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I’ve already pinpointed Huddersfield Giants in the Super League this year and I’m prepared to stick with Nathan Brown’s team as the big guns enter the fray in the Challenge Cup. The Giants have made an encouraging start to their Super League campaign and are now as short as 10-1 to top the table in the regular season. Their defence has been particularly impressive, conceding only 40 points in their five outings at the time of writing including a shutout against Hull KR on the road. Facing the same opponents in the next round of the Challenge Cup, Huddersfield will be confident in making progress as they aim to go one better than their heart-breaking defeat by Warrington at Wembley last year and Betfred and William Hill look a bit big at offering 16-1. Bradford Bulls could be interesting as they are a team likely to progress the more they play together. They need to up their work-rate in the opposition’s half but Steve McNamara is steadily getting his team to tick the right boxes and they are also a decent bet at the same price. Holders Warrington Wolves are a best 7-1 (Boylesports, Betfair and Ladbrokes), but it may be worth taking on Leeds (7-2 with Blue Square, 888sport and William Hill) after being pulled out of the hat to face Hull at the KC Stadium. St Helens, winners of the trophy four times in succession in the Noughties (don’t you just detest that word) are the same price with Skybet and Boylesports, while early Super League pace-setters Wigan are quoted at 15-2 by Betfred. The Warriors should be too strong for Sheffield Eagles in round four but it remains to be seen if their defence will be able to maintain its high work rate and discipline beyond the spring. We’ll stick with the Giants again but it wouldn’t surprise me if the Wolves also went close again to retaining the cup.

Kathryn Bigelow was divorced from James Cameron in 1991. They continued to work together, however, Bigelow directing Strange Days in 1995 to Cameron’s script and, according to Hollywood sources, remain good friends. Cameron, director of Titanic and the Alien franchise, may have to swallow a little pride however if, as expected, his sci-fi epic Avatar is pipped at the post by Bigelow’s powerful Iraq War drama The Hurt Locker for the Best Picture at this year’s Oscars. The Hurt Locker’s budget pales into insignificance alongside the $300million splashed out on Avatar, but Bigelow’s film about US bomb disposal teams has hit all the right notes with critics whereas Cameron’s spectacular animated yarn has been more popular with cinema-goers, who nowadays seem to prefer adventure to gritty drama. The Hurt Locker (evens with bwin) wiped the floor with its likely chief rival at the Baftas, which are usually a decent guide to how the voting will go in Hollywood, but Avatar remains popular with punters who think the’blue’ movie will come out on top this week and it’s now no bigger than 5-4 (bet365 and betfred) to scoop the Best Film award. Whatever her fate in this section, however, Bigelow will surely win the Best Director award for which she is best 1-4 (victor chandler, Paddy Power, bwin). Colin Firth earned rave reviews for his performance in A Single Man but can be backed at 18-1 on betfair to be handed the Best Actor award with most pundits predicting Jeff Bridges already has that category sewn up with his portrayal of a fading country and western singer in Crazy Heart (Bridges‘ best price is 1-6), while the Brits may also be left out in the cold in the Best Actress category. Both Dame Helen Mirren (66-1 with Coral) and relative newcomer Carey Mulligan (12-1 with bwin) have been nominated but face Hollywood big guns Sandra Bullock (4-6 with betfred, blue square and 888sport) and Meryl Streep (a general 2-1). I must admit, I thought Streep, who last won an Oscar in the early 80s, was brilliantly funny as chef Julia Childs in Julie And Julia, almost funny enough to make me forgive her for Mamma Mia, and she’d be my choice ahead of Mulligan, who still has a big future in the movie business if her early work is an indicator.

The new look 888Sport is worth popping across and taking a look at. The familiar orange and black theme is still in place, but the site looks streamlined and immediately practical. First thing you can’t miss on the home page, is the listing of the most prominent, Live In-Play action, and while you are on there home page, announcements will pop up when a goal has been scored in the football for example. If you want to get into more detail over the live betting, then clicking through will present you with an excellent screen for your selection, listing the in-play opportunities, as well as having a menu to switch to other live sports.

In celebration of their new look, 888Sport are offering everyone free bets! Yes, it’s true! Up until the end of February, the online bookmaker is giving away unlimited free bets, ranging from £8 to £88 (in keeping with their name!) One lucky winner will get £888 worth of free bets from this promotion. The best thing is that you don’t even have to do anything other than place bets to be eligible for these rewards. When you place a minimum of 8 bets during February 2010, 888Sport will reward you with a free £8 bet. If you are a heavier better, then by making 88 bets in February, 888Sport will reward you a free £88. Everyone who has then qualified for their free bets, will be thrown into a hat, and one lucky winner will bag the big prize package of £888 worth of free bets. This promotion is limited to February 2010, so you need to get in quick and register on the site before February 28th.

One of the most notable things about the new look 888Sport is the clarity in its layout. The betting options are extremely clear, and the punter isn’t going to get lost or confused navigating around and adding selections to their betting slip. Their sports book is just as easy to navigate, driven by a simple expandable menu, which is really quick to operate. But along with all this, there are some great betting prices to be found around the site. Dropping by the Formula One season, there is a nice 10/3 price on Lewis Hamilton to the win the Driver’s Championship in 2010. Coming out of retirement, Michael Schumacher is listed as a decent 9/2 bet.

One of 888Sports great football promotions, is their “Choose Your Team option” on eligible matches. If a late goal during a match, late being described as from the 88th minute onwards, stops your bet on the match from winning, then 888Sport will give you up to £20 free in refunded stake. The minimum bet if £5 and needs to be on the “To Win” market, or Last Goalscorer or Correct Score markets. So if your selection gets ruined by one of those heart breaking late goals, at least you will have some compensation to ease the pain. Check out 888Sport’s promotion page to see the list of eligible games this promotion is applied to.

888Sport provide a great online sports betting service, which is concise, fast and looks good. The make over the site has received looks to have done wonders for an already professional service supplied. There is the usual casino, poker, bingo and games to entertain the punter was well while they are awaiting their sports betting. 888Sports enhance their online betting experience, by giving the punter a truly wonderful stats service. Just click on through the betting stats, and you will see results, standings, form and everything else you will need. This service is extended across all sports in their sports book, which can help you with your betting strategy.

Sports betting news, betting statistics and free bets, combine for a great service from this online bookmaker. There is good quality sports betting to be taken advantage of on the site, and take some time to explore their promotions for some extra bonuses. If there’s one more thing worth mentioning, then it is their generous sign up bonus. When you open an account and place a bet of at least £15, 888Sport will return the favour by crediting your new account with a free matched bet. When you make 10 bets of at least $15, the online bookmaker will give you another £15 credit. Do five more bets in the same way, and you will be in line for their final reward of a free £20 bet token to use. There are the four simple steps to earning up to £50 worth of free bets when opening a new account with 888Sport.

The weights for the John Smith’s Grand National in April were published this week and, as always, they’ve invoked optimism and disappointment in equal measure. Trainers who have been pleasantly surprised by the weight their charges have been allotted are usually, understandably, coy about revealing their feelings but those who feel the handicapper have served them an injustice are never slow in letting those involved know about it! One such is Mouse Morris, who has all but already ruled out former Gold Cup winner War Of Attrition (quoted at 20-1 by Blue Square and 888sport) telling the Racing Post he was, "more than a bit baffled and very disappointed" having been given 11st1lb. Former winners Mon Mome (33-1 with Stan James), Comply Or Die (a general 25-1) and Silver Birch (a general 50-1) remain on track for the big race, however, as do Tricky Trickster and Niche Market, first and second in Newbury’s Aon Chase. The former heads the early ante-post market at a general 12-1, while the latter can be backed at a general 16-1 along with Dessie Hughes‘ Irish raiders Vic Venturi and Black Apalachi, first and second in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse and both already winners over the Grand National fences. Coral will give you odds of 2-1 that an Irish horse wins the race again in 2010 and another interesting runner from the Emerald Isle could be Willie Mullins’ Arbor Supreme. Successful in long-distance chases at Punchestown and Fairyhouse in 2008 and usually at his best in the spring, the eight-year-old has been lightly campaigned this season and  is by no means overburdened with 10st8lbs. He can be backed at 40-1 with sportingbet, Coral and William Hill. Big Fella Thanks (20-1 with Ladbrokes and William Hill) looks to be the number one hope of the powerful Paul Nicholls yard but I like the early look of Character Building at 33-1 with Victor Chandler, Ladbrokes and William Hill. John Quinn’s grey, winner of last season’s Kim Muir Handicap Chase at Cheltenham, proved his stamina when runner-up in the 4m National Hunt Chase when only a seven-year-old and looks to have been campaigned with an Aintree bid in mind this term.

Miko De Beauchene, 10-1 with sponsors Blue Square and 888sport to win this year, managed the feat and Dream Alliance can follow in his hoofprints in 2010. What am I talking about? The Coral Welsh National/Blue Square Gold Cup double! Philip Hobbs has been unstinting in his belief that his gelding would one day develop into one of the country’s leading staying chasers and Dream Alliance finally appeared to come of age at Chepstow in December. Runner-up to subsequent Gold Cup winner Denman in the Hennessy in 2007, connections of the nine-year-old than had to endure a frustrating sequence of runs in which Dream Alliance failed to complete. But it transpired he had a tendon injury that required complete rest, indeed there were fears that the horse may never race again. But, after 18 months on the sidelines, he delighted his trainer with a second over hurdles in November and proved he was back to his best when storming to victory in the Welsh National, beating Silver By Nature, Le Beau Bai, Miko De Beauchene, Ballyfitz and Coe in the process. Now some would argue that a few of those behind have every chance of turning the tables here with the winner racing off a 9lb higher mark and Le Beau Bai (6-1 with Blue Square and 888sport) has won over hurdles since to prove his wellbeing. But I think Dream Alliance (7-1 with Blue Square, 888sport and William Hill) will be even better over this slightly shorter trip and could yet prove he is a high-class stayer. Of those behind at Chepstow, Coe (a general 7-1) is arguably the most interesting this weekend as he travelled strongly for a long way in front before tiring and has a decent record around Haydock. Another with a proven track record is Our Vic (20-1 with Victor Chandler and Stan James) who had 2009 Grand National winner Mon Mome (a general 12-1) trailing under a similar weight over 3m here last month. His welter burden may bog him down over this extra half-mile, however, and a more interesting each-way prospect could be Nick Williams‘ mare L’Aventure (a general 16-1) who is a former Welsh National winner herself. She won over 4m at Kelso in December so clearly retains plenty of ability and is the type to run a big race off a light weight in the mud around here.

France are 13-8 favourites with Blue Square, Stan James and 888sport to win rugby union’s Six Nations, which gets under way at the weekend, and as short as 11-8 in places. Are they having a laugh? Seriously, how could anyone put money on Les Bleus while the enigmatic Marc Lievremont remains in charge? Prone to unfathomable errors of judgement where team matters are concerned and liable to change a winning formula on a whim, half the time not even the French themselves seem to know what to expect from their team and that would be amajor worry for anyone thinking of following the market. Despite their clubs dominating in the Heineken Cup this season, they are just too unpredictable to back in my eyes and it’s no coincidence that they haven’t won the Six Nations title for six years. So with Italy (250-1 with most bookmakers) again set for their annual role as whipping boys – who are we putting up? Well, in all honesty, there can only be one answer. Ireland, I believe, are a class apart from the other northern hemisphere countries at the moment, a fact reflected in the autumn internationals against the big teams from south of the equator. A victory over South Africa and a pulsating draw against the Wallabies was followed up by a demolition job on Fiji, results which put the efforts of their Six Nations rivals in the shade. Brian O’Driscoll is still the best in his position in the world, and Rob Kearney can also rightly call himself world-class nowadays as well. Add to that, a powerful pack and the experience of last year’s Grand Slam and you should have a winning formula. I wouldn’t have marked up the Irish anywhere near the widely avaiable 5-2 and, though they have to go to Paris and Twickenham this season, another Irish Grand Slam (generally 6-1) is by no means out of the question. Extrabet have also priced up straight forecast odds this year and I might be interested in the Ireland-Scotland combo at 40-1. The Scots are a bit like the French in that you never know what you are going to get but they may have made a shrewd move in appointing Andy Robinson as coach and won’t be easy to beat if the autumn internationals are a good guide. A remarkable victory over Australia showed what the Scots can do when they stick to their game plan and they are more than capable of springing a couple of surprises this term. England’s dismal showing in last year’s champiosnhip and an injury-hit autumn doesn’t inspire confidence that they’ll be in the shake-up so extrabet and totesport’s 5-1 looks short but what of Wales? Winners of the Grand Slam in 2008 but disappointing in the main last season, they looked a dispirited bunch on their last outing at the Millenium Stadium and would probably have to win at Twickenham on the opening day if they are to get themselves back on track. I think that’s unlikely and I’m not remotely interested in Paddy Power and Ladbrokes‘ quote of 5-1 against the Welsh winning the Six Nations – that’s reserved for the men in green!

Would you believe Dancing On Ice has around 28,000 followers on Facebook? Or that you can get up-to-the minute news via Twitter? No. neither would I! Regular readers of this column, of course, will know that I’m not the greatest fan of these TV reality marathons but they are becoming increasingly popular with punters who do tend to get a run for their money, regardless of which D-Lister they attach their colours to (and often get a reprieve from the public after the expert judges have shown their selection the red card). So, Dancing On Ice, what a parade of stars ITV have come up with this year for Torvill and Dean to lick into shape! If I tell you panto star and one-time impressionist Bobby Davro (readily available at 33-1) and ex-swimmer-turned commentator Sharron Davies (16-1 with Blue Square, 888sport and Coral) are two of the more well-known names in the starting gate, you can imagine what the rest of the line-up looks like. It’s certainly going to be interesting to see how the much-maligned Heather Mills (a general 33-1) copes with being back in the limelight, however, as well as the obvious disadvantage of having one less foot than the opposition, though at least GMTV’s Dr Hilary Jones (a general 40-1) will be on hand in case of medical emergency. Someone with less tact than me might say that Daniella Westbrook (33-1 in most places) would be happier if the programme was called ‘Floating On Snow’. I wouldn’t, of course, nor would I suggest Boyzone’s Mikey Graham (8-1 with Blue Square and 888sport) will be aiming for the sympathy vote given the band’s recent loss. Rugged actor Jeremy Sheffield is the bookies’ current favourite at a general 4-1 but, as usual, it will be the soap actors who hog most of the headlines. Coronation Street’s Danny Young will attract interest at a general 6-1 but there has already been significant support for Emmerdale’s Hayley Tamaddon, which suggests she has been showing up well in practice, so Coral’s 7-1 might be worth grabbing while it’s on offer.

On current form and throughout recent history, there is very little to choose between South Africa and England when it comes to Test cricket. Historically, since the Proteas were readmitted to Test cricket after the abolition of apartheid 30 year ago, South Africa have won 10 matches to England’s nine with 13 drawn. In seven Test series, that amounts to three wins for the home side, two for the tourists and two series which ended all-square. All of which suggests that Andrew Strauss and his team are way overpriced at 5-2 on the Draw No Bet line (William Hill) to triumph in the latest four-match head-to-head which gets under way at Centurion next week. South Africa have recently forfeited their number one ranking in the five-day game to India and their recent loss to England in the one-day series underlined why they must be considered a risky bet at 4-6 with skybet, blue square and 888sport for the upcoming series. I’ve no qualms with the top end of the home side’s batting, indeed Graeme Smith is a world-class opener and Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers will give him ample support. But recognised all-rounder Jacques Kallis may not be fully fit until the Third Test, while Alvaro Pietersen and Ryan McLaren lack experience. The Proteas‘ real problems are in the bowling department, however. While England come into this series with James Anderson, Graham Onions and Graeme Swann firing on all cylinders, South Africa are still over-reliant on the ageing Makhaya Ntini to take wickets. Plenty of shrewd judges have expressed that the veteran is past his best as he approaches a century of Test caps and a back up of youngsters Wayne Parnell, Friedel de Wet and an injury-prone Dale Steyn shouldn’t have the England batsmen quaking in their boots. I’ll admit I’d have like to have seen Kevin Pietersen have had more time at the crease lately, but Strauss, Alistair Cook and Jonathan Trott have all looked in good nick with the bat for England, as has Paul Collingwood. As long as the tourists keep their heads, it’s hard to see South Africa taking 20 wickets in a match given their current line-up but, that said, this is England we are talking about and they are more than capable of a major wobble when none is envisaged. With that in mind, have a bit of the 7-1 for a 1-1 series score with Ladbrokes. A drawn series can be backed at a general 7-2.

Now I’ve heard two trains of thought regarding England’s World Cup draw. On the one hand, euphoria that Fabio Capello’s men somehow avoided dangerous wild cards like The Ivory Coast, France and Portugal in their first-round group, but in the opposite corner nervous fans who point out that England’s potential first match in the knockout stages of the tournament will be against either Australia, Germany, Ghana or Serbia. I suppose it depends if you’re a glass half-full or glass half-empty kind of guy as to what your viewpoint is on this but surely the World Cup finals are all about making progress one step at a time and, on that score, England just can’t complain about the hand they’ve been dealt. The Three Lions are now no bigger than 6-1 with Coral to win only their second World Cup and a best 4-11 (Skybet and Paddy Power) to win Group C ahead of the USA, Algeria and Slovenia. The Americans, England’s first opponents in Rustenberg on June 13th, are generally regarded as their most dangerous group rivals and can be backed at 5-1 with bet365 and Betfred to top the section, while Slovenia are 12-1 and the Algerians 25-1. One should never underestimate any country who have made it through to the finals of a major tournament but if England don’t make the last 16 with the minimum of fuss they will surely never be forgiven. Slovenia, who failed to muster a single point in their only previous appearance in the finals, and Algeria, easily the weakest of the African nations to qualify, both needed a play-off to reach South Africa, while the USA eventually struggled to top the North and Central American qualifying group despite winning their first four games without conceding a goal. American soccer fans still fondly recall their country’s famous win over England in Brazil in 1950 and several of their key players nowadays ply their trade in Europe. But the majority of their squad are still based in the less-than-competitive MLS and even though they had an excellent Confederations Cup campaign recently, where they beat Spain and ran Brazil close, they will surely struggle to contain a full-strength England who’ll be backed by a huge following in South Africa. I’m sure we’ll cover the 2010 World Cup in more depth next year but other early odds that catch the eye are hosts South Africa to win Group A at 8-1 with 888sport and Blue Square against woeful France and regular under-achievers Mexico and Uruguay (they are only 4-1 with Ladbrokes), and the Netherlands at 4-5 with Paddy Power and Victor Chandler to win Group E. The Dutch are in a different league to fellow Europeans Denmark on their day and, now that they’ve found a level of consistency in tournament finals, should know too much for Cameroon and Japan.

I would imagine that sales of Gillette razors in Ireland have suffered somewhat since Thierry Henry decided to give his French team a helping hand towards the World Cup finals last week. It was certainly a bizarre way to audition for the Cirque du Soleil, where such manual dexterity surely belongs. Henry’s faux pas, of course, has had repurcussions far beyond the world of football with questions asked in The Oireachtas (Irish Parliament to you and me) and a war of words exploding between Irish ministers and their French counterparts. Even the Gallic press were pretty united in their condemnation of the national side. Le Monde’s headline read "Blues Relieved, Irish Disgusted", while Le Parisen led with "Henry Saves France With His Hand". Former World Cup winner Bixente Lizarazu went as far as to say that the French performance was ‘catastrophic’ so it’s no surprise to see Raymond Domenech’s side can be backed at 18-1 with Blue Square and 888sport to triumph in South Africa. Incidentally, in a post-script to the World Cup qualifier in Paris, FIFA have announced they are to discuss the Henry incident at an extraordinary general meeting just two days before the draw for the group stages of the finals is made, with an inquiry into alleged irregular betting patterns in other qualifiers also due to take place. Unfortunately, the Irish won’t get a second chance, which is a pity because all this has rather taken the shine off a joint Franco-Irish venture which should have captured more headlines than it did. The Paris-Mutual Urbain is the largest betting organisation in Europe and its decision to use the technical know-how of Paddy Power for its move into fixed-odss betting is a ground-breaking deal for the innovative Irish bookmaker. The five-year agreement is expected to create more than 200 jobs at Paddy Power’s Dublin head office with, ironically, the new technology’s first big test being the 2010 World Cup. So more jobs for Dublin but worrying times in Liverpool after Ladbrokes announced that they are to close their call centre near Aintree racecourse. The firm will retain its call centre at its UK headquarters in Harrow but, of course, it now does most of its business out of Gibraltar. It’s probably fair to say that the betting industry no longer offers the job security it once did.