BMW INTERNATIONAL OPEN GOLF .... MUNICH

This European PGA tour event has reached the half way stage and is led by two strokes by Niclas Fasth, who is carrying on the good work he started at the US Open. As indeed is Paul Casey, who despite parting company with his caddy after the Open, sits just 6 strokes off the lead.

Casey has quite an ego and will have delighted in the adulation heaped on him for his 66 in the toughest of the majors, last week. TBH an inflated idea of his ability and Casey IS very good, is no bad thing for a golfer. I keep thinking of last year, when, after another good showing in the US Open ,he flew back to Europe and won the Johnnie Walker.

He has a fine record here with 4 top tens and a 13th place finish in just 6 visits. I think we can take a little on him to continue the good work over the weekend, in an event we will be returning to on Sunday.

1.5 points Casey outright 18.5 Betfair
2.5 points top 5 finish Casey 3.20 Betfair
OR
2 points each way 15.0 Casey 1/4 odds 1234 general quote

Good Luck.

JAPAN J LEAGUE .... SHIMIZI S-PULSE- URAWA REDS

Urawa Reds have their title challenge back on track and now only trail leaders Gamba Osaka by 5 points, with a game in hand.

They put in a very strong performance in the 2-0 home win over Vissel Kobe, creating many chances, which included a missed penalty and being denied more goals, by an inspired performance from the Kobe goalkeeper.

Striker Tanaka has scored in each of his two matches since returning from a long term injury and he seems the key to their change in fortune. Reds coach, Holger Osieck was pleased with their last outing ......"Now we are back on track and have got back to a good standard of performance," he said."That is actually what we have got to do. We have big targets.

We had a series of games where we could not gain the three points and now it is about time that we are getting back to a winning streak."But it is not only to win the games, it is how you play -- and I think our performance level has risen recently. That is quite satisfactory for me and still there is room for improvement. We have still got to do some stuff, but we have made some decent progress. I am pretty sure that the future will show that we still can get up a little bit more."

Unbeaten on the road with a 4-3-0 record, they travel to play Shimizi, who have won just once in 5 starts. Reds will have positive expectations, having won on two of the last three visits and have lost just once, in 8 h2h meetings.

5.5 points Urawa Reds -1/4 ball 2.04 asian line.

Good Luck.

IRISH PREMIER LEAGUE ...... DERRY CITY - DROGHEDA UNITED

This is the strongest news of the day. Following 5 successive draws in the league before the mid season break, Derry refound their winning ways with a cup win last week, which will have them a much needed confidence boost.

The break could not have come soon enough for the visitors, who despite being in 2nd place in the table, have won only once in 5 and have failed to score in 3. However, even the rest has not helped injury problems, that have now turned into something of a crisis. Drogheda have 2 suspended , 9 injured and one major doubt and have been forced to call up some youth teamers to add to their list of only 13 fit players. They have scored in only 2 of 7 visits to the Brandywell over the last 3 seasons. Home win.

6 points Derry City -1/4 ball 2.06 asian line.

Elsewhere, a little news,the televised game between Galway and Shamrock features two teams likely to be missing between 7-9 players. A couple of the visiting players have a stomach bug and this can quickly spread through the team.

Good Luck.

SUPERETTAN ..... JONKOPING SODRA - LANDSKRONA

Last year this ended 0-7 ! It was a very strange result at the time, but looks even odder now, given that Landskrona have only managed 8 goals all season long.

This is the stage of the season when we can normally expect a few more goals in Sweden, teams are beginning to find their stride and the entertainment levels rise, along with a little summer sun on their backs, which is a huge thing for the Swedes. Last year this league averaged 2.81 goals per game, after 10 rounds it was just over 2.30 but increased over the next 5, to over 2.60, so over 3 per game for the five rounds in question. I covered this trend in a post last summer, you can read the full article using this link.

This looks the most likely candidate this evening to follow the pattern, both team's matches are producing goals at, or just above the standard rate and will be looking for the 3 points tonight. Landskrona have struggled a little from injuries and will be looking to climb up the table, now that a couple of key players have returned from injury, they may be worthwhile watching in the coming weeks.

5 points over 2.25 goals 1.81 asian line.

Good Luck.

SERIE B PLAYOFF .... HELLAS VERONA - SPEZIA 1906

Verona are a pretty big club at this level, were recently in Serie A and for them , relegation to the third tier would be a total disaster. For Spezia, who were only promoted last season, it would be easier to handle.

The home team have had a poor season, but definitely improved after changing their coach and collected 6 points more than Spezia over the final 7 matches of the season, only losing to promoted Napoli, in their last five.

The visitors have injury concerns and could be without 4 players, two are missing for sure. Having lost the first leg 2-1 , only a win will save Verona and I expect them to get it. They feel hard done by from the first match, where they took the lead, wasted a host of chances and were denied a big claim for a last gasp penalty.

5 points Verona -1/2 ball 1.80 asian line.

Good Luck.

ATP TENNIS ...... NOTTINGHAM

BJORKMAN - MATHIEU

These two have a disagreement about the speed of these courts. Mathieu thinks they are quite slow, the Swedish veteran,that they are quicker than Queen's.

Mathieu is yet to drop a serve this week, but I cannot accept him as a grass courter. I feel that Bjorkman has too much experience and will feed off the Frenchman's serve. He loves it in Nottingham and in the twilight of his career, is having fun. Jonas is averaging 6 wins per year on grass, so has some way to go this year, think he will creep a little nearer today.

4 points Bjorkman 2.14 Betfair

GASQUET - CLEMENT

Nottingham is a second home for Gasquet, who is looking for his 3rd straight title here. Think he will progress, but these two usually have VERY close matches and it may go to a decider. All 3 of their previous meetings have gone the distance, as have many of his matches against the senior French players. Going to chance a little on a similar outcome today.

2.5 points Gasquet to win 2-1 sets 4.20 Pinnacle// 4.30 Betfair.

Good Luck.

WTA TENNIS EASTBOURNE

I like two bets at Eastbourne today, time is very short so no time for detailed analysis, sorry. Will return in an hour or so, with some less rushed news.

HENIN - VAIDISOVA

Vaidisova has looked sharp this week and although a little lacking in experience, certainly has the game for grass, as denoted by her 22 aces already this week. Justine may take some time to come to terms with the surface and her opponent will never get a better time to beat the Belgian superstar, ot at least take a set, which is what I am backing her to do.

4.5 points Henin not to win 2-0 2.88 Pinnacle, similar odds on the exchanges.

DEMENTIEVA - BARTOLI

I think that Dementieva is a much better mover on grass and is looking to avenge her French Open loss, to an opponent who does not look much of an athlete.

4 points Dementieva 1.84 Betfair.

Good Luck.

COPA LIBERTADORES .... GREMIO - BOCA JUNIORS

Boca come with a 3-0 lead from the first leg and surely will disregard their natural instincts and look to sit on this lead. This competition and these two teams in particular, have followed a set pattern, strong at home, weak away. Boca have recorded just one away win and Gremio have yet to concede a home goal. winning 5 of their 6 starts.

There is no "away goals" rule in the final,so 4-1 has the same value as 3-0, if scores are level after 90 minutes, we will have extra time and then penalties. Do not think that this is totally impossible, sure that the game will become very stretched and there are likely to be goals. However, I can only see a home win and make Gremio a strong selection.

5.5 points Gremio -1/2 ball 1.85 asian line.

Good Luck.

UEFA U21 CHAMPIONSHIP ..... NETHERLANDS - ENGLAND

I feel that the host nation look a far more talented outfit than England and with home advantage, they should progress to the final. They have had an extra days rest, which at this stage of a very long season looks key, especially given the nature of their respective final group matches.

England had a very tough battle with Serbia and will have wasted a lot of energy on that ill tempered game, Huddlestone is suspended for today. The Dutch team had a "friendly" encounter with Belgium where both teams got what they wanted and some players were rested.

Several of the England squad have completed around 50 first team starts this season, which is an awful lot for a youngster .

The Dutch feel that England concede too much space in midfield and that this gives them a big edge.

4.5 points Netherlands U21 -1/4 ball asian line 1.90.

Just a few words about the other semi-final between Serbia and Belgium, I expect this to be a very tight, tactical affair. Apart from their final group games, where Serbia had already qualified and Belgium had a "strange" fixture with their neighbours. These two had four 0-0 half time draws between them and this should be equally as close. The half time stalemate is priced at 2.10 and this looks reasonable enough, about a very likely result.

Good Luck.

ATP TOUR NOTTINGHAM ... HYUNG-TAIK LEE - PAUL-HENRI MATHIEU

I am taking the Korean, Lee to beat Mathieu. He leads the h2h 2-0 and beat the Frenchman on grass last year, albeit in 3 very close sets. In that win at Queen's Club, Lee had a good read on Mathieu's serve, winning the break point count 13-5

Lee beat Max Mirnyi, a finalist here in 2005, in the first round which reads well and has won a dozen more matches on grass than his opponent. Mathieu did beat Robby Ginepri yesterday, serving very well, but the American is devoid of confidence and has lost in the first round of 7 of his last 8 tournaments.

4 points Lee to beat Mathieu 2.64 Pinnacle/ exchanges.

Good Luck.

WTA TENNIS HERTOGENBOSCH ... KRAJICEK -SAFINA

Krajicek has a lot of points to defend here as defending champion and will have the support of her home crowd. She seems the better mover on grass and beat Safina in the final here last year 3&4. The Russian has won their 3 meetings since, but obviously these came on different surfaces and were all close. I see no reason why Safina should be favourite on grass.

3.5 points Krajicek 2.11 Pinnacle ... similar odds are available on the exchanges.

Back later.

WEDNESDAY PLANS .........

Good Morning !

Very busy day today, I am going to put 4-5 selections on the blog and will start with the tennis , the first of which will be online in about an hour.

Not getting involved myself, but for any horse racing enthusiasts amongst you, we have day two of Royal Ascot, as I am sure you are aware.

Blog sponsors Sunderlands have 3 special offers for the meeting, which are for their online clients and are in addition to their offer of a £25 free bet, details below .....

1.) Enhanced SP's on all Royal Ascot races - i.e. SP enhanced to next price - 6/4 to 13/8; or 6/1 to 13/2 etc.

2.) Only one winner on your Royal Ascot Yankee? No problem, Sunderlands will pay out on that single at DOUBLE THE SP RETURN!

3.) Sunderlands will pay 1/4 the odds all races.



Good Luck.

ALLSVENSKAN .... HAMMARBY - DJURGARDENS

This derby game will be played at Rasunda, the national stadium, so a neutral venue, but one which both teams are very familiar with. It has been reported widely that Djurgardens have 4 strikers missing today, well that is not strictly true, of the named players only Asare and Dahlberg have played recently, the last named mainly as a substitute. Asare has been named in the squad for this evening, I would be surprised if he did not play.

The "visitors" can go top of Allsvenskan with a win and arrive in good form, winning their last 3 and scoring 8 goals, Hammarby have collected just one point, from a possible 9.

H2h strongly favours the "away" team, who have won 8 and lost just 2 of the last 12 meetings, they look a good bet with the level ball option.

4.5 points Djurgardens level ball asian line 2.095.

Good Luck.

WTA TENNIS .... AI SUGIYAMA- MARA SANTANGELO

I spent a long time looking at the Nottingham event and was very keen on Robby Ginepri to beat PHM, but was just not convinced that he is over the mental strain of losing 6 first round matches in a row, one more win should do it.

Santangelo is 11-10 on grass and made the semi final at Birmingham last week, she also beat Sugiyama last year in their only previous meeting on grass, in two close sets. All that makes very good reading, but should she really be so short to beat the Japanese veteran ?

Sugiyama has really come to terms with grass in recent years, especially at Wimbledon where she has three 4th round appearances and one quarter final. After that early loss to Santangelo she went on a bit of a rush and recorded some nice results on grass, including a win over Hingis. It may be that she just needs a little time to adjust,after the clay court season, so I can forgive her a first round loss last week. Her all round grass form is stronger than her opponent and their rankings are very similar. I see no reason why Ai should be priced at 2.80+.

3 points Sugiyama to beat Santangelo 2.86 + betfair.

Back Later.

TUESDAY PLANS .......

On a very quiet Tuesday, I am looking at two bets on the blog, one for the tennis and another for the football action.

The first of these will be posted very early afternoon.

Please check back.

MONDAY'S FOOTBALL .....

FINLAND .... HONKA ESPOO - LAHTI

ALLSVENSKAN .... ELFSBORG - TRELLEBORG

NORWAY ..... ODD- ROSENBORG

Honka are in very nice form and are unbeaten in 6 starts. Both teams are likely to be missing 4 players, but I have been reliable informed that these losses, will be more keenly felt by the visitors. The two have already met in the cup this season , with Honka winning 2-1, they also did the league double last year, with a 8-1 goal difference.

Defending champions Elfsborg, need to bounce back from the unexpected loss at Gais, a win could take them top this evening . Visitors, Trelleborg, have only managed one away goal this season and look ideal opponents. The home side are looking for six points in as many days, as they host league "whipping boys" BP at the weekend, ahead of two very tough away games at Halmstad and AIK.

Rosenborg are after maximum points and will be fielding a very offensive line up for the visit to bottom club Odd, who look in big trouble. The home team are without a win in 5, have failed to score in 3 from 4 and are 4 points adrift at the foot of the table, losing 7 of 9 matches. Rosenborg are looking to get their title challenge back on track, a win could take them up to 4th place and with 3 of the next 4 at home, that would leave them in a strong position. They have won here 4-0 and 5-0 in the last two seasons and should certainly be travelling with positive expectations.

4 points Honka -1/4 ball 1.69 asian line.
4 points Elfsborg -1 ball 1.66 asian line.
4.5 points Rosenborg -3/4 ball 1.82 asian line.

Good Luck.

US OPEN GOLF ..... 2 BALL LEE JANSEN - NICK DOUGHERTY

Janzen is a US Open specialist and beats Dougherty in each of the putting, GIR and fairways hit stats this week. He is a proven 4th round performer and I fully expect him to beat the British youngster, who looks a little drained from leading on day one and playing with Tiger Woods yesterday.

4.5 points Janzen to beat Dougherty 2.06 Pinnacle 19.20 cet .... 2.14 + on the exchanges, who include the "tie".

Good Luck.

US OPEN GOLF ..... STEVE STRICKER

This guy has played really well over the last two rounds, he is 5th for GIR ( greens and regulation)and 11th in the fairways hit stats. His putter has not been quite so hot, which is unusual, as he is very good with the flat stick. Liked his interview last night, where he seemed totally vocused and expect another good showing today, but how to back him ?

He is paired with Furyk in his two ballso you will get a very nice price and that is an option, but if you can back the following, or find a similar bet, then I feel that is better. The Paddy Power bet, with the each way option, returns 90% of your stake, if he is in the top 4 US finishers. Alternatively you may wish to consider a top 5, or top 10, place only bet, which is available in places.

BTW Stricker is an excellent final round player and was ranked second on tour in this category last season.

2.5 points each way 1/5 odds 123 Stricker 5.0 Paddy Power Top US player without Woods

Good Luck.

US OPEN GOLF ..... THE FINAL ROUND

I have some very strong selections on the golf today, including the biggest bet I have ever given on the blog.

Dad to be, Tiger Woods surprised me yesterday, his performance tee to green was absolutely awesome, maybe the best he has played in 4-5 years, if a few putts had dropped, his score could have been frightening. He hit 17 greens in regulation, I could not find one other player who hit more than 13, while most solid rounds recorded around 10-11 !

I like Baddeley and he still looks relaxed, but if Tiger plays like yesterday, there can be only one winner . To be honest, the odds are also a couple of clicks higher than I expected.

6.5 points Woods outright 2.27 Pinnacle //2.28 Betfair.

Good Luck.

LA LIGA .... CELTA VIGO - GETAFE

Celta have a real chance now to perform an unlikely escape act, they will have to defeat Getafe and trust that one of Betis or Bilbao fail to win. This is a scenario that Hristo Stoichkov's men could only have dreamed of 8 days ago and they will surely at least fulfill their end of the "deal".

Celta have a few selection problems, but have lived with that situation all season, they have reduced admission prices to just 2 euros and will be rewarded with a sell out crowd, can you imagine EVER getting into any Premiership match for £1.20 ?

Getafe have the cup final next week and will take the opportunity to rest a couple of players and no one will want to miss out on such a massive game, by getting injured in, what for them, is a meaningless fixture. All the talk is of the cup final and they have adopted a very laid back, low key approach to today's match in training. A very motivated home team, to collect the 3 points.

5 points Celta Vigo -1 ball 2.0 asian line.

Good Luck.

SUNDAY PLANS ........

Very interesting day today, everything is still to be decided in La Liga, where there may be some very nervous teams this evening. We also have several tennis finals and the final round of the US Open golf, which throws up a host of betting opportunities.

Still undecided about exactly how many selections this will add up to, but I will definitely have something online by late morning and will give further details then.

Yesterday I took the unusual step of reproducing the GOWI daily subscription email in full, in the blog, this was a one-off and is unlikely to happen again..

Six of the eight selections given won, full details can be viewed in the post below, in addition, just two other snippets of information were given .... "I was very impressed by Aaron Baddeley yesterday, as much by his off the course attitude as anything, he simply oozed confidence and looked extremely relaxed on a huge stage. He is a winner and knows how to get the job done. " "I am sorry, I keep coming back to Baddeley,"" if I HAD to pick a winner right now, he would probably be my choice." BADDELEY NOW LEADS THE TOURNAMENT BY TWO STROKES

Talking of the massive outsiders Panama ..... "they are one of the few sides that can compete physically with the athletic americans and do look to have goals in them. You know that Blas Perez is a favourite of mine and he may well get on the score sheet" PEREZ SCORED.

These are not being claimed as selections, simply as examples of the quality information that can be found within the lines of the email service. Last month, in a low key Serie A game I pointed out just 5 possible correct scores, one of which won at 150-1. There are many ways to make money from the service and at a cost of less than £1.50 per day, it offers excellent value for money. You can find further details on this link or, by clicking the GOWI premium email service advert on the right hand side of this page.

Back later.

EMAIL SAMPLES

SATURDAY JUNE 16th

I am going to send two emails today, the next will cover the US Open Golf, possible a bet for the MLS tonight and definitely an early selection for tomorrow. That will be in about 90 minutes.

CONCACAF GOLD CUP

Everyone seems to think that this is a straight match between the US and Mexico, that may well turn out to be the case, but I am not so sure. Honduras have impressed so far, we discussed them in a little more detail, in an earlier email this week, they have an easy looking quarter final and if one of the big guns were to slip up, then this 16-1 would look massive. I think at anything around the 14.0 mark they are worth a small bet.

2 points Honduras outright 17.0 Victor Chandler

USA - PANAMA

At first glance this looks an easy win for the US, who have been very tight defensively and found some form up front. Panama will also be hampered by the loss of three players.

However, they are one of the few sides that can compete physically with the athletic americans and do look to have goals in them. You know that Blas Perez is a favourite of mine and he may well get on the score sheet. The two teams met in the final , last time round with the US winning on a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw. I expect this to be close, if, as I believe Panama do score, the US will have a mountain to climb to cover the handicap.

5.5 points Panama +1.75 goals 1.73 OR 5 points Panama +1.5 goals 1.91 asian lines
WON

U21 CHAMPIONSHIP .... NETHERLANDS-BELGIUM

Just a follow up to yesterday's email, as I said, we should cover our draw bet with a small wager on Belgium.

1.25 points Belgium 5.30 exchanges.

TENNIS

MAHUT - CLEMENT
RODDICK-TURSUNOV
JANKOVIC-BONDARENKO

I like Mahut, who is 31-17 on grass and has beaten Bjorkman, Ljubicic and Nadal this week, to beat his countryman, he leads the h2h 3-0, two of them on fast courts and has yet to drop a set. He matches up well against Clement.

Roddick and Tursunov III, like Rocky these two have had two titanic battles, the two matches have gone to 8 sets amd an incredible 112 games, the last meeting in the Davis Cup was 17-15 in the 5th set ! The first match was decided by 3 tie breaks. Roddick of course has the edge on grass, but has looked short of confidence this week. I really like the over games.

Jankovic should be too strong for Bondarenko, but her opponent is a fighter and should be capable of taking a set. The Serbian holds a 5-0 h2h advantage, but their meeting on grass last year went to a decider . Jelena is such a bubbly character, I do feel she will be suited by these continous rain delays.

4 points Mahut 1.77 Betfair WON
5.5 points Roddick- Tursunov over 23.5 games 1.91 pinnacle ... similar exchanges
lay 4 points 2-0 Jankovic 1.78 exchanges

Good Luck.






EMAIL #2

Nothing for the MLS at present, although I might put something in the chatbox or blog later, if I can get some information confirmed.

SPANISH PRIMERA SUNDAY ..... SEVILLE- VILLAREAL

Seviila still have an outside chance to become champions, but this is very much out of their own hands and EXTREMELY unlikely. They look a little jaded, which is understandable, after the fantastic and very long, season that they have had. In six days time they will play their domestic cup final and may prefer to save whatever energy they have left, for that fixture.

Villareal need a win to ensure a UEFA Cup spot for next season, they will be without top scorer Diego Forlan, but have other options and could hardly be in better form. They have won 7 in a row, including defeats of Barcelona and away to Valencia, scoring an amazing 18 goals.

I have to take them to beat a tired looking Seville.

4.5 points Villareal +1/2 ball 1.86 asian line
1 points Villareal 4.0 general.

US OPEN GOLF

This still looks wide open and the course will continue to get tougher. I am going to stick with a couple of 2 ball bets and will look at the outright and place only markets again tomorrow. I was very impressed by Aaron Baddeley yesterday, as much by his off the course attitude as anything, he simply oozed confidence and looked extremely relaxed on a huge stage. He is a winner and knows how to get the job done. I had a long look at the 2.20 for him to beat Justin Rose, but opted to pass, if this had been the final day, it would have been a strong bet, pretty sure we will be returning to him tomorrow.

I will take a little on Mike Weir to beat Olin Browne, Browne is in the veteran class now and is soon to join the seniors tour. He has one very good finish, a decade ago in the US Open, but this is not really his cup of tea and I expect him to fade today. Weir is a major winner and has several high place finishes in this event, he has hit 11 greens in regulation each day and Browne only managed 7 yesterday, relying on his putter to save him and he is not strong enough to continue doing that. Last year, for 3rd round scoring on tour, the Canadian was over 1.57 strokes per round better than Browne, a HUGE amount. In similar conditions last year, on day 3 at Winged Foot, Weir put in one of the best rounds of the day and should win this 2 ball.

I like Steve Stricker at a nice price to beat Vijay Singh. The stats make very intersting reading, Stricker is 10th for fairways hit, 7th for GIR, VJ is 103rd and 48th respectively, the Fijian has (just) shaded the putting stats, but Stricker is the better putter overall and is a very consistent 3rd round scorer, currently 4th on tour and top 20 in 2006.

I am sorry, I keep coming back to Baddeley, going to have to back him, the odds seem wrong and if I HAD to pick a winner right now, he would probably be my choice, so why would I not back him to beat Rose at 2.20 ? Sometimes you have to just go with your instinct.

4.5 points Weir to beat Browne 1.83 Hills// 1.80 general WON
4 points Stricker to beat Singh 2.40 Expekt .... similar exchanges WON
4 points Baddeley to beat Rose 2.20 general. WON



U21 CHAMPIONSHIP.... Netherlands-Belgium

This is being played tomorrow (saturday), but it looks likely that we will see the host nation, looking to help their neighbours, who need a point to progress. The Netherlands have already qualified and will top the group with a point. We can still back the draw at 2.25, this seems very likely to be odds on tomorrow, it already is, in several places. We might then cover it, with a tiny stake on Belgium to win, which should be a little higher by then.

4.5 points Netherlands U21-Belgium U21 draw 2.25 Ladbrokes// 2.20 general, unibet/centrebet WON

Good Luck.

SATURDAY PLANS ......

As a one off, I am going to reproduce the email that is sent on a daily basis to my subscibers.

This service costs much the same as a quality broadsheet newspaper. I cannot tell anyone how to use it, some people will follow everthing blindly and that should make you money in the long term. Others will be more selective, extracting a little information here and there and using it as a betting aid. Neither method is right or wrong.

Good Luck.

U21 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP .... NETHERLANDS - BELGIUM

No point in going into great detail here, the world and his brother know the score.

The Netherlands have already qualified for the knockout stage and their neighbours will do likewise with a point, or better.

The host nation want to stay in Heerenveen, which they will do as group winners, but are still taking the opportunity to rest several key players, under the circumstances, a friendly draw would suit all concerned.

4.5 points Belgium + 1/4 ball asian line 1.75 .

Good Luck.

US OPEN GOLF .... day 2

Scoring is going to be worse today, yesterday the rain helped and the course played as easy as was possible. Pinnacle have some second round match bets and are very short one or two "favourites". Defending champion Geoff Ogilvy is pitched against Tiger Woods and looks big at 3.02, he will certainly not be over awed by playing with the world number one, who is not playing at the top of his game. In addition to yesterday, the two have played some practice rounds here together, so Ogilvy feels comfortable with the circus that playing with Woods brings.

Adam Scott will be looking to get his challenge back on track, even at +6 he is not yet out of things, I do not expect many low scores today and will be surprised if the leader is not two or three strokes over par, come the end of Round 2. Scott putted quite well yesterday, in relation to his score, we can expect a much better showing today and he looks huge against Furyk, who is very steady tee to green, but disappointed a little with the putter.

2.5 points Ogilvy to beat Woods 3.02 Pinnacle 19.36 cet

3.5 points Scott to beat Furyk 2.39 Pinnacle 14.06 cet

Good luck.

ALLSVENSKAN .... GAIS GOTEBORG - ELFSBORG BORAS IF

The visitors are a team to follow when they get on a roll, a policy which gave us great success last summer. They have found some very nice form, with 3 straight wins.

Gais look toothless up front, are the lowest scorers in Allsvenskan and have lost their last 3 without finding the net. Injury wise they have the worse of it, with 3 players missing.

Elfsborg did the double over Gais last season without conceding and I fully expect them to win this evening.

4.5 points Elfsborg -1/2 ball 1.86 asian line.

Good Luck.

US OPEN GOLF .... OPPOSING THE JOE'S

I make Steve Stricker, who did us a big favour earlier in the year, a stand out bet to win his 3 ball today.

He has a FAR better short game than his opponents, Joe Durant and Joey Sindelar and is an infinitely better putter.

The two Joe's have barely made the weekend between them in recent Open's, unlike Stricker who has gone close to winning several times. This looks a very strong bet and I would like to write a little more, but promised to post this at 14.00 cet.

5 points Steve Stricker to win his 3 ball 18.52 cet ... 2.I0 Stan James// 2.08 + exchanges.

Good Luck.

HALLE TENNIS..... Nickolay Davydenko - Florian Mayer

I have to oppose Davydenko here, he is very uncomfortable on grass, where he has a 2-11 record. He did win his opener against Melzer, but his opponent later withdrew from the doubles event, citing a hand or wrist injury.

Mayer will have the home crowd firmly behind him and his grass court tally of 11-6, makes him look something of a specialist, when compared to the Russian's meagre haul.

Davydenko was hit in the eye by a ball in the first round, which has apparently swelled up and is giving him trouble, all things considered Mayer looks a stand out bet.

4.5 points Mayer to beat Davydenko 2.18 + exchanges.

Good Luck.

THURSDAY NEWS ........

The US Open golf gets underway today, I understand that a lot of rain fell overnight. This might make the greens a little more receptive for a while, but the drainage is incredible good and the forecast dry and sunny for the rest of the week ..... this is going to be ultra tough.

I am looking into some of today's match ups and will be back this afternoon with that.

Also have one tennis bet, which will be online in the next hour or so and a football bet for this evening.

I am amazed how lazy some people are, they start a blog and expect to get thousands of readers overnight. When that doesn't happen ( there is no substitute for hard work), they try to hijack someone elses blog with spam, for their own sad excuse of a site, that no one wants to read. To the three spammers on the chat box overnight, take a word of advice, spend more time on your content , it will produce better results.

BTW, I do not have a problem with regular contributors putting links to sites they find useful, if you have a similar blog to mine, I am always happy to consider a link exchange.

Please check back later.

COPA LIBERTADORES .... BOCA JUNIORS - GREMIO

These two have served us well in the latter stages of the Copa and, as we know, they are both very dependent on their home form.

Boca have won 5 of 6 home ties, with an 18-1 goal difference, they look likely to field the same side that defeated Cucuta 3-0 in the semis, Riquelme has missed a couple of training sessions, but will start. Most of the players were rested for last weekend's league fixture, which should have freshened them up, they are 100% committed to the win and know they need a lead to take to Brazil.

Gremio have won only one from 6 away, conceding 10 goals, they will be happy with a narrow loss, but may not get away so lightly.

5 points Boca -1 ball asian line 1.84.

Good Luck.

US OPEN GOLF .... Adam Scott and Padraig Harrington

I simply cannot see, one of these not being in contention come Sunday evening and hopefully both will be challenging.

Scott had a poor final round last week, but is a model of consistency on the USPGA tour. He has made every cut this year and has 5 top 10 finishes from 9 strokeplay events. Infact, if we extend this to cover the end of 2006, he is top 10, in 10 out of 17 tournaments.

After missing the cut in his first 3 Open's, he has slowly come to terms with the very peculiar nature of the event and after a 28th and 21st place finish, is ready to challenge.

He flew to Oakmont last week and played a practice round with Geoff Ogilvy, his score of +1 impressed everyone and was one of the lowest recorded.

Padraig's game is in good shape and he has recently recorded a win in his national championship, which looks mighty fine alongside his 7th place finish in the Masters. The Irishman has four US Open top 10's to his name in just 7 starts, including two 5th place finishes.

5 points Adam Scott 3.25 Top 10 finish Stan James/ Boyle.... 3.30 + exchanges.

4 points Padraig Harrington 3.75 Top 10 finish Stan James/ Bet 365 .... 3.80 + exchanges.

Good Luck.

QUEENS CLUB TENNIS .... CHRIS GUCCIONE - ARNAUD CLEMENT

It is a long time since Clement has had any meaningful form on grass and never at this venue, where he came in with a 2-3 record, losing to players all ranked above 75 in the world and not exactly "grass courters" .

Guccione has a massive serve and says that he is "in love" with grass, he certainly looks the part. Despite beating no one of note, he did make the semis at Surbiton last week and will be pleased to have the 3 wins under his belt. He needs a couple of big wins, or he will forever be known as the guy who served 45 aces and lost ( Aussie Open this year) !

The two met earlier this year in Adelaide, with the Australian winning in two close sets, his serve should be even more potent here and the courts were quick yesterday. I expect him to win quite comfortably.

4 points Guccione to beat Clement 1.90 general.... Pinnacle/ Unibet.

Good Luck.

WEDNESDAY PLANS .........

Good Morning !

I will be covering tennis, golf and football today, so, something for everyone.

Going to start with the event from Queen's Club and this will be online in about one hour.

Please check back.

US OPEN GOLF .....

Just a few words about the second major of the year, which gets underway at Oakmont Country Club on Thursday. You can view the official site using this link.

This might well be the toughest set up, of any course in the history of golf and should be compulsive viewing for the sadists amongst you.

There is a 288 yard par 3, that some pros will not be able to reach with a driver ! There are only two par 5's, both over 600 yards, the 12th, an absolute monster at 667 yards.

Add to the mix, the fact that these are probably the fastest greens on tour and you get the idea. If there is no rain and the course dries out, scoring could become a joke.

The winning score at Winged Foot last year was +5 and it is universally accepted that Oakmont is tougher. Ian Poulter has already stated that he would take his chances with +5, Tiger Woods and defending champion Geoff Ogilvy both stated that this was the hardest they had seen.

BTW, Tiger and his wife are expecting their first baby, sometime in the next 2-4 weeks, no one, well I guess they are, is quite sure exactly when. Some things are more important than sport and golf is probably not a priority for him at the moment.

Vijay Singh played 3 practice rounds recently in fairly benign conditions and his best score was +3.

Should be fun !

I will be looking into the event in more detail tomorrow and on a daily basis thereafter. Back later.

STELLA ARTOIS TENNIS ....QUEENS CLUB

TIM HENMAN - MARIN CILIC

Henman has lost 5 in a row on the ATP Tour and was sick yesterday, he has picked up a stomach bug and was unable to practice. His young opponent, 18 yo Croatian Marin Cilic, is a former world junior number one (last year) , won at Roland Garros and made a run at Wimbledon in the boys events . In his limited ATP appearances he has served plenty of aces, so should get a few cheap points today.

He could hardly meet Henman at a better time and I am looking to lay 2-0 in sets about the British veteran. You are normally left very weak after this type of virus, which takes longer than 24 hours to leave the system. Given the odds on offer, we have to oppose him.

lay Henman to win 2-0 sets 4 points 1.83 Betfair (exposure 3.32 pts).

Back Later.