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Ladbrokes are refunding all losing outright bets on the ATP World Tour Finals if Andy Murray wins and that could cost the Harrow-based bookmakers a pretty penny.

Murray is only a best 3/1 with sportingbet to end his season on a high despite being drawn in the same first-round group as world number one Novak Djokovic (a general 9/2). The Serb was forced to pull out of the recent Paris Masters with a shoulder injury and has been struggling to regain full fitness ahead of the season finale at London’s O2 Arena. Murray also beat him at Cincinnati before the US Open, though again Djokovic was hampered by his shoulder. Also in their group are David Ferrer (66/1 with sportingbet and bwin), whom Murray beat in the final of the Shanghai Masters, and Tomas Berdych. Given Djokovic‘s current problems, it may well be the Czech (22/1 0n betfair and with bet365) who provides the Scot’s biggest challenge in the group matches as he holds a 3-1 career advantage over Murray and knocked him out of the Paris Masters at the quarter-final stage.

The second group sees yet another clash between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer but it’s the Swiss who comes into the ATP World Tour Finals in the better form. He’s won back-to-back tournaments in Basel and Paris and has already won this event six times. Nadal may have won 17 times in head-to-head encounters compared to Federer‘s eight but hasn’t won a tournament since beating his old rival in the final of the French Open in May and was a long way below his best when losing to Florian Mayer in Shanghai when last on court. There’s a chance a rest will have done him some good but sportingbet think otherwise and are prepared to offer 6/1 against the Spaniard. Federer, on the other hand, is a best 21/10 with Boylesports to go on and win the event after emerging relatively unscathed from a group that also includes world number six Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and American Mardy Fish. Fish (90/1 with Paddy Power) has only won one of seven previous meetings with Federer and, as the rankings and betting suggest, looks the weak link in the ATP World Tour Finals but Tsonga has had a good year, winning in Vienna and Metz, and will give both the Swiss and Nadal a game.

Stan James have also opened a book on naming the two finalists and lead with a Federer/Murray showdown at 11/4. They would have to be the two on current form, while Ladbrokes are out on a limb in offering 6/5 against Murray reaching the final.

Fresh from dominating the final round of the Australian Open the Internationals team, made up of non-European players, are determined to buck the trend and beat Team USA in the Presidents Cup for only the second time in nine attempts.

Since its inception in 1994, the Americans have dominated this Ryder Cup-style competition, enjoying far more luck against their largely Australian and South African counterparts than the Europeans, and team captain Fred Couples again has a strong line-up at his disposal. The likes of Dustin Johnson, Steve Stricker, Phil Mickelson and Webb Simpson will don the Stars and Stripes, while Bill Haas and 14-times major winner Tiger Woods are included as Couples’ wild-card picks. Tiger looked to be coming back to his best in Sydney and will be one of the chief attractions at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club where he is a 7/1 chance with Betfred to be Team USA‘s top points scorer. Likely playing partner Stricker is a general 9/1 to be his team’s top scorer, while the ever-improving Matt Kuchar is rated a 10/1 shot with Skybet, Paddy Power and Stan James.

The betting to be the International team’s top scorer is equally open with in-form Jason Day vying with Adam Scott for favouritism at a general 6/1. The interesting one in this market, however, may be Robert Allenby. One of five Aussies in the International squad, he boasts a terrific record at Royal Melbourne and it would be no surprise to see him come back to life after a largely disappointing 2011 on the US PGA Tour in which he’s only managed four top 10 finishes and seen his FedEx Cup world ranking slip 27 places. This is his local course and he’ll have a vociferous following on the tees and fairways so could be a worth a small interest at the general 12/1, while South African Charles Schwartzel is also a decent bet at Skybet‘s 8/1.

Royal Melbourne saw Team USA’s only Presidents Cup defeat in 1998 and 2011 could see history repeating itself. The Internationals are a best Evens with Ladbrokes and Stan James to notch a rare win, while the USA are 11/10 with bet365 and Victor Chandler to retain the trophy. Most layers are offering 14/1 against the tie. Team USA have six Presidents Cup rookies but nine of their 12 players have Ryder Cup experience so shouldn’t be fazed by the format or pressure but the ‘home’ team may just have their measure on this occasion.

It’s not difficult to work out why Mon Parrain has been heavily punted ahead of Saturday’s Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham. With stablemate Poquelin (28/1 with Stan James) standing his ground in the Grade 3 handicap chase that’s worth over £85,000 to the winner, Ruby Walsh‘s mount only carries 10st8lb and will take some stopping if in the same form as when winning by 22 lengths at Sandown on his UK debut in March. He looked likely to follow up in the Topham Chase at Aintree the following month but just found course specialist Always Waining too strong in the closing stages. There’s more to come from Paul Nicholls‘ five-year-old but his age group haven’t a great record in this contest and his price (a best 7/2 with totesport, Betfred and William Hill) has contracted that much that we are forced to seek value elsewhere.

The obvious alternative is Wishfull Thinking, who never stopped improving last season. He was second in a Grade 2 over 2m4f at The Festival at Cheltenham in March before winning at Aintree and Punchestown and is 15/2 with sponsors Paddy Power. However, Loosen My Load‘s connections will fancy their charge to reverse track form with Philip Hobbs‘ charge on 11lb better terms and he’s twice the odds (a general 16/1), while the once well-regarded Calgary Bay is weighted to beat Wishfull Thinking on their run together over C&D earlier and he’s available at 40/1 with Stan James and Coral.

Great Endeavour (14/1 with Stan James) was a leading fancy for this race 12 months ago but could only finish sixth and races off a 5lb higher mark this year, while Irish raider Finger Onthe Pulse (a general 33/1) may have had his day. Lightly-weighted pair Aerial (25/1 with Stan James) and Quantitiveeasing still have scope for further improvement, however, and the latter is entitled to reverse C&D running in March with Divers (a general 14/1) on 7lb better terms. He could be a decent each-way bet with Betfred, sportingbet and totesport at 20/1 but I’m hoping for a big run from The Giant Bolster.

The six-year-old may hail from an unfashionable yard but he has first-class credentials for this having won over the C&D in January and contested many of last season’s top novice events. He may well have given the classy Time For Rupert something to think about had he not crashed out here a year ago and his reappearance over hurdles last month hinted at another profitable season. Boylesports offer 14/1 against David Bridgwater‘s gelding, which is simply too big if he gets into a rhythm, and he is the value against the market leaders.

With the boxing world still obsessed with the prospect of Manny Pacquiao squaring up against Floyd Mayweather, it’s been kind of overlooked that the Filipino superstar has a very tough fight on his hands against Juan Manuel Marquez this weekend.

Marquez‘ fights don’t normally attract a lot of media attention but the 38-year-old has been one of Mexico’s most resilient fighters of modern times and is greatly respected within the sport. He has also given current pound-for-pound number one Pacquiao an almighty scare in their two previous meetings, even though the results did not go his way. Pacquiao put him on the deck three times in the first round of their opening clash in 2004 but the Mexican still got up to claim a deserved draw and it was a split decision when Marquez lost in 2008. That decision still rankles with the veteran and he will undoubtedly give his all to rectify the perceived wrong – but does he still have the strength and desire to upset the odds?

Continued talk of a showdown between Pacquiao and Mayweather must be in Marquez‘ favour as there’s just a chance that the Pacquiao camp hasn’t been totally focused on the Mexican this weekend. Pacquiao, now a congressman for his native  Sarangani Province, says he would never underestimate Marquez and has trained hard for the fight. If that’s the case, then the champion should have no trouble retaining his crown at bwin‘s remarkably generous 1/7 (the Filipino is less than half those odds with Stan James). Marquez is, after all, moving up two weight divisions to tackle Pacquiao and, no matter how much fighters pretend otherwise, that always affects stamina and performance. Age also takes its toll at the highest level and Marquez has never been a smart enough fighter to keep his chin out of the way of the big shots.

Pacquiao has won his last 14 fights since losing an IBF and WBA super featherweight title bout to Erik Morales in Las Vegas six years ago. He later took his revenge on Morales and has also beaten Oscar De La Hoya and Marco Antonio Barrera in the intervening years and you wouldn’t put an ageing Marquez in the same bracket as those two. Despite the challenger’s bluster, I fancy this to be over pretty quickly so Ladbrokes‘ 8/11 for a Pacquiao win by KO, TKO or disqualification looks fair. The champion to win in rounds 1-6 is 5/2 at William Hill.

Manchester City‘s astonishing 6-1 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford coupled with Chelsea‘s surprise defeat at west London neighbours QPR has seen the Sky Blues’ odds to win the Barclays Premier League cut to a best 6/5. City remain unbeaten in domestic football and have won eight of their nine games in the league so far, opening a five-point gap on their title rivals. Defending champions United are out to 2/1 with totesport, Betfred and Stan James with Chelsea available at 9/2 with Betfred and totesport. Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs can all be backed at 50/1 in various places with the remainder, including current high-flyers Newcastle United, a 1000/1 and upwards.

City boss Roberto Mancini has been quick to play down the significance of his side’s resounding victory over United who were, after all, playing with only 10 men after Johnny Evans was shown a straight red card shortly after half-time after pulling back Mario Balotelli. But bookmakers seem convinced that the Blue Moon will continue on the rise and their playmaker, David Silva, is now no bigger than 2/1 (Paddy Power) to win the PFA Player of The Year award.

Tensions are mounting, meanwhile, at the other end of the table and the betting surrounding which Premier League manager will be first to leave his post is hotting up. Following a fourth home league defeat of the season and a sixth in total, Blackburn Rovers‘ Steve Kean is now a best 10/11 with Paddy Power and Ladbrokes to be the first boss to be shown the door. There were again protests against Kean following their latest reverse against Spurs and the Lancashire club’s Indian owners may not be prepared to give the Scot much more times to turn things around with several high-profile managers still looking for work. Mick McCarthy is another manager under serious pressure as his Wolves team were booed off the pitch at half-time of Saturday’s game against Swansea at Molineux. In the event, two late goals rescued a point for Wolves but the Midlanders have failed to notch a single victory in the league since winning their opening two matches and are now only a couple of points above the drop zone having flirted with relegation for the past two seasons. Things may be looking up for Steve Bruce at Sunderland, however, after the Wearsiders picked up their first away win of the season at struggling Bolton. Bruce is out to 4/1 at Stan James, while Bolton boss Owen Coyle is 10/1 with the same firm and Ladbrokes to be the first to join the dole queue.

Stuart Pearce has been appointed coach of the Great Britain men’s Olympic football team at London 2012, it was revealed at a Wembley press conference. Pearce, a former England captain and current coach of his country’s Under-21s, will have the final word on team selection with Hope Powell, England women’s coach, put in charge of the GB women’s team in their first appearance in the Olympics.

Pearce has expressed a desire to make up his squad from players of all four home nations, even though the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish football associations are still officially opposed to a Great Britain team as a concept, fearing it could jeopardise their future independence in UEFA and FIFA-run tournaments. Welsh stars Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey have already said they would love to play in the Games if selected, however, and pressure is being put on the respective nations to sanction a one-off British squad. They how many players from Scotland and Northern Ireland would make a GB squad on current form is a matter of conjecture.

Pearce refused to be drawn on whether 36-year-old David Beckham might be included as one of the three over-age players allowed in the 18-man squad of players, which must be primarily under the age of 23.

“Everyone will be up for selection.” he diplomatically answered when pressed, “Form and fitness will determine who I pick. The FA have said to me the decision is totally yours, you pick who you deem right and proper to be part of this spectacle.”

Club commitments shouldn’t affect the players available in Europe when the 2012 Games take place, as most will still be in pre-season. The last time Team GB was represented in the men’s Olympic football competition was the 1960 Games in Rome when they beat Taiwan, but only drew with hosts Italy and lost to Brazil. Stan James have already opened a book who will make Pearce‘s final squad with Bale 4/1 and fellow Welshman Joe Ledley 17/2. Ryan Giggs and Northern Ireland‘s record goalscorer David Healy would be sentimental choices and are 5/1 and 33/1 respectively. Beckham is rated a 6/5 chance for a final international swansong.

The semi final line up of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, has the exact same four nations as was in the first ever Rugby World Cup semi final stage, back in 1987. That tournament was also held in New Zealand as well. The draw was a little different back then, as New Zealand were paired up with Wales and France against Australia for the semi’s then. But are the spooky coincidences afoot? Can we read more into that for betting purposes to suggest who will come out on top? In that inaugural tournament, New Zealand and France won through to the Final, which was eventually won by the All Blacks, and that remains their only triumph on Rugby’s biggest stage. So, with the semi finals of the current edition this weekend, we can look at some good rugby betting action to try and pick up some profit on the two games. We are going to look outside of the mainstream betting, then outright winner and handicap betting and present some 2011 Rugby World Cup semi final specials which may be of interest. You can see our Wales v France and New Zealand v Australia full match previews by clicking the links.

Our first stop here is with online bookmaker Boylesports, who are offering a Rugby World Cup Semi final special bet. They are offering a Double of France to beat Wales and New Zealand to beat Australia at a price of 2/1. The semi finals should be very closely ran things, and therefore this does represent a bit of value. Boylesports offer a free £20 bet for new customers, matching the value of a first bet on a new account up to the value of £20 when registering with them.

Next stop is popular bookie Stan James who are offering a couple of very good markets that you may want to take a look at for your 201 Rugby World Cup Semi final betting. First of all there is the Highest Scoring Game of the semi finals. The New Zealand v Australia match up is priced at 8/11 and the Wales v France match trading at Evens. Decent bit of value, and again, there is the potential of big points being ran in for both of the semi finals. You can take a slightly difference approach and look at the Top Try Scoring Nation for the semi finals. Here New Zealand are favourites at 6/5, Wales at 2/1, France at 7/2 and because they are expected to be on the losing end of an All Blacks assault, Australia at 4/1. Stan James present a couple of good specials here for your rugby betting. The highly rated online bookmaker offers up to £150 in free bets for new customers registering an account with them.

BetFred are getting in on the Rugby World Cup semi final specials as well, which is to be expected from the popular bookie. They are looking at the Drop Goal Market Double, meaning you can take the option of a Drop Goal in Both Matches at 3/1, or No Drop Goals in Either for 2/1 for the semi finals. BetFred are also running a First Scoring Play Double bet as well, a First Score of a Penalty in both matches is trading at 4/5, or the option of a First Score being a Try in both matches for 9/1. BetFred offer new customers registering an account, a free £50 bet.

So these are some good 2011 Rugby World Cup semi final betting specials to look at, if you are looking for alternative markets. We will see a big Northern v Southern Hemisphere clash in the final of the World Cup, but who will it be? Will it be the unpredictable French or the resurgent Welsh? Will the All Blacks handle the pressure of expectancy against their old rivals, or will the Wallabies hit form and spring a surprise?

This weekend’s Engage Super League Grand Final may feature the third and fifth-placed teams in the regular season but no-one should be really be surprised by that fact. Despite Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors dominating the league table, there has normally been very little between the top six when they’ve met on the field and St Helens and the Leeds Rhinos seem certain to serve up a spectacle befitting a showpiece occasion at Old Trafford.

This is the Saints’ ninth Grand Final appearance and their sixth in succession. They’ve come out on top on four previous occasions but haven’t won since 2006 and the Rhinos proved their nemesis in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Whether that will have a psychological impact on Royce Simmons‘ team remains to be seen, however. St Helens have already righted one wrong in this year’s play-offs, gaining revenge on Wigan for last year’s Grand Final defeat in the semi-finals. It’s a measure of how effectively they’ve got their act together in recent weeks that they also beat the Warriors at the DW Stadium in the first round of play-off matches and it’s no surprise that bookmakers have made them favourites to win the Grand Final, sportingbet‘s 13/20 being the best odds on offer. Paul Wellens leads a potent mixture of experience and youth with the likes of James Roby, Kyle Eastmond and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook all expected to thrive in the red-hot atmosphere of an Old Trafford final. The first named is a general 7/1 to be Man Of The Match.

But, given their history, this will be no walk in the park for the Saints and particularly their relatively inexperienced half-back pairing of Lee Gaskell and Johnny Lomax. Rhinos opposite numbers Danny Maguire and Kevin Sinfield are certain to put them under immense pressure, especially in the opening stages, and with some inclement weather forecast for the Manchester area over the weekend, their handling will have to be exemplary if the Saints are going to capitalise while in possession.

In big games like these, experience is often key and for that reason I’m backing the Rhinos to upset the odds. A relatively low-scoring game seems probable given forecast conditions and only once has the total points exceeded 44 in a Grand Final in any case so backing Under 42.5 points at 5/6 with Ladbrokes looks a solid bet. Leeds are Evens with a two-point start at Stan James, sportingbet and William Hill and that will do for me. Try a 6-10 points winning margin for the Rhinos at 8/1 with Paddy Power.

Confidence that hosts New Zealand will go on to land the Rugby World Cup seems to be evaporating , despite the fact that the All Blacks amassed 240 points in winning their section and qualifying for the quarter-finals. Punters’ lack of faith can be largely attributed to the fact that the brilliant Dan Carter has already been ruled of the remainder of the tournament and, with rumours that all is not right either with influential skipper Richie McCaw, bettors have been looking elsewhere for value in the quarter-final draw. New Zealand, as short as 4/9 in places pre-tournament, can now be backed at 4/5 with Coral ahead of their clash with Argentina (275/1 with Paddy Power).

France didn’t put up much of a fight against the All Blacks in their group encounter and also lost to Tonga. They’ve limped into the last eight but Marc Lievremont‘s team look in total disarray and have been pushed out to 20/1 with sportingbet ahead of their quarter-final with England. Les Bleus have conjured a magical performance out of adversity before, however, and Martin Johnson and his players certainly won’t be taking them lightly at Eden Park, even though they knocked them out of the 2007 tournament and have a good recent record against their Gallic neighbours. England won all four group games but have hardly endeared themselves to the public at large with ill-discipline evident on and off the field. They only just got the better of Argentina and Scotland and massive improvement and more adventure will be needed if they are to justify our 18/1 ante-post advice. England are now a best 11/1 with sportingbet.

Ireland caused one of the biggest upsets so far in the tournament by beating Australia in their first match and as a consequence topped Pool C. They are now no bigger than 14/1 but face a fast-improving Wales in the last eight on Sunday. The Welsh were desperately unlucky not beat South Africa in their opening group game but that may have proved a blessing in disguise and Sam Warburton and his team have impressed since. Wales could easily overturn the Irish in their current mood and could be worth a speculative bet at 4/1 with Boylesports and Coral to reach the final. They are 18/1 to go on and win the tournament with Stan James.

Having lost to Ireland, Australia must now conquer the rest of the southern hemisphere if they are to reach the final, starting with quarter-final opponents South Africa. The Wallabies are 15/2 with Paddy Power to win the title with South Africa available at 8/1 with the same firm.

England‘s surprise defeat by an inexperienced West Indies team in their second T20 encounter may just have been a timely wake-up call. It’s all been too easy for England in all formats of the game this summer, neither Sri Lanka nor India putting up much of a fight. There are certainly more testing times ahead with five one-day internationals in India sure to prove more of a test of Alistair Cook‘s credentials as both a limited-overs player and a captain.

England have spared Jimmy Anderson the potentially punishing trip to the sub-continent but have recalled Kevin Pietersen to the one-day squad, which is a mixture of established players and some of the youngsters who have impressed in recent games. Along with KP, Warwickshire pair Ian Bell and Johnathan Trott will add weight to England‘s middle-order and Ravi Bopara finally seems to be playing with confidence at international level. Their experience should allow youngsters like Jonny Bairstow and Scott Borthwick time to find their feet. Borthwick will be one of three spinners on the plane to India and will provide back-up for Graeme Swann and Samit Patel. There is also a first call-up for Surrey’s Stuart Meaker while the selectors give another chance to Chris Woakes, even though he looks to have fallen down the pecking order in the fast-bowling department behind Jade Dernbach. The latter seems to have firmly established himself in England‘s one-day side now but it remains to be seen how effective his unique mix of slow balls, bouncers and full-length yorkers proves on the slower Indian pitches.

India were embarrassed by England over the summer and will be determined to regain some lost pride in this one-day series – their fanatical fans certainly won’t tolerate another whitewash! There is a good chance that MS Dhoni will be able to call on several of those forced home early from their summer tour at home and that number will almost certainly include Gautam Gambhir and Harbajhan Singh, who have both been playing in the T20 Champions League, and Praveen Kumar. Kumar was easily India’s most consistent bowler in England. But there are reports that Sachin Tendulkar is still struggling with a toe injury and neither Virender Sehwag nor Yuvraj Singh are likely to be ready in time for the series opener in Hyderabad.

Bookmakers have India as favourites with home advantage, with Blue Square and 888sport‘s 4/6 currently the best price on offer. But there may still be some mental scars remaining following the summer and this is by no means a weak England squad. Most of them have experience of conditions on the sub-continent  and they could be a decent bet at Stan James‘ and Ladbrokes‘ 11/8 to take the overall spoils again. A 3-2 correct score in favour of the visitors is available at 11/4 with Stan James.