The X Factor Result: Huge shock as 129/1 Ella is eliminated

"Joke Factor because the show has become exactly that, an absolute joke. The fact that 16-year-old Henderson is no longer in the competition is a disgrace."

Mike Norman brings us the latest X Factor elimination result, and for good reason, he's not a happy chap...

Perhaps we can replace the X for shock, or even as some would argue, joke, because tonight's elimination became a case of both.

Shock Factor because two of the competition's best ever performers - Ella Henderson and James Arthur - were voted by the British public into the bottom two whilst dreadful act Rylan Clark, and cruise ship singer Christopher Maloney, survived.

Joke Factor because the show has become exactly that, an absolute joke. The fact that 16-year-old Henderson is no longer in the competition is a disgrace. But who is to blame?

It's certainly not Clark or Maloney's fault, and although ultimately it was the public who voted Henderson and Arthur into the bottom two, is it really the public's fault also? No!

The people to blame are those who decided to keep this competition reliant on a public vote. For crying out load our public voted Michelle McManus, Steve Brookstein, Leon Jackson, and Matt Cardle as winners in various singing competitions.

Our British public even voted Chico, Darius Danesh, Jedward, and Wagner beyond the one week their singing talents should have allowed. Put simply, most of us haven't got a clue.

But tonight was the last straw. It was the night that the X Factor producers must now realise that the only way forward for such competitions is to have a professional panel decide the outcome. Scrap public voting all together... we get enough stupidity during Eurovision, we don't need it on X Factor too.

For the record Ella Henderosn was matched at a huge 130.0129/1 in the Seventh Elimination market but I think I've said all I have to say. I'll let Eliot Pollak update the odds later in the week.

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Timeform Radio Racing Tips: Maccabees Can Cause A Shock At Bath

"Despite failing to settle in front, Maccabees tanked along on the bridle for much of the race, and was the only horse still on the bridle with 3f to run there."

With torrential rain continuing to play havoc with the going at most of today's meetings, it's at Bath, with its unwatered old turf that Timeform go for the day's best bets.

Race of the day at the Lansdown Hill venue is the extended 11f handicap for 3-y-o's at 16:50 in which Hugo Palmer's Talk of The North shades favouritism. The Haafhd filly is a likeable sort and almost certainly still ahead of the handicapper, but she had a hard race at Wolverhampton just nine days ago, and her previous record suggests she needs a bit of time between her races. With that in mind, she's reluctantly passed over (but is still one for the notebook).

Silver Samba was a strong finisher in a steadily-run 11f handicap at Kempton last time, and will be better suited by today's test if proving herself as adept on turf (bred to do so, and yard's runners tend to go well at this idiosyncratic course), which makes her the likeliest winner, but it's the claims of the Rod Millman-trained Maccabees which intrigue me.

The son of Motivator is far from straightforward, and has been held back by his headstrong tendencies. He finished a well-held sixth of 10 at Nottingham last time when upped to 1¾m, but a closer look at that run reveals more than the bare result. Despite failing to settle in front, Maccabees tanked along on the bridle for much of the race, and was the only horse still on the bridle with 3f to run there. He folded rather tamely when headed, but that's not surprising given how he fought his jockey there, and a drop to this sort of trip looks sure to suit.

With fellow pace-setter Daring Damsel now a non-runner, Maccabees looks set to gain an easy lead. If he settles better than he did last time, he might prove hard to catch, and will give trading options for in-running players at the very least. I'd recommend backing Maccabees to lay back in running, and also backing Silver Samba as a saver.

With York beset by rain, I'm reluctant to go in heavily, but will expect good runs from the Ruth Carr pair Dubai Dynamo (14:35) and Moheebb (16:15), both of whom will be looking to make a late move, and while neither are particularly easy to win with, the set-up of the races they run in should suit their running style, and both are capable of making the frame at rewarding odds. They are certainly going in my placepot!

Recommended Bets:
Back Maccabees in the 16:50 Bath @18.017/1 (NAP)
Back Silver Samba in the 16:50 Bath @ 8.07/1 (NB)

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Formula One Result: Alonso seals shock win in rainy Malaysia

Formula One / Editor / 25 March 2012 / Leave a Comment

Alonso driving through the downpour

"Following his surprise victory, the Spaniard is [11.5] to be crowned champion at the end the season... "

Two-time champion overcomes problems with his car to pull off upset in Kuala Lumpur...

Fernando Alonso may have won a rain-soaked Malaysian Grand Prix but Betfair punters still don't fancy his chances of winning a third Drivers' Championship.

The Spaniard is [11.5] to be crowned champion at the end the season, following his surprise victory in Sunday's race.

Alsonso took charge after the Grand Prix was halted six laps in due to torrential downpour. He may struggle for points in dry conditions this season as the Ferrari's problems have been well-documented.

Sauber's Sergio Perez mounted a strong challenge which meant a thrilling end to the race as Alonso fought hard to hold off the Mexican. Lewis Hamilton, who started in pole position, finished third.

Alonso, who described his win as "a big surprise" now leads the championship by five points from Hamilton. The British driver is the favourite at [3.2], followed by Jenson Button, who finished 14th in Malaysia, at [3.9]. Last year's champions Sebastian Vettel, still winless after two races, trades at [3.95].

It's a British one two at the front of the grid with a former-champion lurking just behind. So does James Frankland anticipate another McLaren win in Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix?...

Ralph Ellis said it last week when talking up the McLarens' chances and he says it again now in assessing Fernando Alonso: a great driver is all very well but, if the car isn't up to it, he won't win....

Following a British victory in Australia, James Frankland considers the result as well as historical precedents to ask if it's time to back Jenson Button for the Drivers' Championship......

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Follow The Money: Veteran set for shock on AW?

Follow the Money / Follow The Money / 05 August 2011 / Leave a Comment

Will Doctor hilary prevail at Lingfield?

"Doctor Hilary has been backed from [9.20] in to [6.8]."

Today's Follow the Money comes from Lingfield and Worcester.

The first Friday mover runs at Worcester in the 14:50. The horse in question is the Lady Herries trained Geneva Geyser who has been backed from [2.6] in to [2.2]. The five-year-old is two from two over hurdles and takes a step up in class today. He has been very impressive in his two wins, both times barely coming of the bridle and quicken well when asked the question. His last success was over course and distances and the only question today would be the possible easing of the ground which might not suit.

At Lingfield, in the 15:10, Maher has been the drifting from [2.20] out to [2.68]. The David Simcock three-year-old has been running well but has yet been able to get his head in front. Last time out he was second at Newmarket for today's jockey, that said the race that day did not look a particularly strong one and it could be that today's rivals might be more of a test. Also worth bearing in mind his last few runs have been on decent ground and with yesterday's rain, the ground at Lingfield could be on the easy side.

We stay at Lingfield for the handicap at 17:10 and the move for Doctor Hilary having been backed from [9.20] in to [6.8]. Mark Hoad's veteran has been running over an inadequate five furlongs recently so will appreciate the step up to six furlongs, a distance he has won over three times. He has never won on the all weather at Lingfield but has winning form on the Polytrack at Wolverhampton.

Recommended Bets
Back Geneva Geyser @ [2.20] Worcester 14:50
Lay Maher @ [2.68] Lingfield 15:10
Back Doctor Hilary @ [6.8] Lingfield 17:10

Today's Follow the Money comes from Haydock and Yarmouth....

Today's Follow The Money movers come from the meetings at Newcastle and Pontefract....

Today's Follow The Money movers come from the meeting at Catterick....

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Super League Betting Preview: Wakey won't shock electric Wire

Super League / Stuart Jones / 10 March 2011 / Leave a Comment

Can Warrington pick up a big win this weekend?

"Warrington are still perennial underachievers but there are signs that they are much closer to the finished article this season."

Warrington are on a roll, so does Stuart Jones believe they can cover the handicap against struggling Wakefield? Meanwhile, who will win the battle between the Cats and the Tigers?

Harlequins look like finally justifying their franchise in Super League, putting up another spirited performance against Huddersfield last Friday, but the same can't really be said of Wakefield.

John Kear's men were brushed aside by a fairly average Bradford side last week and for the most part it was like watching men against boys, literally in a couple of instances. The Wildcats side that took to the field at Odsal was a National League One side masquerading as a Super League team. Even acknowledging the fact that they were missing Ben Jefferies and Paul King, the signs for Wakefield are not at all good on the playing side, whilst their off-field position must mean their place in Super League is seriously under threat.

Winning the Challenge Cup last season hasn't detracted from the fact that Warrington are still perennial underachievers, certainly in my eyes anyway, but there are signs that they are much closer to the finished article this season.

Tony Smith's men absolutely battered Leeds last week and that was in spite of the fact that talisman Adrian Morley limped off early in the first half. Granted, Leeds were not anywhere near their best, but these are the types of games that Wire were conspiring to lose in previous seasons, and they never looked in any danger once they had scored three tries inside eight first-half minutes.

One man's misfortune is another man's gain, and young centre Rhys Evans, who was called up as a late replacement for Ryan Atkins, made the most of an unexpected opportunity with an accomplished performance on his full Warrington debut. There's been plenty of hype surrounding the young "Welshman", and it wasn't difficult to see why, some strong tackling and intelligent running earning him a deserved Man of the Match award.

I can't see how Wakefield can compete with Warrington, and I don't expect even a 20.5 point start to be enough, with Wires' tendency to start strongly and the way they conceded some late scores to Leeds suggests that the half-time handicap of -10.5 is another way to keep Wire on side.

Saturday's live game is an interesting mix of styles as Castleford host French side the Catalan Dragons. Castleford have the only 100% record in Super League, winning three from three and holding top spot, while the Catalans have recovered somewhat from an appalling start to the season but still find themselves near the bottom.

The Tigers will be worried about the Cats' forward power and with Scott Dureau settling in as playmaker they are a massive danger through the middle of the park. Castleford will be looking to spread the play and wear down the big French pack, utilising their quicker backline and the creative talents of maestro Rangi Chase.

Catalans are a side I would much rather back as underdogs, as they have the ability to compete with anyone at their best, so whilst an eight point start on the handicap makes appeal, their tendency to throw in the odd howler makes their outright price of [4.5] more appealing.

Recommended bets:
Back Warrington conceding -10.5 on the ht handicap and -20.5 on the ft handicap, both @ [1.91].

Warrington are on a roll, so does Stuart Jones believe they can cover the handicap against struggling Wakefield? Meanwhile, who will win the battle between the Cats and the Tigers?...

Stuart Jones believes that Huddersfield will not make the same mistake as Leeds. Meanwhile, can Leeds front up against the Wolves pack?...

Stuart Jones believes the markets have got it wrong for the World Club Challenge and expects Wigan to become the first English side to win the match for three years. Meanwhile, Saints aim to maintain their impressive start......

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Cricket World Cup Results: Ireland matched at 400 before shock win

World Cup Betting / Jamie "The Pacman" Pacheco / 02 March 2011 / Leave a Comment

Kevin O'Brien almost single-handedly won the game for Ireland

"Things were hardly looking that bright when Ireland were 111-5 either and England traded at 1.01 for £2.7 million, 1.02 for £2.18 million and plenty of other huge sums at prohibitively short prices."

The first upset of this World Cup took place this afternoon and it was England who found themselves on the wrong end of it...

Ireland caused arguably the greatest Cricket World Cup upset of all time this afternoon when they beat England after being matched at [400.0] In-Play. It's not the first-time that a so-called minnow beats a Test side at a World Cup but it was the manner of the defeat that was such a surprise.

The 327 that England posted courtesy of good contributions from Jonathan Trott (92) and Ian Bell (81) would have probably been good enough to beat the very best sides in the world and Ireland got off to the worst possible start when skipper William Porterfield departed for a duck. Things were hardly looking that bright when Ireland were 111-5 either and England traded at [1.01] for £2.7 million, [1.02] for £2.18 million and plenty of other huge sums at prohibitively short prices. But up stepped Nottinghamshire big-hitter Kevin O'Brien who with nothing to lose decided that playing the remaining 28 overs like the back end of a T20 match was the way to go.

It worked and as the burly right-hander continued to strike boundaries the Ireland price contracted, though it was only really in the last fifth of the innings that Ireland went favourites when needing just over a run a ball. There was late drama when O'Brien was run out for 113 off just 63 balls with Ireland still needing 12 at which point their price went out to [1.46]. But two late boundaries saw them over the line and short-odds on backers were left cursing their bad luck and the famous luck of the Irish who made the most of dropped catches and generally poor fielding.

England are still expected to qualify for the quarter-finals but the 1.02 on them making the next round has become [1.46] whilst Ireland are rated a [5.0] chance from 46 at the start of the game. England's performance has unsurprisingly made the layers on the winner market have a re-think and they've been eased to 14.5 to win the competition for the first time. India at [4.1] and South Africa at [5.3] head the market.

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Carling Cup Results: Birmingham shock Arsenal and punters

Carling Cup / Jamie "The Pacman" Pacheco / 27 February 2011 / Leave a Comment

You beauty. Lee Bowyer can't wait to congratulate match-winner Obafemi Martins

"At the start of this competition a Birmingham win was certainly not on the cards according to the Betfair market; they traded at a high of 65.0 when it started. As for Arsenal, the wait for some silverware goes on."

Obafemi Martins and Ben Foster were the heroes as Birmingham won in the most unlikely of circumstances to further prolong the Arsenal trophy drought.

Birmingham caused one of the all-time upsets in League Cup finals by beating Arsenal courtesy of a late, late Obafemi Martins winner.

It was the Blues who took the lead via the giant Nikola Zigic (matched at 18.5 to be first scorer) very much against the run of play but when Robin van Persie levelled the scores with a fine strike it seemed like Arsenal's momentum would inevitably lead to a second sooner or later.

It was an entertaining final with Samir Nasri the stand-out performer for Arsenal whilst Ben Foster in goal for Birmingham won the Man Of The Match award after a string of fine saves that kept the likes of Nasri and van Persie at bay.

The Gunners had traded at just [1.41] pre-match to win in 90 minutes and at the start of injury-time the draw was trading at just [1.22] but a calamitous defensive mix-up at the heart of Arsenal's defence offered Martins the simplest of tap-ins and the Nigerian made no mistake.

Alex McLeish's side were backed at a high of 28.0 In-Play on the match odds market and at 40.0 to win 2-1; a half-time draw with the underdogs winning at full-time was matched at [23.0].

At the start of this competition a Birmingham win was certainly not on the cards according to the Betfair market; they traded at a high of [65.0] when it started. As for Arsenal, the wait for some silverware goes on.

In the Premier League Liverpool were comprehensively beaten 3-1 by West Ham whilst Manchester City once again dropped points from a winning position. Roberto Mancini's men were matched at [1.23] after going a goal up at home to Fulham but conceded just after half-time; the draw was backed at [6.2].

Obafemi Martins and Ben Foster were the heroes as Birmingham won in the most unlikely of circumstances to further prolong the Arsenal trophy drought....

Arsenal have a fantastic chance to finally win somethinng whilst Birmingham will feel that in a one-off match at Wembley it could well be their day. This should make for a good contest. Let's try to make some momey from...

Michael Cox talks tactics, team selection and best betting oportunities ahead of Sunday's Carling Cup final....

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Ten to Follow New Leaderboard: Shock winners ignored by all

Ten to Follow Tipping Comp / Steven Rawlings / 07 February 2011 / Leave a Comment

Thomas Bjorn on his way to victory in Qatar

With two big-priced outsiders winning this week, there's been very little change to the leaderboard....

Thomas Bjorn was ignored by all and thankfully, so was Mark Wilson. Given that he's now won twice already in 2011, if anyone had picked him, they'd have just about sewn the competition up already. But who earth would have? He certainly wasn't on my shortlist!

This week's events are the Dubai Desert Classic and the AT & T Pebble Beach - hopefully someone will pick out at least one of the winners!

Holly Stott 276
EME15 256
Sam Harrop 251
Kendolph Express 236
wedge1 226
Steve 216
Ben 195
Paul McGlinchey 195
golfvet 185
Feizal Rahman 176
Buck Ashcraft 175
stonecolds 161
ElBandido 146
Barrowboy 146
USNA1964 146
James Voortman 145
Steven Rawlings 142
Better lucky than good 141
Deportivo la Combo 141
Dave Harding 136
Team Bunkered 135
EME19 131
Just Someone 131
Rachel Labo 131
Ian KP 131
Mick Hoy 131
Cherio 127
wowiezowiee 127
InstaScud 126
Carsten Lymann 126
Chris Doppler 126
Neil Bartlett 125
TopDollar1 125
Peter Sonnenburg 122
Hoof Hearted 122
EME8 121
5 Penalty Stroke 121
niknak 121
Sportsman 121
Spursboy 120
the loonatic 120
Andrew Gyton 117
Joe Dyer 116
Shot 2 from the Native Area 116
Gingermoff 116
Paul Krishnamurty 116
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Julie Connor 115
Adi Crow 111
Gary Binosh 111
Mark Peters 111
Aussie Warriors 111
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Danny Knight 111
Richard Ball 111
Perfect Potential 110
Greelo 110
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The Shepherds Crook 106
Royal Smudge 106
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Steve Bovey 106
Duncan 106
EME20 106
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Ronsk 106
EME14 106
Lee Adamson 105
Playoff Sunday 105
EME6 105
Iain Hendy 105
Louie Mendoza 101
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Rich 101
EME22 101
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Mike Rangecroft 101
Tony Buck 100
Anonymous24 100
Macca Maclean 100
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EME9 96
Tigers 19 Holes 96
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Stewart Davidson 96
EME4 96
Anonymous30 96
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Hestias Putter 95
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Slim Tim Herron 86
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James Pacheco 85
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Stroke of Luck 85
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Team Hulmes 85
Super Hans 82
Humbert The Priest 81
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Lucky Sod 81
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Dean Broughton 81
Martyns23 81
Matts Caddies 80
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Ken Melton 80
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Clonmullin 75
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Golfnut 75
Tony Pickett 72
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Terry 71
Simon Frederick 71
Steven Barrett 71
Feeling Better 71
Daniel Lambert 70
JAMPOT 66
Donny Osmond 66
Alan Vye 66
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Martys Men 66
EME13 65
Towser 65
Mavericks Boys 65
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Nigel Robson 60
Stephen Crowson 60
EME1 60
Keith Murphy 60
Dan Chipowski 56
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EME5 50
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Nathan Whitbread 45
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Mike Norman 45
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EME3 31

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FA Cup Results: 26-1 Orient shock Swansea

FA Cup / Joe Dyer / 29 January 2011 / Leave a Comment

Jimmy Smith scores the opener at Swansea

"The Os - conquerors of Norwich in the third round - were matched at [27.0] for the win in-running on Betfair with the Swans backed like sure things at [1.43]."

Leyton Orient get the fourth round under way with an away win at Swansea. Joe Dyer rounds up that and all the other FA Cup results

Leyton Orient pulled off a classic FA Cup upset today when beating Championship opponents Swansea in the early kick-off at the Liberty Stadium.

The Os - conquerors of Norwich in the third round - were matched at [27.0] for the win in-running on Betfair with the Swans backed like sure things at [1.43].

The Londoners took an early lead only to concede on the stroke of half-time, but had the home captain, Alan Tate, to thank after he scored an own goal in the 88th minute to send the League One outfit into the fifth round draw.

In ther other early kick-offs Aston Villa trounced Blackburn 3-1, while Everton and Chelsea fought out a 1-1 draw. The Toffees traded at [1.36] but Salomon Kalou scored in the 76th minute to deny the hosts a win.

Chelsea are [6.4] joint third favourites with Manchester City to win the Cup. Everton are [28.0], Aston Villa [17.0] and Orient [550.0].

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