In-form Poulter can click at 22-1

SPORTS AND SHOWBIZ BETTING: RORY McIlroy is a young man in a hurry. The most promising golfer to emerge since Tiger Woods, the Northern Ireland phenomenon has one hand on the European Order Of Merit title in only his second full season on tour.

Now known as the Race To Dubai, the merit prize will be decided this weekend when the top players fight it out for the Dubai World Championship at Jumeirah Golf Club’s Earth Course.

And McIlroy is in poll position, ahead of Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher.

Victory for any of the first three would mean finishing at the top of the European money list.

But if Fisher were to win, he could still lose out were McIlroy or Westwood to be second.

The odds are stacked in McIlroy’s favour, hence a quote of 1-2.

But Westwood (100-30) and Kaymer (15-2) are certainly in the mix and both will be busting a gut to win in Dubai.

However, I would rather back someone whose sole focus is the tournament itself and the man who fits the bill is Ian Poulter.

The winner in Singapore at the start of this month, Poulter finished joint fifth in Hong Kong last weekend with a final-round 64.

The Englishman is in top form, has a good track record in big events and is overpriced at 22-1.


YOU have to feel sorry for George Burley, who was sacked this week as manager of Scotland.

As far as I can see, his task was Mission Impossible as Scotland just don’t have the footballing talent of old.

If I were a manager, I would not be rushing for an interview, but the bookies reckon they can second-guess the likely contenders and have made Craig Levein favourite at 4-1, with Walter Smith at 5s and Jim Jefferies and Gary McAllister 10s.

Good luck to whoever gets the job. You are going to need it.


MANCHESTER City’s top-four credentials in the Premier League will be put to the test when they face a Saturday lunchtime showdown with Liverpool on Merseyside.

The hosts are evens to win, but without the injured Fernando Torres, Albert Riera and Yossi Benayoun and with Steven Gerrard lacking match fitness, I would rather be a layer than a backer.

Take a chance with City at a rather generous 14-5 because they will rarely have a better chance of winning at Anfield.


ENGLAND’S cricketers have been spending more time on the treatment table than on the field.

Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Graham Onions, Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Swann are among the key players carrying injuries, so it is hard to know what sort of side we will put out for the first of five one-day internationals against South Africa in Johannesburg on Friday.

Bearing in mind England’s problems and the confidence they must have gained from Sunday’s 20-over rout of our bowling, South Africa are worthy favourites at 4-9.

From a betting perspective, I am concentrating on individual performances and the player to catch the eye is Jonathan Trott at 4-1 to be top England batsman.

This lad is a terrific player and is in top form during the early stages of the tour.

In horse racing parlance, main rivals Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen might just need the outing.


RECOMMENDATIONS: Ian Poulter, each-way, Dubai World Championship, 22-1 (general); Manchester City to beat Liverpool, 14-5 (bet 365, Blue Square); Jonathan Trott to be top England batsman v SA in first ODI, 4-1 (general).


Do me a favour and get her out of there

THERE are a some things in life which leave me baffled.

For example, why do normally-responsible drivers turn into maniacs when placed behind the wheel of a white transit van?

And how is that some customers at supermarket check-outs suddenly realise they have to actually pay for their items and spend an eternity looking for their purse or wallet?

However, the biggest mystery of the lot to me is why on earth anyone is in the slightest bit interested in the exploits of Katie Price, AKA Jordan.

OK, I am not blind, she has a couple of large assets. But even those are not natural, so we are told, and as Ms Price can’t act, sing or tell jokes, what justification is there for the publicity she generates as a member of the entertainment industry?

I am having this rant because the final straw, so far as I was concerned, came with the news that she was being flown in to the latest series of the excruciating “I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here” on ITV.

Apparently, Ms Price wants “closure” following her last jungle outing in which she bonded with future husband, the equally-tiresome Peter Andre.

Don’t insult my intelligence, Katie, or whatever your name is. You are in it for the publicity.

For the record, she is 11-1 to win the competition (surely viewers can’t let that happen), while snooker star Jimmy White, a thoroughly good egg, is 5-1 favourite.

The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing are continuing apace, with Jedward still dominating the headlines for the former and the SCD dance floor resembling a scene from Casualty, what with the injuries sustained by Leila Rouass and Jade Johnson, and the non-appearance with flu of veteran presenter Bruce Forsyth.

The markets for both competitions have changed little in the last week, although popular personality Phil Tufnell suffered a surprise exit from Strictly, which means Ricky Whittle (4-5) and Ali Bastian (5-2) have even less to worry about.