Murray 5-2 for award

BETTING:

THERE is only one place to start this week’s Sport Betting column and that is with Andy Murray’s stunning US Open triumph.

Murray produced a superb display of skill, stamina and pure guts to get past Novak Djokovic, a player who simply never knows when he is beaten.

I only hope Murray can build on this in future grand slams. There’s no reason why not, because 90 per cent of sport is played between the ears.

The self-belief Murray will have gained from victory at Flushing Meadows can only help and it is no surprise to see him installed 7-2 second favourite for the next grand slam, the Australia Open, in January, 2013.

Before that, there is the BBC Sports Personality Of the Year Award for which he is 5-2 second favourite behind cycling phenomenon Bradley Wiggins (5-4).

Double Olympic champion Mo Farah is 3-1, while heptathlon heroine Jessica Ennis is 12s.

In a normal year, any one of these sporting icons would be an odds-on favourite.



RORY McIlroy made it back-to-back wins on the US Tour when landing the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick and is in pole position to win the FedEx Cup for players on the American circuit.

The Northern Ireland star is clearly the world’s best player and even Tiger Woods, not one for praising other golfers, has been forced to admit McIlroy’s current dominance of the game.

McIlroy is the 8-5 favourite to win the FedEx Cup and $10million jackpot, with

second-placed Woods on 22-5.



THE tenth series of Strictly Come Dancing is almost upon us, with the sporting world represented by former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan, Olympic gymnast Louis Smith and cycling queen Victoria Pendleton.

However, the bookies reckon presenter-turned-actress Denise Van Outen (7-2) is the most likely winner, although Smith and Girls aloud singer Kimberley Walsh (both 4-1) and Westlife performer Nicky Byrne (7-1) are also well fancied.

The competition gets under way on BBC 1 on Saturday night when the partners for the celebrities will be revealed.



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