winter olympics

Canada vs. Russia should have been billed as the final of the Winter Olympics Mens’ Ice Hockey. They are the two superstar teams, and perhaps that is exactly why this match has happened. Canada lost in the big rival group match against the USA, who started the match as strong underdogs to their superstar cousins from the Big White North. However, the USA showed something that the Canadians did not, teamwork. Strong fore-checking and a game full of hustle, unsettled the Canadians, for who, picking a team is like selecting only players from Brazil, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Plus Wayne Rooney. That is the depth of quality which they have, but they couldn’t pull it together when it mattered most, and after being taken to a shoot-out by the less fancied Swiss in the group stages as well, there has been jitters in the Canadian camp about having another major malfunction like they did at the last Winter Olympics.

Now that risk is here again, as they have landed a quarter final match against the powerful Russians, and Alexander Ovechkin. For anyone who saw his hit on Jaromir Jagr, which led to a goal for his side, you will understand how great a player Alex The Great really is. So far he has upstaged the other golden boy of NHL hockey, Canada’s Sidney Crosby, who has looked a bit under-par and lost, mainly because of how he is being employed in the lines. Ovechkin shoots, and Ovechkin scores. Ovechkin hits and opponents crumble. He is the epitome of the sport, but Russia are not without their problems of having “superstar syndrome”. They are bursting with offensive talent, which can easily rival that of the Canadians. They are fast, they are quick, and in Ovechkin, they have a talisman who can lift them above troubles.

This should be a cracker of game, just as the Canada vs. USA one was. Don’t read too much into the fact that the Canadians beat Germany 8-2 in their quarter final play off match, that is the equivalent of Spain’s football team playing Portsmouth. Picking a winner is tough, as they are two great teams, both starting as favourites for the Olympic Gold, but now one has to fall early. Canada played their way into this awkward position, and now they must find a way to play themselves out of it. Should be a close match, but Ovechkin could just give the Russian’s the edge. Canada played yesterday, while Russia have had a break, which will have an effect. Meanwhile, the USA play Switzerland in another fantastic day of international ice hockey.

Canada to win: 6/5 at Paddy Power
Draw: 17/5 at Stan James
Russia to win: 15/8 at Ladbrokes
Tip: Russia could edge favourites Canada.

USA to win: 1/5 at Ladbrokes
Draw: 17/2 at William Hill
Switzerland to win: 13/1 at William Hill
Tip: The Americans have already beat the Swiss in the group stages, should do it again.

Finland to win: 23/17 at Expekt
Draw: 10/3 at Coral
Czech Republic to win: 13/8 at Ladbrokes
Tip: This should be a tight match between two outside European shots. The Finnish beat Russia in the group stages, while the Czech’s look fluent. Lean towards Finland.

Sweden to win: 3/5 at Bwin
Draw: 15/4 at Expekt
Slovakia to win: 41/10 at William Hill
Tip: Defending Olympics Champions Sweden could teach Canada and Russia a thing or two about teamwork. Unbeaten through the group stages, they look perfectly capable of a semi final appearance.

With Britain’s Curlers struggling somewhat in the Curling, focus on medal winning turns to the bobsleigh track. The track at Whistler grabbed attention for the wrong reasons, when a Georgian Luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili, died during practice before the Olympics opened. Now, after a meeting with teams, the track is to be adjusted to try and make it both safer and slower in the process. Britain’s hopes in the two woman Bobsleigh are with current reigning World Champions Nicola Minichiello and Gillian Cooke. They didn’t look in tip top shape during their practice runs, where they finished joint fifth. There naturally is room for improvement, as teams get to know the track a little better, and make timely adjustments to their runs to shave off seconds.

Amy Williams in the skeleton has been Britain’s brightest moment in the Olympics so far, when she won the gold medal from supposedly nowhere. Minichiello and Cooke will take inspiration from that, as Williams’ form leading up to the competition hadn’t suggested a gold medal was in the running. The Whistler track though has been upsetting a lot of team, with the British two man team of John Jackson and Dan Money crashing on the weekend, with Money’s back red raw from the ice burns which he got. Three other teams suffered similar fates during the heats. British duo of Paula Walker and Kelly Thomas also got themselves overturned during their heats, sliding nearly a third of the track to the finish.

Bobsleigh Women Pairs Outright
Germany – 10/11 at Paddy Power
Canada – 7/4 at Paddy Power
USA – 3/1 at Paddy Power
Great Britain – 10/1 at Paddy Power

The action starts around 1am on Wednesday morning.

Sunday could be one of the greatest days of International ice hockey for many a year. There are three rivalry matches taking place at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and topping the bill is the USA v Canada clash. These two exponents of the game, occupy most of the roster spots in the NHL, and now they come together in a winner takes all match to seal a bye through to the quarter finals of the Olympic competition. Qualification is a little confusing, it has to be said, with twelve teams participating in three groups of four. The winners of each group go through to Quarter Finals, along with the best placed runner-up. All of the remaining teams then play a Quarter Final qualifying match to fill the last four spots in the Quarter Final draw. Got it? Good.

Group A threw together the USA and Canada, with Canada being favourites to take Olympic gold. They really do have an embarrassment of riches, and opened their account by blitzing past a sorry Norway, 8-0. Canada, under the guidance of Mike Babcock, who has led the Detroit Red Wings to Stanley Cup honours, and all time legend Steve Yzerman, looked a shoe-in from the outset to go through the competition without much problems. With players such as Sidney Crosby, Rick Nash, Jerome Iginla and Joe Thornton on your side, it’s hard to argue against a case for them getting to the final. However, the Canadian dressing room, and home fans, may just be getting a little edgy, after they were taken to overtime in their second game, which was against Switzerland. The USA, considered to be somewhat weaker than Canada, beat the Swiss 3-1 in their opening match, so it was some surprise that the Canadians failed to beat the Swiss in regulation.

It went all the way to a penalty shoot-out, which the Canadians squeezed through, with a goal from Sidney Crosby. It should not have been that difficult, it should not have been that nerve-wrecking. Now they have turned up the pressure on themselves again, as the star studded squad will be reminded of the epic failure they endured at the last Winter Olympics after coming in as strong favourites. They looked panicky in the game, especially at the back when the pressure was on. The USA side aren’t great, make no mistake, although they have racked up two wins from two, running out 6-1 winners against Norway in their second game. They do not have the overall skill depth in the squad, like Canada does, but they do have team spirit. Team coach Brian Burke, who isn’t the most popular GM in the sport, has selected a very young team, which should bring some extra spirit. The lines they are sending out, don’t look to be gelling together greatly, and they are relying somewhat on the old style power forward game as opposed to the Canadian’s skill.

David Backes from the St Louis Blues is one of the players the Canadians won’t be looking forward to playing. In the run up to the Olympics, he dropped gloves in the NHL against some Canada’s front line players, apparently, wanting to fight the entire Canadian team at club level. He is big, he is strong, and not without his skill sets, and along with Ryan Malone, Pat Kane and Zach Parise, they have the ability to make a real nuisance of themselves, if not doing it with great flair. USA vs. Canada is all about national pride, and now, with the American’s one point ahead of the Canadian’s in Group A, a win could leave the Canadians in the Quarter Final play-offs, or at best for the home nation, a bye through to Quarter Finals as best runner-up.

The other great clashes of the day, comes between Euro rivals Finland vs. Sweden, and a monstrously mouth watering game between Russia vs Czech Repulic. Sweden are the defending Champions, are two wins from two games, just the Finnish, but are lagging behind on goal difference. The Russians are strong favourites to do well in the competition, but suffered a shock overtime loss to Slovakia. They now need a win against the table topping Czech’s to secure top spot. The Czech’s a talented, yet maybe understated side, certainly going forward, have progressed steadily through their opening two games, but Russia, packed full of superstars should get the upper hand. They have one of, if not the greatest hockey player at the moment, in Alexander Ovechkin, who can pretty much win games single handedly. It will need a concerted all round team effort though if they are to make the promised land of the Olympic Gold medal. Sunday, for ice hockey fans, is not one to miss.

Russia to win: 3/4 at SportingBet
Draw: 18/5 at Ladbrokes
Czech Republic to win: 29/10 at Bwin

Winter Olympics Outright Winner Prices at Coral
Canada: Evens, Russia: 9/4, Sweden: 6/1, USA: 8/1, Czech Republic: 14/1

There are still some medal hopes for Great Britain at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Both the men’s and women’s curling teams are in contention, with skip Eve Muirhead in particular looking strong. The women opened their Olympic account with victory over the favourites China in the round robin stage, and after beating Russia convincingly 10-3 have now won two out of their three matches. The women are in action twice on Friday, one against Germany and then later in the evening against Japan. Two wins today would put them in an excellent position to reach the semi finals. They follow up after that with matches against the US, the Swiss, Denmark and gold medal favourites Canada. There is a lot of work to be done, but Muirhead, a strong leader at the tender age of 19, has a good team behind her.

Women’s Curling Outright
Canada: 6/4 at BetFred
China: 6/4 at BetFred
Sweden: 11/2 at BetFred
Great Britain: 10/1 at BetFred
Switzerland: 12/1 at BetFred

The men are standing on a record of two wins and two losses after a last end defeat to Switzerland, who went full out with their negative tactics. The men, who are the World Champions, put themselves under pressure with an opening 3-2 defeat at Sweden, but responded with a nice win over France. Then the defeat against the Swiss happened, before they picked themselves up again to beat Denmark. It has been something of a slow start for the Brits, who are expected to comfortably get through the round robin stage. They now face a busy day on Saturday when they take on China and Canada. That could be a crucial day for the men, and can ill afford many more slip ups. After that there will be three matches left for the men against the US, Germany and Norway. Then hopefully it will be on to the semi finals.

Men’s Curling Outright
Canada: 8/11 at BetFred
Great Britain: 5/1 at Blue Square
Norway: 11/2 at Stan James
Sweden: 10/1 at BetFred
Switzerland: 16/1 at SkyBet

Britain go for their first Gold Medal later tonight (around 11.30pm), when Skeleton specialist (the no holds barred tea-tray sliding event) Amy Williams looks to defend her lead. The 27 year old lead the field at the halfway stage of the competition after setting a new track record on her first slide. She was the only competitor to break the 54 second mark. The event consists of four runs, and the lowest average time for the runs gives the medal, not the fastest individual slide time. But, following up her first slide with another good one has left her with a comfortable (but not unassailable) lead at the head of the pack. This is the best chance that Britain has had of bringing home a Gold Medal at the winter Olympics, despite receiving protests about her helmet, led by the Americans. Williams’ helmet has some ridges and stuff on there, which some things gives her an unfair aerodynamic advantage, despite the helmet passing pre-competition checks and being backed up by the sport’s governing body.

Her team mate, Shelley Rudman, who won silver at the last winter Olympics is in the running for a podium finish, but needs two of the best runs of her career to make up ground. At the halfway stage she is lying in seventh place, after sitting in 11th after her first run. Rudman was highly disappointed after her first run which was over fifty four and a half seconds. The fractions of a second are the little things than count in competitions like this. Kristian Bromley in the men’s skeleton, is in a good position as well, as he is fifth on the leader board at the halfway stage of the competition. But all British eyes will be watching to see if Amy Williams can hold on to her strong position in the Women’s winter sport of Skeleton, third and fourth runs, when the medals will be decided.

Amy Williams to Win Women’s Skeleton: 4/6 at BetFred
Top 3 Finish: 1/14 at Bwin

Being a big fan of ice hockey, the Olympics brings one of those rare and unique opportunities for compatriots to suit up for their country. For the majority of players in the NHL, north America’s blue riband ice hockey league, the chance to put their bodies on the line for their country is rare. This is a world away from international football, as apart from the World Juniors, most of them will never get the chance to pull on a national jersey, for the chances of doing so are extremely limited. Many elite Canadians and the USA only turn out when the Olympics come around. The only other chances are the rarely played World Cup of Hockey and the World Championships. The World Championships are held though when the NHL Play-Offs are happening, so most of the elite players are tied up in that, giving less senior players the chance to have a go for their country.

There are not the long winded qualification processes, such as a national European side has to go through in order to qualify for the European Championships for example, so there simply is not as many games to play outside of the few tournaments. The national ice hockey teams in Europe do get a lot more action, and Russia, Sweden and Finland will be leading the front line when it comes to a European Challenge at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. But, as, Canada is the home of hockey, all expectant eyes will be upon them to bring home the gold medal on their home ice.

There are subtle nuances between the NHL game and the Olympics, which are controlled by the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation), such as less restrictions upon the areas win which the goaltender can play the puck. The Olympic ice rink has usually been larger than the standard NHL one, but this year it is different with the NHL size rink taking preference. Canada will be lead by Steve Yzerman, one of the great players of NHL history, and they have the power in all departments to bring home the Gold. Looking at their roster, it is something of a dream team of players, sort of like teaming up Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Ronaldo, Kaka, Ronaldinho and Buffon for a game of six a side football. They key players to watch out for on the Canadian roster are Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks and Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks. In defence they have the likes of Chris Pronger, Duncan Keith and Scott Niedermayer, and with Martin Brodeur tending net, they arguably have the best goaltender in the world.

Team USA can only look on with enviable eyes, as manager Brian Burke, who isn’t the most popular of GM’s in ice-hockey circles, admits that his side are underdogs going into the competition. He has largely gone with a young outfit, neglecting to call upon some of the more veteran type of players which adorn the Canadian ranks. One date to watch out for at the Olympics is on February 21st, when the USA play Canada in the group stage. They were paired in Group A along with Switzerland and Norway, and both will be expected to qualify. But the main threat to Canada won’t come from the USA, it will come from the powerhouse of Russia.

The KHL in Russia has lured some of the NHL’s players over to it, during the past couple of season. In order to improve their status, huge financial contracts have been offered to players in order to raise the standard and the status of their game. Something has worked, because the Russians go into the Olympic tournament on fairly equal standings with the Canadians. Russia are all about power forwards, and they can send out enviable lines to destroy opposition. Alex Ovechkin is one of the biggest stars in the NHL, playing for the Washington Capitals, and he, along with Canada’s Sidney Crosby are the poster boys of the sport. Ovechkin is rough, rugged and will body his body on the line, and celebrates every goal like it was the winner in the World Cup Final. He is a joy to watch, and then for his country he gets to line up with the likes of Evgeni Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuk and Sergei Fedorov. The Russian’s aren’t to be taken lightly, but they don’t quite have the level of defence which Canada have. Still, when you have the offence they have, it might not be needed as much.

But neither of the big powerhouses won the Olympic Gold in Turin 2006. No, it was Sweden, who will be back to defend their Olympic crown, leaning on a wealth of experience. It is a little bit of a Dad’s Army to some extent, and while they don’t have the standout stars such as Ovechkin or Crosby, they certainly have some quality and an abundance of team spirit. Their unity and teamwork, the ability to grind it out defensively, was what got them their success last time out. They are not to be dismissed by any count, as they have some high quality NHL’s throughout their squad in all positions. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was the stand out goaltending star of Torino 2006, and will be called upon again. They may have a few injury concerns, but are a very strong team. As are the Torino 2006 runner’s-up Finland. So are the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Canada crashed and burned badly at the last Olympics, finishing 7th out the twelve teams, with the USA one spot behind them. There was high expectation on them then, and even more now. Will they be able to handle the pressure and have all of their stars come together and play as a team? That is the big questions now on everyone’s lips. The NHL takes a break after Sunday’s games, but the excitement and thrill of ice hockey won’t stop there, as the elite head to Vancouver to battle for Gold.

2010 Olympics Ice Hockey Outright
Canada – 6/5 at Boylesports
Russia – 13/5 at SkyBet
Sweden – 7/1 at Coral
USA – 10/1 at SportingBet
Finland – 20/1 at Bwin

Olympic Group Outrights:

Group A
Canada – 6/17 at Bwin
USA – 3/1 at Bet365
Switzerland – 50/1 at Ladbrokes
Norway – 500/1 at Boylesports

Group B
Russia – 4/9 at William Hill
Czech Rep – 13/5 at Bet365
Slovakia – 23/1 at Bwin
Latvia – 500/1 at Stan James

Group C
Sweden – 11/17 at Bwin
Finland – 7/4 at Stan James
Germany – 100/1 at William Hill
Belarus – 150/1 at SportingBet

Sports betting week 8 - 14 February

Date	Sport	Org.	Venue	Event
9-10 Feb		DFB	Germany	Cup
9-10 Feb		FA	England	Premier League
12-14 Feb		DFB	Germany	Bundesliga
12-14 Feb		FIGC	Italy	Serie A
13-14 Feb		FA	England	FA Cup Fifth Round Proper
13-14 Feb		RFEF	Spain	Primera Division
13-14 Feb		FFF	France	Ligue 1
9-14 Feb		WTA	Paris	Open GDF SUEZ
9-14 Feb		WTA	Pattaya City (Thailand)	PTT Pattaya Women's Open
8-14 Feb		ATP	San Jose, CA	SAP Open
8-14 Feb		ATP	Costa Do Sauipe	Brasil Open
8-14 Feb		ATP	Rotterdam	ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
12-28 Feb		IOC	Vancouver	Olympic Wintergames

With the focus shifting towards the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, which opens on February 12th, Great Britain are hopefully of bringing back some medals. Maybe surprisingly, some of them have great potential in being gold. Not famed for their prowess in the world of winter sports, Britain have some real hopefuls out the western coast of the Great White North. This is thanks to an injection of cash in the field of winter sports over the past years, with British sport getting some very welcome backing. With performances at the European and World Championships over the past couple of years, it looks as if that is beginning to bring rewards.

Britain are sending fourteen skiers over there, despite the governing body of British Skiing going bust, just before the start of the games. The British Olympics Association had to step in to ensure that the skiers would have the necessary funding and resources to get there and compete in the games. On a whole there have been a lot of funds thrown at the problem of under-funding and resources, which have led to Britain failing to make an impact at the Winter Olympics for decades. Unfortunately, skiing has not been so well looked after. Now however, on a whole, the winds of change they are a-blowing apparently, with some real gold medal hopes. Here we take a look at some of the medal hopefuls for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

If there is one sport at the Winter Olympics that Britain is kind of known for, it is in the field of Curling. There is a wonderful chance that Britain can walk off with the Gold Medal in the Men’s Curling at the 2010 Winter Olympics, as Britain’s Men are current World Champions. That will put them in good stead, and mean they are full of confidence ahead of the game. It is the Scots team which all the hopes are riding on, as David Murdoch leads his men in action, after winning the World title back in April. The Women’s team will be lead by Eve Muirhead, who has had major successes at the junior level of the sport, and will be looking to replicate it on the big stage.

Skeleton. The very scary looking run down the bobsleigh track on little more than a tea tray. Still, after some good backing and investment, Britain are sending four competitors to compete. Most notable name on the list is that of Shelley Rudman, who will be hoping to go one better than her silver place finish four years ago in Turin. She has the consistency and the skill of the highest level to easily make a podium finish in Vancouver. She also came in second place at the end of the World Cup season. Watch out for her.

Short Track Speed Skating is where Britain could pick up some medals, if not Gold, then they will be looking for podium finishes. Britain’s Speed Skaters performed excellently at the European Championships, brining home three medals. Jonathan Eley, Elise Christie and Sarah Lindsay are prominent names in Team GB, and will their recent success, the Short Track Speed Skating team is considered to be quite strong.

Britain have had some great success since money was thrown at developing some Winter Sports Stars. Kristian Bromley dominated in the Bob Skeleton, while success has also come in the women’s Bobsleigh. There is also some hope for Britain’s new Torvill and Dean, with John and Sinead Kerr possibly in amongst the medal hunt if they perform to the very best of their abilities. While being an outside chance, there is a lot of belief with the pair. Snowboarders Lesley McKenna and Zoe Gillings will be doing their best to twist, turn and flip her way to some extreme success, all as part of 52 competitors making up Team GB across 6 sports.

With all of the hope an optimism of the home nations, it is no point looking towards the top of the medal table for Team GB, no matter how patriotic you want to be. But there are some genuine chances of bringing home some medals, and the bookmakers are offering some nice prices on Great Britain specials.

Great Britain Gold Medals:
Not to win one: 2/5 at Ladbrokes
To win one: 7/4 at Ladbrokes

Great Britain Medals
To win 1 or 2: 8/13 at SportingBet
To win 2-3 medals: 4/6 at Ladbrokes
Over 2 medals: 6/4 at SportingBet
3 or more: 5/4 at Bwin
4 or more medals: 7/2 at Ladbrokes

Shelley Rudman to win a medal: 4/6 at 888Sport
Nicola Minichiello to win a medal: 7/2 at Blue Square
Jonathan Eley to win a medal: 4/1 at 888Sport
Sinead and John Kerr to win a medal: 5/1 at Blue Square

Great Britain Total Gold Medals:
None: 8/13 at SportingBet
1 or More: 6/5 at SportingBet

2010 SPORTS BETTING PREVIEW

The turn of the new year is here, and top of the headlines will of course be the 2010 World Cup, being held in South Africa. After all the qualification dust has settled, the thirty two teams involved, know their opponents, and begin their final preparations ahead of the June 11 kick off. But there is much more to look forward to on the sporting front in 2010, and here we take a look at some of the highlights of the forthcoming year of sport, and provide you the opportunity to get some early ante-post betting action on some of the major sporting events to come in 2010.

FOOTBALL:

• World Cup 2010 will dominate the headlines for much of the year, and the opening game between South Africa and Mexico on June 11, will herald in another exciting tournament of thrills and spills. For once, England go into the competition on the back of more than just the optimism of a nation, they  actually look as if they have a good chance of winning the tournament for the second time in their history. They will of course have to overcome favourites Spain (9/2 at William Hill) and Brazil (11/2 at Ladbrokes), but England (11/2 at Boylesports) are looking to be in better shape than they have done in previous tournaments. They have a manager with tactical nous, and a good blend of experience and youth. They should go deep, but how far, is the question.
• The African Cup of Nations, which takes place in January, always attracts a lot of interest, simply because of the rise in popularity of the African based players across Europe. With the likes of Chelsea’s Didier Drogba and Michael Essien among the top African names playing in the Premier League, the tournament itself courts controversy over its timing. Clubs across Europe lose their best players for the beginning of the new year, which is always a tough time, and therefore there have been calls to get the tournament moved. Still, it will showcase the best Africa have to offer, and with the World Cup being held on the African continent for the first time in history, there will be keen eyes upon Ghana (13/5 at 888Sport), Cameroon (6/1 at Stan James), Ivory Coast (13/5 at Stan James), Egypt (9/1 at Paddy Power) and Algeria (12/1 at Blue Square), who are England’s group opponents at the World Cup.
• The English Premier League will continue to take heavy betting, especially because of how open things are this year. It looks as if there will be a real scrap for the top between Chelsea (10/11 at 888Sport) and Manchester United (5/2 at Boylesports), but Arsenal (4/1 at Paddy Power) cannot be discounted either. Everyone is losing unexpected points, and the standards seem to have dropped. With defending champions Manchester United having lost 5 games already, there looks to be more twists and turns to come. A lot will depend on how Chelsea cope during January with the loss of Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou, two of their three first choice strikers.

CRICKET:

• The Ashes will again be the highlight of the year, which take place in November. The coming together of Australia and England, is always a fixture which will whet the whistle of cricketing fans, not only from those two nations, but from across the World. England regained the Ashes in the summer of 2009, much to the delight of the home crowds across the UK. It was a battling series, maybe not as much glamour and hype as previous encounters, but one that makes the return date in Australia a tantalising one. England lost heavily there last time out, started out by Steve Harmison’s wayward first ball of the first test, and captain Andrew Strauss will want to ensure that they at least go there and put up a staunch defence. England are 6/4 at SkyBet to Retain the Ashes. But, if you want Series Wins, then Australia are 4/7 at Stan James, and England are 9/2 at Victor Chandler. A drawn series will fetch you 5/1 at Totesport. England have another very busy fixture list for 2010, with test series to come against Bangladesh and Pakistan and a one day series against Australia. All of that takes place before the Ashes of course, and will prove to be another very long and tiring season for the players on an England contract.
• The IPL will have all the glitz and glamour that cricket is not particularly used to. The Indian Premier League attracts some of the greatest talent from across the world, to take part in its exciting Twenty20 league format. There is a wealth of money at stake, with players being paid high contracts to take part, but from a cricket fans point of view, it provides some exhilarating excitement nonetheless.
• The Twenty20 World Cup takes place in April, with Pakistan (6/1 at 888Sport) looking to retain the title which they surprisingly won at the 2009 tournament. This not a format of the game at which England (12/1 at Stan James) have a good track record, and are easily out powered by the likes of Sri Lanka (5/1 at Sporting Bet), India (9/2 at Sporting Bet), South Africa (4/1 at 888Sport) and Australia (11/2 at 888Sport), who will all be heading a tight field to the win the tournament being held in the West Indies.

TENNIS:

• The only question on the lips of UK tennis fans, is whether or not great British hope Andy Murray will be able to win his first Grand Slam tournament. Murray’s chances at the Australian Open (11/2 at Boylesports), Wimbledon (5/1 at Sporting Bet), the French Open (16/1 at William Hill) and the US Open (9/2 at SkyBet) are the biggest dates in the Tennis calendar, and the ones the Scot will be targeting the hardest. He will have his hands full though, and winning next year, will, in all essence, be a bigger achievement than if would have pulled out a victory in 2009. Why? Because the players at the top of the men’s tennis tour is simply getting stronger. Not only is there Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer to cope with, there is the likes of Del Potro, who Murray encountered several times in 2009, to contend with. He will remain one of the top favourites going into the tournaments, and his first chance will come in the Australian Open. Murray is 7/4 at BetFred to win 1 Grand Slam in 2010.
• After the incredible coming out of retirement for Kim Clijsters who won the US Open, Justin Henin has been inspired to make a comeback on the women’s tour and is 5/1 at Stan James to repeat Clijsters’ feat at the US Open. Her main aim though will be to win the Wimbledon crown (7/1 at Totesport), as that remains the only Grand Slam which she could never lay her hands upon.

RUGBY UNION:

• The Six Nations will dominate proceedings on the international scene, and once again, England manager Martin Johnson will come under the very hot spotlight. After looking lack lustre and directionless through the Autumn Test, how much longer will Johnson survive if England do not start pulling together something in the Six Nations? Yes, he had injuries to contend with, but that does not excuse the often baffling tactics being put to practice, as was seen in the Autumn matches. England, on the basis of those games, have a long way to go if they are going to challenge for the title. England’s first match is against Wales at Twickenham and that could be the springboard to a little optimism and progress, or simply a jump into the shallow end for Johnson and his backroom staff. Current champions Ireland (11/4 at Stan James), along with France (7/4 at Stan James) will head to the tournament as the strongest teams, the Irish just edging it as favourites. England are 9/2 at Boylesports, Wales are 4/1 at 888Sport and Scotland are 22/1 at Boylesports.
• The Guinness Premier League has come under some criticism, with pundits concerned that is it not as strong as it has been in the past, and that quality is slipping? This sounds terribly similar to the case of football’s English Premier League. Still, the participants and managers in the league will beg to differ, certainly those battling for the top. Saracens (9/2 at Coral), Northampton (9/2 at Bet365), London Irish (3/1 at Ladbrokes) and Leicester (5/2 at Ladbrokes) will all fancy their chances of claiming the honours, while Leeds Carnegie look favourites to be relegated (2/5 at Totesport).
• Rugby Union’s equivalent of the Champions League, the Heineken Cup, continues on into 2010, with the cream of the domestic European teams battling it out. French side Biarritz (7/1 at Sporting Bet) and Welsh side Ospreys (18/1 at Ladbrokes) are looking strong in the competition so far, but the experience of Irish side Munster (7/2 at Sporting Bet) should see them go deep into the competition. From an English perspective, it will be London Irish (14/1 at Totesport) and Leicester (40/1 at BetFred) leading the charge.

FORMULA ONE:

• The big news is that the legend of Michael Schumacher is back behind the wheel of a F1 car. Schumacher takes a drive for Mercedes (which is the Brawn team with which Jenson Button won the title with in 2009), and that will, no doubt, inject a great deal of interest into the new season. There will be much speculation over how many races the great German one will be able to win (Over 2.5 at Bet365 is 5/1), and there will be some money going on him to win the Driver’s Championship (5/1 at William Hill). He will have a fight on his hand against his aging years, trying to battle against younger men, but his meticulous drive for perfection is one that will no doubt make the best constructor on the circuit, even better. Britain will have two World Champions running through the season, and the Jenson Button (15/2 at Stan James) v Lewis Hamilton (11/4 at Stan James) will be as great a battle to watch, as the one between Fernando Alonso (4/1 at Boylesports) and Michael Schumacher will be. Button and Hamilton will both be driving for Mclaren Mercedes. Richard Branson, after backing Brawn’s successful season last year, will be entering into unknown territory with their own team. After entering their Virgin Racing team into the fray, Branson made a bet with Lotus’s Tony Fernandes that his team will finish ahead of them, the loser having to take a tour as an airline stewardess on their rival’s airline.

ATHLETICS:

• A big year for Athletics, with the Winter Olympics kicking off in Vancouver, Canada in February. The Winter Olympics usually is not usually a great hunting ground for the stars of British Athletics, but lo and behold, there could genuinely be some gold medals coming back from the tournament. Shelley Rudman is one of the leading contenders to win the skeleton bobsleigh, where competitors throw themselves a twisting track of ice at one hundred miles an hour. Other hopes come in the form of Scottish skaters, John and Sinead Kerr who set their mark on the world with a top ten finish at the World Championships. Nicola Minichiello and Gillian Cooke are looking in good form to push for a medal in the Women’s Bobsleigh and Scotland are the current Curling World Champions, which should see them enter the Winter Olympics as one of the favourites. As for the Nations, Germany (6/5 at SkyBet) are expected to amass the most medals, followed by the USA (9/2 at SkyBet), Russia and Canada (both 5/1 at SkyBet).
• The Commonwealth games, held in India in October 2010, with Britain’s athletes being represented well at the Sports Personality of the Year 2009. Heptathlete Jessica Ennis would be Britain’s biggest hope over there, but she may not attend because of her training schedule. World Champion triple jumper Phillips Idowu should be in with a great shout in India, as well as Britain’s headline swimmers, Rebeca Adlington and Michael Rock. The young student recently beat US legend Michael Phelps in a meeting, by a second. In the pool, young Diving star Tom Daley, who may arguably be the best diver in Britain since Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Madrid, should be expected to make a splah.