the Bruins at 33/1 each way so another couple of series wins would pay the place part of the bet though I had tbh written them off somewhat when they went 3-1 down.
A couple of wins later though and optimism was renewed at 3-3 though it was always going to be a tough decider as the Hurricanes were not backing down and so it proved, going all the way to extra time before a rather soft rebound off netminder Tim Thomas left Scotty Walker to poach the winner for Carolina from close range.
It was unfortunate for Thomas who had been one of the stars of the season for Boston but also for me as my potential four figure winnings (had the ante post been landed) likewise disappeared into the abyss.
That said, I didnt really feel they looked like potential champions here with their attacking play perhaps lacking a bit of real top quality, too many pucks being fired rather predictably straight at the solid Cam Ward. Boston had looked very good around Christmas time building up a considerable buffer to land the Eastern Conference but perhaps peaked a couple of months too soon in retrospect.
Also looking back on the ice hockey betting for the season makes rather painful viewing and although I should really clip it from the roster, I have learned some lessons this time around and might give it a limited bash again next year depending on how the other sports are performing.
Russia did at least land the IIHF World Championship last Sunday to scoop my ante post bet of 9/4 with a 2-1 win over Canada but that event too recorded overall losses.
None of the World Pool Masters first round bets proved very auspicious either as Tony Drago disposed of an out of sorts Nils Feijen to scupper my double and then Fu Jian-Bo lost 8-7 in a decider to favourite Mikka Immonen. The event was eventually won by Brit Darren Appleton, a 9/1 outright shot, who defeated Holland's Nick Van Den Berg 8-4 in the final. There were perhaps luckily no prices available from the second round onwards as the compiler most likely had the weekend off thankfully!
Yet more woe came about when Mayo failed to overturn the -16 handicap deficit at New York in the gaelic football - in fact they trailed by four points to nil early doors - but despite eventually gaining an 11 pt lead at half time they eased off somewhat in the second period and the final margin was just 15. Hats off to the handicapper at Paddies, though he did later change it to -18 in line with most of the others!
It wasnt all doom and gloom though. The World Series of Snooker Grand Finale at Portugal turned in a profit, despite Graeme Dott losing 5-4 to Shaun Murphy in the semi finals when I'd backed him at 9/1 in the outright. I still plundered a few quid by supporting Higgins to beat Maguire at 5/6 in the semi (he won 5-3) and having seen that rather scrappy affair I also went in on Murphy to win the final at 11/10 which he did 6-2.
The new season of World Series starts just a week later in Killarney on Saturday with Murphy and Higgins again the main protagonists on paper though you wonder if they might have put their cues away for a week after a hectic schedule and also if Ken Doherty might have made an extra effort for this in his home country, though his recent form is hardly inspiring, losing to the 14-year-old whizz-kid Luca Brecel in Portugal last weekend.
The cricket bets also produced some dividends as I managed three out of three in the Friends Provident Trophy, Gloucestershire to beat Durham at 10/11, Sussex to do the same at 11/10 and Essex to defeat Glamorgan at 4/7 who all obliged.
Gloucestershire, a 33/1 outright pick, look set to qualify for the quarter finals as I speak, as they top their group with Yorkshire my other candidates vying for second place with Sussex at present.
Kent my Division 2 County Championship picks at 9/4 have also sprung to life in the last few weeks with an amazing win over Essex after being forced to follow-on and then making short work of Glamorgan to move into second place in the table with a game in hand.
I'll be having a look at the Twenty Twenty prices this week with that competition just around the corner, hopefully the weather will pick up as I have tickets for all Derbyshire's group games.
On the greyhound front, the majority of my remaining Derby picks made it through although I'm still far from confident in my portfolio there, I do think the Irish Derby at Shelbourne is a bit more of a fairer test for all types of dog as often the one in front at the first bend will go on to win at the Don if its a good un, which isnt really the type of race that tickles my fancy too much.
Speaking of Shelbourne, I have Faypoint Man at 7/1 and Skywalker Queen at 10/1 into the final of the Oran Majestic Classic and in the Ladbrokes 600, all my four made it into the semi finals though College Causeway and Dundrum Minor go head to head from adjoining stalls in one of them which isnt ideal, with my other contenders being Mid West Blue and Skywalker Night.
Finally, its ironic that betting was once considered one of the roots of all evil, yet perhaps now its becoming quite respectable when we see some of the supposed bastions of Parliament allegedly resorting to all kinds of skulduggery when compiling their expense forms. They're not the only ones of course, what with banks out for all they can get when you go a smidgeon overdrawn on one account for the odd day when they can see you have ample amounts in other ones which they themselves have recommended to you, parking fees springing up everywhere you care to look, insurance companies bumping up premiums until you show them you can get it cheaper elsewhere, speed traps designed to make money rather than the ultimate goal of safety, long hours for small wages, its all a bit depressing and cynical for me.
At least in our game its all upfront, you strike a bargain on the table and each side is happy before the off, no need for any shenanigans to try and increase your lot afterwards, hold on a minute though I'm forgetting Betfair and the premium charge arent I lol. I've honestly never heard anything quite so ridiculous as winning a string of straight bets and then being told to pay some of it back as you've won too much, I think that one still takes the biscuit! OK maybe traders are a different kettle of fish I'll concede.
Anyhow thats all for now, hope you didnt mind my Victor Meldrew moment there at the end (or has everyone forgotten who he is now lol!)
See you soon
Rick
If you remember I'd backed the Bruins at 33/1 each way so another couple of series wins would pay the place part of the bet though I had tbh written them off somewhat when they went 3-1 down.
A couple of wins later though and optimism was renewed at 3-3 though it was always going to be a tough decider as the Hurricanes were not backing down and so it proved, going all the way to extra time before a rather soft rebound off netminder Tim Thomas left Scotty Walker to poach the winner for Carolina from close range.
It was unfortunate for Thomas who had been one of the stars of the season for Boston but also for me as my potential four figure winnings (had the ante post been landed) likewise disappeared into the abyss.
That said, I didnt really feel they looked like potential champions here with their attacking play perhaps lacking a bit of real top quality, too many pucks being fired rather predictably straight at the solid Cam Ward. Boston had looked very good around Christmas time building up a considerable buffer to land the Eastern Conference but perhaps peaked a couple of months too soon in retrospect.
Also looking back on the ice hockey betting for the season makes rather painful viewing and although I should really clip it from the roster, I have learned some lessons this time around and might give it a limited bash again next year depending on how the other sports are performing.
Russia did at least land the IIHF World Championship last Sunday to scoop my ante post bet of 9/4 with a 2-1 win over Canada but that event too recorded overall losses.
None of the World Pool Masters first round bets proved very auspicious either as Tony Drago disposed of an out of sorts Nils Feijen to scupper my double and then Fu Jian-Bo lost 8-7 in a decider to favourite Mikka Immonen. The event was eventually won by Brit Darren Appleton, a 9/1 outright shot, who defeated Holland's Nick Van Den Berg 8-4 in the final. There were perhaps luckily no prices available from the second round onwards as the compiler most likely had the weekend off thankfully!
Yet more woe came about when Mayo failed to overturn the -16 handicap deficit at New York in the gaelic football - in fact they trailed by four points to nil early doors - but despite eventually gaining an 11 pt lead at half time they eased off somewhat in the second period and the final margin was just 15. Hats off to the handicapper at Paddies, though he did later change it to -18 in line with most of the others!
It wasnt all doom and gloom though. The World Series of Snooker Grand Finale at Portugal turned in a profit, despite Graeme Dott losing 5-4 to Shaun Murphy in the semi finals when I'd backed him at 9/1 in the outright. I still plundered a few quid by supporting Higgins to beat Maguire at 5/6 in the semi (he won 5-3) and having seen that rather scrappy affair I also went in on Murphy to win the final at 11/10 which he did 6-2.
The new season of World Series starts just a week later in Killarney on Saturday with Murphy and Higgins again the main protagonists on paper though you wonder if they might have put their cues away for a week after a hectic schedule and also if Ken Doherty might have made an extra effort for this in his home country, though his recent form is hardly inspiring, losing to the 14-year-old whizz-kid Luca Brecel in Portugal last weekend.
The cricket bets also produced some dividends as I managed three out of three in the Friends Provident Trophy, Gloucestershire to beat Durham at 10/11, Sussex to do the same at 11/10 and Essex to defeat Glamorgan at 4/7 who all obliged.
Gloucestershire, a 33/1 outright pick, look set to qualify for the quarter finals as I speak, as they top their group with Yorkshire my other candidates vying for second place with Sussex at present.
Kent my Division 2 County Championship picks at 9/4 have also sprung to life in the last few weeks with an amazing win over Essex after being forced to follow-on and then making short work of Glamorgan to move into second place in the table with a game in hand.
I'll be having a look at the Twenty Twenty prices this week with that competition just around the corner, hopefully the weather will pick up as I have tickets for all Derbyshire's group games.
On the greyhound front, the majority of my remaining Derby picks made it through although I'm still far from confident in my portfolio there, I do think the Irish Derby at Shelbourne is a bit more of a fairer test for all types of dog as often the one in front at the first bend will go on to win at the Don if its a good un, which isnt really the type of race that tickles my fancy too much.
Speaking of Shelbourne, I have Faypoint Man at 7/1 and Skywalker Queen at 10/1 into the final of the Oran Majestic Classic and in the Ladbrokes 600, all my four made it into the semi finals though College Causeway and Dundrum Minor go head to head from adjoining stalls in one of them which isnt ideal, with my other contenders being Mid West Blue and Skywalker Night.
Finally, its ironic that betting was once considered one of the roots of all evil, yet perhaps now its becoming quite respectable when we see some of the supposed bastions of Parliament allegedly resorting to all kinds of skulduggery when compiling their expense forms. They're not the only ones of course, what with banks out for all they can get when you go a smidgeon overdrawn on one account for the odd day when they can see you have ample amounts in other ones which they themselves have recommended to you, parking fees springing up everywhere you care to look, insurance companies bumping up premiums until you show them you can get it cheaper elsewhere, speed traps designed to make money rather than the ultimate goal of safety, long hours for small wages, its all a bit depressing and cynical for me.
At least in our game its all upfront, you strike a bargain on the table and each side is happy before the off, no need for any shenanigans to try and increase your lot afterwards, hold on a minute though I'm forgetting Betfair and the premium charge arent I lol. I've honestly never heard anything quite so ridiculous as winning a string of straight bets and then being told to pay some of it back as you've won too much, I think that one still takes the biscuit! OK maybe traders are a different kettle of fish I'll concede.
Anyhow thats all for now, hope you didnt mind my Victor Meldrew moment there at the end (or has everyone forgotten who he is now lol!)
See you soon
Rick
Saturday, 9 May 2009
Higgins defies age stats to lift World crown
I'm getting better at timekeeping, only a day late with this one, but still reckon its best to keep a regular posting date otherwise it will all get a bit willy nilly, am I rambling already lol.
The World Snooker Championship finished with a couple of winners for me having backed John Higgins to take both the match and the highest break of his final with Shaun Murphy and both obliged at the same price of 5/6. So although I actually finished a fair bit up on the match betting, I overstaked a bit on the outrights and also on some of the extra markets that crop up every World Championship so ended up slightly down overall.
Thats a bit disappointing as have usually done quite well in the flagship event betting wise in the past, but it was close as I reckon if Mark Selby had edged out John Higgins instead of the other way around, things could well have been different. Fair play to John though, a sterling effort of matchplay snooker all the way through and the oldest player to take the title since Joe Johnson over 20 years ago, which shows how competitive the modern era is with the conveyer belt of young and hungry players coming into the game.
It will be interesting to see if that trend continues with a few snooker clubs closing down in the last year or two, but would imagine that the bigger cities will still be thriving with plenty of talent.
Theres no rest for some of the participants in the Worlds as they go straight on to the World Series grand finale in Portugal which is now underway. My outright pick is Graeme Dott each way at 9s and he is in action against young whizzkid Luca Brecel, a 14-year-old from Belgium as I speak, the latter having already disposed of Jimmy White and Ken Doherty to get to the quarter final.
Also had a nice six-fold acca up in the league stages of this, all at shortish odds, but still paid a touch over 5/2 so off to a decent start anyhow though will probably keep bets to a minimum given the format and end of season feel.
Also had a nice winner in the Peterborough Puppy Derby last Tuesday on Sky when my ante-post pick Barnfield Rocky powered home from his rail draw to land the 14/1 odds and supplemented that one with Bandit Blue who I also backed on the night at evens in one of the supporting events on the sharp Midlands track where the start is so vital.
I wasn't totally happy with my early Greyhound Derby picks in the ante post market however and lost one of them last night when Tyror Hestor fluffed the start though Bandicoot Tipoki, Head Iton Ellis, Wise Thought and Farloe Reason all made it through. Tonight Jesters Nap and Ballymac Ruso make their bids to reach the next round too, have I really backed that many lol!!
The next round of the Ladbrokes 600 takes place tonight at Shelbourne with College Causeway the ante post favourite being my biggest outlay though I also have Dundrum Minor, Mid West Blue and Skywalker Night in this one, the latter two only just scraping through last time around though.
And also the Oran Majestic Classic semi finals are held on the same card with Faypoint Man, Tip and Tin and Skywalker Queen all in contention for me.
There was disappointment in horse racing's 1,000 guineas when my 8/1 ante post bet on Rainbow View (odds on on the day) didnt bear fruit as the filly seemed to dislike the firmer ground and could only stay on at one pace in fifth. Perhaps she'll need to wait for the rains or else step up in trip to be seen to best effect now.
It was nice to pick up a decent return on the aussie rules on Friday when Essendon Bombers surprised the Hawthorn Hawks at best odds of 9/2, I thought the visitors were being priced up on last seasons form there so had a nice sum of money on both the match odds and handicap and Brisbane added to the coffers by defeating Richmond at 4/5 this morning.
In the gaelic football tomorrow, the Connacht Championship starts and I've backed Mayo to reel in their -16 handicap at New York at 10/11, most of the more illustrious Irish teams have managed to overcome similar burdens in the past though of course the recession may mean the American minnows have a bigger pool of players to choose from. The lines have changed to -18 though in the last couple of days so hopefully the early bird has caught the worm!!
The ice hockey has never quite happened for me on the betting front but I'm continuing to work on it as I love to watch the games. The match betting is showing a loss on the current World Championships which come to a conclusion tomorrow with my outright picks Russia facing Canada in a repeat of last years final, so at least theres the chance of some compensation. The Canadians however will start favourites to avenge last years overtime defeat as they have generally looked the more impressive in this event with a few of the Russian stars missing in the NHL play offs this time around (which didnt seem likely at the time I struck the bet!!).
Also unlikely are the chances of my Stanley Cup outright bet on Boston Bruins being cashed in, as they now trail 3-1 to Carolina in a best of 7 series so have no room for error now and were generally outplayed in the latest match. Will also be taking a bit of a loss on the chin there in the series bet which I thought looked a decent wager at 8/15 but its certainly not looking too hot now!!
This years World Pool Masters, sponsored by Matchroom, got underway last night and although the outrights looked far too trappy, I had a few dabbles on the match bets.
Imran Majid beat Johnny Archer in the Mosconi Cup the last time they met so took the 7/4 about him only to see him bomb out 8-2 in the first round, though the first leg of my double Shane Van Boening won by a similar score against the young Korean girl Ram Cha, that rolls on to Nils Feijen beating Tony Drago tonight.
Also chanced the outsider Fu Jian-Bo at 15/8, now into 7/4 against Mikka Immonen.
All the best for now
Rick
The World Snooker Championship finished with a couple of winners for me having backed John Higgins to take both the match and the highest break of his final with Shaun Murphy and both obliged at the same price of 5/6. So although I actually finished a fair bit up on the match betting, I overstaked a bit on the outrights and also on some of the extra markets that crop up every World Championship so ended up slightly down overall.
Thats a bit disappointing as have usually done quite well in the flagship event betting wise in the past, but it was close as I reckon if Mark Selby had edged out John Higgins instead of the other way around, things could well have been different. Fair play to John though, a sterling effort of matchplay snooker all the way through and the oldest player to take the title since Joe Johnson over 20 years ago, which shows how competitive the modern era is with the conveyer belt of young and hungry players coming into the game.
It will be interesting to see if that trend continues with a few snooker clubs closing down in the last year or two, but would imagine that the bigger cities will still be thriving with plenty of talent.
Theres no rest for some of the participants in the Worlds as they go straight on to the World Series grand finale in Portugal which is now underway. My outright pick is Graeme Dott each way at 9s and he is in action against young whizzkid Luca Brecel, a 14-year-old from Belgium as I speak, the latter having already disposed of Jimmy White and Ken Doherty to get to the quarter final.
Also had a nice six-fold acca up in the league stages of this, all at shortish odds, but still paid a touch over 5/2 so off to a decent start anyhow though will probably keep bets to a minimum given the format and end of season feel.
Also had a nice winner in the Peterborough Puppy Derby last Tuesday on Sky when my ante-post pick Barnfield Rocky powered home from his rail draw to land the 14/1 odds and supplemented that one with Bandit Blue who I also backed on the night at evens in one of the supporting events on the sharp Midlands track where the start is so vital.
I wasn't totally happy with my early Greyhound Derby picks in the ante post market however and lost one of them last night when Tyror Hestor fluffed the start though Bandicoot Tipoki, Head Iton Ellis, Wise Thought and Farloe Reason all made it through. Tonight Jesters Nap and Ballymac Ruso make their bids to reach the next round too, have I really backed that many lol!!
The next round of the Ladbrokes 600 takes place tonight at Shelbourne with College Causeway the ante post favourite being my biggest outlay though I also have Dundrum Minor, Mid West Blue and Skywalker Night in this one, the latter two only just scraping through last time around though.
And also the Oran Majestic Classic semi finals are held on the same card with Faypoint Man, Tip and Tin and Skywalker Queen all in contention for me.
There was disappointment in horse racing's 1,000 guineas when my 8/1 ante post bet on Rainbow View (odds on on the day) didnt bear fruit as the filly seemed to dislike the firmer ground and could only stay on at one pace in fifth. Perhaps she'll need to wait for the rains or else step up in trip to be seen to best effect now.
It was nice to pick up a decent return on the aussie rules on Friday when Essendon Bombers surprised the Hawthorn Hawks at best odds of 9/2, I thought the visitors were being priced up on last seasons form there so had a nice sum of money on both the match odds and handicap and Brisbane added to the coffers by defeating Richmond at 4/5 this morning.
In the gaelic football tomorrow, the Connacht Championship starts and I've backed Mayo to reel in their -16 handicap at New York at 10/11, most of the more illustrious Irish teams have managed to overcome similar burdens in the past though of course the recession may mean the American minnows have a bigger pool of players to choose from. The lines have changed to -18 though in the last couple of days so hopefully the early bird has caught the worm!!
The ice hockey has never quite happened for me on the betting front but I'm continuing to work on it as I love to watch the games. The match betting is showing a loss on the current World Championships which come to a conclusion tomorrow with my outright picks Russia facing Canada in a repeat of last years final, so at least theres the chance of some compensation. The Canadians however will start favourites to avenge last years overtime defeat as they have generally looked the more impressive in this event with a few of the Russian stars missing in the NHL play offs this time around (which didnt seem likely at the time I struck the bet!!).
Also unlikely are the chances of my Stanley Cup outright bet on Boston Bruins being cashed in, as they now trail 3-1 to Carolina in a best of 7 series so have no room for error now and were generally outplayed in the latest match. Will also be taking a bit of a loss on the chin there in the series bet which I thought looked a decent wager at 8/15 but its certainly not looking too hot now!!
This years World Pool Masters, sponsored by Matchroom, got underway last night and although the outrights looked far too trappy, I had a few dabbles on the match bets.
Imran Majid beat Johnny Archer in the Mosconi Cup the last time they met so took the 7/4 about him only to see him bomb out 8-2 in the first round, though the first leg of my double Shane Van Boening won by a similar score against the young Korean girl Ram Cha, that rolls on to Nils Feijen beating Tony Drago tonight.
Also chanced the outsider Fu Jian-Bo at 15/8, now into 7/4 against Mikka Immonen.
All the best for now
Rick
Friday, 1 May 2009
Even the banks are against me!!
Hello, almost missed the Friday deadline again, had totally forgotten about the blog and then it suddenly came into my mind, might as well get it out of the way anyway, such enthusiasm!!
The World Snooker Championship betting hasnt been the greatest. I've eventually gone into profit on the match betting despite a pretty disastrous start but the outright and sundry bets I've had like player with highest tournament break, number of qualifers progressing, best qualifier, etc have all fallen flat on their face.
Coupled with that is the fact that when lumping on Shaun Murphy to defeat Stephen Hendry in the second round I accidentally went overdrawn on that particular account and incurred a three figure charge due to a couple of other transactions going through on the same day. At least I managed to get it reduced by half after ringing them up and putting on my Mr Angry voice but could have done with being a bit angrier I think!!
Its not out of the question that I could finish almost level but wouldnt be able to afford another loser for sure and I currently have Shaun Murphy as my latest bet once again (this time from available funds!!) and he currently leads Neil Robertson 9-7 in his semi final. John Higgins looks to have wrapped up the other one with a healthy lead over Mark Allen though the odds looked a bit prohibitive beforehand in that one so didnt play.
Another World Championship currently taking place is the IIHF ice hockey event. My outright picks Russia were surely weakened somewhat when Washington Capitals overturned a 3-1 deficit in the NHL play offs to qualify for the next stage and thus deprive them of three of their prospective best players. So Canada have understandably since shortened in the market. Both look set to qualify for the quarter finals with some comfort though the Russian defence is causing some concern (beating Sweden 6-5 after overtime in their latest match).
The Czech Republic my other picks have lost their last two group matches so I think they are probably up against it, whilst they should still qualify in fourth place they are likely now to play one of the top teams in the quarter finals.
In the match betting I'm pretty even so far but have enjoyed watching the games I have seen and it should only get better from hereon in with the weaker teams now beginning to bite the dust (do they have dust on ice rinks?)
In the NHL play off series betting as I mentioned earlier the New York Rangers rather imploded against Washington from a strong position so my 2/1 bet which was looking good at one stage didnt pay off in the end, however Carolina (5/4) rescued their series with a last gasp win over New Jersey, scoring two goals in the last couple of minutes to overturn a deficit in the deciding game.
In the next round I'm siding with my outright Stanley Cup picks Boston Bruins to beat Carolina in the second round best of seven series at odds of 8/15.
In the Friends Provident Trophy cricket my two outright picks Yorkshire and Gloucester go head to head this weekend at Headingley having both won their opening two games so at least one of them will be in a strong position and hopefully the loser of that game can kick on afterwards and maybe join them in the next stages.
My final gaelic football outright hope of last weekend's league finals went the way of the two others when Derry lost by three points to Kerry, which meant I also lost the +3 handicap bet which was tied. I think they were a bit unlucky however tbh as they lost their most dangerous forward Paddy Bradley early in the game and the referee tended to be very generous with a few of the Kerry frees in my opinion (though of course it could be the money talking!!)
And finally on to the greyhound racing. Commisserations to connections of Capel Wilson first and foremost, winner of his eight previous races and one of my outright bets for the Regency at Hove, he unfortunately broke his hock and will be retired forthwith, though at least he has a loving home with the owner to go to.
I did however also have Lorrys Options in my portfolio and he boosted the coffers a little by winning at 5/1 (ante post).
I shall be concentrating from hereon in mainly on the ante post market as opposed to individual races in dog racing as I feel it suits by style better as I always prefer to take the bigger prices for slightly lesser stakes than the other way around.
In the Peterborough Puppy Derby, I got two through to the final out of five original contenders. The final is live on Sky on Tuesday night and I shall be rooting for either Barnfield Rocky from trap one at 14/1 or Droopys Alvaro from three at 25/1 in what looks a very open event.
The first heats of this year's Greyhound Derby at Wimbledon were held this evening. I added Jesters Nap to my roster today and he qualified in second place behind the ante post favourite Fear Zafonic while my other one in action Wise Thought also filled the runners up berth from a horrible draw behind Windy Millar.
The heats continue tomorrow night.
In Ireland the Oran Majestic Cup second round heats take place on Saturday. I lost Barefoot Bryan from my opening gambit of dogs last week when he crashed out after interference but my other ones made it through so still go in pretty mob handed for the next stage. Also the Ladbrokes 600s starts on the same evening with the charismatic College Causeway the star turn after diverting here from the English Derby which had been mooted as his original target. He looked just about worth a bet at 6/4 best price if only to glean a bit of excitement along the way given his late running style while others I give a shout to at the prices are Mid West Blue at 14s and a couple of each way candidates in Dundrum Minor at 20s and Skywalker Night at 40s.
The curtain came down on another snooker season when I lost my club billiards final in the week, thereby failing to record a tenth success in the event which I suppose would have been a bit of a landmark, even though only a handful usually enter. It is played on a handicap basis and I had to give up 70pts which proved too much to turnaround. In fact half way through I had hardly made any impression at all but did come with a late run to reduce it to 20-odd before my opponent got the winning score.
Overall though not a bad season as our team finished fourth in the league and I did reach a couple of other individual semi finals too.
All the best for now
Rick
The World Snooker Championship betting hasnt been the greatest. I've eventually gone into profit on the match betting despite a pretty disastrous start but the outright and sundry bets I've had like player with highest tournament break, number of qualifers progressing, best qualifier, etc have all fallen flat on their face.
Coupled with that is the fact that when lumping on Shaun Murphy to defeat Stephen Hendry in the second round I accidentally went overdrawn on that particular account and incurred a three figure charge due to a couple of other transactions going through on the same day. At least I managed to get it reduced by half after ringing them up and putting on my Mr Angry voice but could have done with being a bit angrier I think!!
Its not out of the question that I could finish almost level but wouldnt be able to afford another loser for sure and I currently have Shaun Murphy as my latest bet once again (this time from available funds!!) and he currently leads Neil Robertson 9-7 in his semi final. John Higgins looks to have wrapped up the other one with a healthy lead over Mark Allen though the odds looked a bit prohibitive beforehand in that one so didnt play.
Another World Championship currently taking place is the IIHF ice hockey event. My outright picks Russia were surely weakened somewhat when Washington Capitals overturned a 3-1 deficit in the NHL play offs to qualify for the next stage and thus deprive them of three of their prospective best players. So Canada have understandably since shortened in the market. Both look set to qualify for the quarter finals with some comfort though the Russian defence is causing some concern (beating Sweden 6-5 after overtime in their latest match).
The Czech Republic my other picks have lost their last two group matches so I think they are probably up against it, whilst they should still qualify in fourth place they are likely now to play one of the top teams in the quarter finals.
In the match betting I'm pretty even so far but have enjoyed watching the games I have seen and it should only get better from hereon in with the weaker teams now beginning to bite the dust (do they have dust on ice rinks?)
In the NHL play off series betting as I mentioned earlier the New York Rangers rather imploded against Washington from a strong position so my 2/1 bet which was looking good at one stage didnt pay off in the end, however Carolina (5/4) rescued their series with a last gasp win over New Jersey, scoring two goals in the last couple of minutes to overturn a deficit in the deciding game.
In the next round I'm siding with my outright Stanley Cup picks Boston Bruins to beat Carolina in the second round best of seven series at odds of 8/15.
In the Friends Provident Trophy cricket my two outright picks Yorkshire and Gloucester go head to head this weekend at Headingley having both won their opening two games so at least one of them will be in a strong position and hopefully the loser of that game can kick on afterwards and maybe join them in the next stages.
My final gaelic football outright hope of last weekend's league finals went the way of the two others when Derry lost by three points to Kerry, which meant I also lost the +3 handicap bet which was tied. I think they were a bit unlucky however tbh as they lost their most dangerous forward Paddy Bradley early in the game and the referee tended to be very generous with a few of the Kerry frees in my opinion (though of course it could be the money talking!!)
And finally on to the greyhound racing. Commisserations to connections of Capel Wilson first and foremost, winner of his eight previous races and one of my outright bets for the Regency at Hove, he unfortunately broke his hock and will be retired forthwith, though at least he has a loving home with the owner to go to.
I did however also have Lorrys Options in my portfolio and he boosted the coffers a little by winning at 5/1 (ante post).
I shall be concentrating from hereon in mainly on the ante post market as opposed to individual races in dog racing as I feel it suits by style better as I always prefer to take the bigger prices for slightly lesser stakes than the other way around.
In the Peterborough Puppy Derby, I got two through to the final out of five original contenders. The final is live on Sky on Tuesday night and I shall be rooting for either Barnfield Rocky from trap one at 14/1 or Droopys Alvaro from three at 25/1 in what looks a very open event.
The first heats of this year's Greyhound Derby at Wimbledon were held this evening. I added Jesters Nap to my roster today and he qualified in second place behind the ante post favourite Fear Zafonic while my other one in action Wise Thought also filled the runners up berth from a horrible draw behind Windy Millar.
The heats continue tomorrow night.
In Ireland the Oran Majestic Cup second round heats take place on Saturday. I lost Barefoot Bryan from my opening gambit of dogs last week when he crashed out after interference but my other ones made it through so still go in pretty mob handed for the next stage. Also the Ladbrokes 600s starts on the same evening with the charismatic College Causeway the star turn after diverting here from the English Derby which had been mooted as his original target. He looked just about worth a bet at 6/4 best price if only to glean a bit of excitement along the way given his late running style while others I give a shout to at the prices are Mid West Blue at 14s and a couple of each way candidates in Dundrum Minor at 20s and Skywalker Night at 40s.
The curtain came down on another snooker season when I lost my club billiards final in the week, thereby failing to record a tenth success in the event which I suppose would have been a bit of a landmark, even though only a handful usually enter. It is played on a handicap basis and I had to give up 70pts which proved too much to turnaround. In fact half way through I had hardly made any impression at all but did come with a late run to reduce it to 20-odd before my opponent got the winning score.
Overall though not a bad season as our team finished fourth in the league and I did reach a couple of other individual semi finals too.
All the best for now
Rick
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