Oldham to get it right this time

SPORTS BETTING: THERE is only one place for Off Course to start this week, and that’s with Oldham Roughyeds.

After months of endeavour, Tony Benson’s men have promotion to the Co-Operative Championship within the palm of their hands.

Standing in their way in Sunday’s Sky Sports-televised Play-off Final at Warrington are York City Knights.

York succumbed 41-32 to Oldham in the recent qualifying semi-final at the Whitebank Stadium and it would be no surprise to see Sunday’s showdown go down to the wire.

But the smart money is on Oldham to gain promotion after defeats in the last three finals.

The wider expanses of the Halliwell Jones Stadium should suit them much better than their smaller pitch at Whitebank.

Oldham boast more mobile personnel than a big Knights outfit and can be expected to get the ball out wide and punish opponents they have beaten twice in three meetings this season.

That means Oldham’s flying winger Lucas Onyango is an obvious place to start as first try-scorer so 8-1 is fair enough.

But two second-row forwards scored a couple of tries the last time these teams met yet both can be backed at 33-1 to touch down first.

Oldham’s Joe Chandler and York’s Ryan Esders are the men in question and both are unlikely to be shy in going for glory should the chance arise.

Have a little wager on both and also snap up the 4-5 about the Roughyeds winning despite conceding 6.5 points on the handicap.

More cautious punters may prefer 2-5 without the handicap, while anyone expecting the Knights to prevail will get 21-10 for their money.



ENGLAND went into today’s one-day cricket decider against Pakistan as 4-7 favourites, with the tourists 6-4 chances.

After the nonsense which has accompanied this series, I will be glad when it’s all over.

One thing is for sure, it’s not the result we will remember when reflecting on it in future years.

England name their Ashes squad tomorrow and I don’t expect any great surprises.

Despite one or two key batsmen being out of form, I reckon England have a strong chance of winning Down Under and the 9-2 we snapped up some time ago looks cracking value bearing in mind the vulnerability of the current Aussie side.

Ricky Ponting’s men go to India before facing England and that demanding tour could well take a lot out of a side containing three 35-year-olds in the skipper, Mike Hussey and Simon Katich.

Ponting says the India tour is ideal preparation for the Ashes, but he would say that, wouldn’t he?

Just as he said a 5-0 home win was achievable, the skipper is keen to talk up his team.

But if he thinks he can rattle opposite number Andrew Strauss, he had better have a rethink.

This week’s events will only have added to Strauss’s steely resolve for the big international fixtures to come.



RECOMMENDATIONS: Oldham to beat York conceding 6.5 points, 4-5 (Bet365), Joe Chandler (Oldham) and Ryan Esders (York) to score first try of final, both 33-1 (Skybet).