15-2 Murphy can lay down the law

SNOOKER’S biggest event of the season so far gets under way this weekend in Telford when 32 hopefuls bid to earn an honest crust in the Pukka Pies UK Championship.

Shaun Murphy will be defending the trophy he won a year ago and, with the draw loaded in his favour, I reckon he is a decent bet to win again at 15-2.

The top half of the draw is far less competitive than the bottom, which sees the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson and rising star Judd Trump aiming to progress.

So Murphy, who ended the five-year domination of O’Sullivan in the final of the Premier League on Sunday night, looks to have a great chance of going all the way.

He should be able to see off first-round opponent Gerard Green without too much fuss and, if he comes through a tricky second-round tie against Ding Junhui (assuming he beats rank outsider Mike Dunn), I can’t see anyone preventing him from reaching the final.

Murphy was in superb form against O’Sullivan, whose long potting has been suspect this season and who really needs to get his game together for this tournament and the World Championship in the spring.

O’Sullivan, like current world champion Higgins, is in a tricky section of the draw and does not represent much in the way of value at 7-2.

Higgins is a great player blessed with a rock-solid temperament, but he may have to beat Robertson, Ryan Day and O’Sullivan or Selby to reach the final. At shorter odds than Murphy, it is obvious where the value lies.


HEADLINE bet Paul Collingwood did us a big favour last week when he landed odds of 11-2 to be England’s top batsmen in the third ODI against South Africa.

His efforts were in vain as the Proteas won easily, but England bounced back again on Sunday to go one ahead with only Friday’s game in Durban to play.

England are so inconsistent that odds of 6-4 make only limited appeal, but the home side are equally unpredictable and anyone who lumps on them at 8-13 is taking a huge risk.

Like last week, I would rather play in the performance markets, so let’s stick with Colly to do the business again at the same bargain price of 11-2.

In his current form, there is no way he should be two points bigger than the rusty and out-of-touch Kevin Pietersen.


TIGER Woods may be the greatest player ever to swing a golf club, but it’s no secret that his driving has been letting him down.

Actually, I was referring to his tee shots rather than his reversing skills, but the accident sustained by Tiger last weekend will keep him out of his own tournament which gets under way at the Sherwood Country Club, California, tomorrow.

Nevertheless, 18 of the world’s finest players will line up for the Chevron World Challenge and it’s Europe’s new number one Lee Westwood who will tee off as the 13-2 favourite to land the $1.35 top prize.

Padraig Harrington is second favourite at 15-2, with Americans Jim Furyk (8-1), Steve Stricker (17-2), Zach Johnson (10-1) and Anthony Kim (11-1) next in the bookies’ lists.

If Westwood plays like he did in Dubai a couple of weeks ago, they won’t see him for dust.


NIKOLAY Davydenko’s World Tour Finals victory in London has seen his odds contract for the Australian Open, which starts in January.

The Russian has been cut to 12-1, while Britain’s Andy Murray - who was as short as 7-2 a year ago – is freely available at 11-2.

Roger Federer is the 11-4 favourite, while US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro is 5-1, Novak Djokovic 6-1 and the struggling Rafael Nadal 7-1.


MANCHESTER City manager Mark Hughes is in desperate need of a victory following his team’s run of seven league draws in a row, but anyone who believes Arsenal’s fringe squad will be a pushover in tonight’s Carling Cup quarter-final should think again.

The Gunners youngsters fear no-one and a visit to Eastlands to take on some big-name players will certainly not faze them.

City deserve to be favourites to win in 90 minutes at 21-20, but Arsenal will have their backers at 100-30. The draw is a 13-5 shot.


FOR the first time since the programme started, the X Factor has an odds-on favourite, Joe McElderry being cut to 8-11 to come out on top following much praise from the judges.

And, in a reversal of that scenario, the troubled Ricky Whittle has drifted from odds-on to odds-against to win Strictly Come Dancing.

Whittle and Ali Bastian are the 11-8 joint favourites, followed by Chris Hollins at 5-1 and Laila Rouass the 20-1 outsider of four.


RECOMMENDATION: Shaun Murphy to win UK Snooker Championship, 15-2 (Stan James); Paul Collingwood to be top England batsman in final ODI, 11-2 (Coral).