Adebayor’s volley causes betting controversy

Blue Square has been forced to close their book on Match of the Day’s Goal of the Month competition, as a disproportionate amount of people were voting for Emmanuel Adebayor’s wonder strike against Spurs in September (2:40 in the video above). Ruling out the possibilities that this was the best goal and that’s why people voted for it, the bookies have pulled the market last night amid whispers of a leak at the Big British Castle.

The BBC claim there is ‘no evidence to suggest a leak’ of the result, yet punters placed

Calzaghe/ Hopkins, Sunday, 4am, get Setanta here

After a week of heavy promotion, humble Joe Calzaghe is still coming to terms with seeing his face plastered across slot machines, blackjack tables and room keys in the City of Sin. Provided that he isn’t over-awed by the bright lights, huge buffets and gentleman’s clubs that Las Vegas provides in such large helpings, the bods at chickendinner believe Calzaghe will be victorious in the fifth round. How did they come to this assertion? Check out their rounds betting guide to find out.

Super special Spoiler reader offer: The big fight is only available on Setanta. Subscribe for just £5 a month for the first three months if you sign up before Friday night - simply click here and quote code 1904.

[Picture: Machochip]

Sunday April 20, 4am, Setanta Sports 1, bet here

Now that the Western hemisphere’s addiction to the reality show has reached near chronic levels, and a generation of kids who think it perfectly natural to emotionally destroy friends and colleagues is ready to contaminate the workplace, it’s good to see some good old fashioned fist-on-face back on the entertainment menu. Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins will be taking on the roles of “hammer” and “tongs” in Vegas this weekend, although even boxing is not without its hammy emotional soundtrack. Calzaghe was poor, very poor, and was fighting before he was ten. And Hopkins is bad, prison bad. You feel me? Why do boxing’s mightiest oaks only ever grow from hardship? When are we going to see a world title fight featuring, in the red corner, a young man with three decent A levels who has just spent his gap year teaching orang utans to sing, and in the blue corner, a former young musician of the year who hopes to open a funfair for orphans? Baron Lloyd Webber - this sounds like a job for you.

The Spoiler is not in the habit of tipping, but get on Calzaghe. They are both old, but Hopkins is ancient, and only has one good muscle left - his mouth muscle.

Super special Spoiler reader offer: This fight is only available on Setanta. Subscribe for just £5 a month for the first three months if you sign up before Friday night - simply click here and quote code 1904.

The statistics:

* Joe Calzaghe has battled Americans on fifteen occasions, winning ten by TKO, two by KO and three by Unanimous Decision.

*His three unanimous decision victories

The Grand National, Saturday, 4.15pm, BBC One, bet here

Some professionals you see daily - your colleagues, for instance, or the man who mixes your cocktail. Others, like the butcher, weekly. Some you cross paths with once every six months, such as the dentist, while a tiny number are the subject of once-a-year interaction. Such as Father Christmas. And for a large group of people, the local bookmaker. Well people, that time is now, with the National imminent, and if you are one of those who keeps this old-fashioned relationship with your turf accountant, here’s a newsflash. You don’t need to go to a betting shop to place a bet, you can do it online. Here. And like puppies at Christmas, that relationship doesn’t have to be a temporary one, they’re open on the other 364 days too. Yes, they will take your money with outrageous nonchalance. But then doesn’t everyone nowadays?

If you’re still not sure where to place your money, go to chickendinner for

The Grand National, Saturday, 4.15pm, BBC One, bet here

When it comes to picking a winner at the Grand National, everyone has a different method - some put on blindfolds, scatter bits of paper with horses names on into a clay pot and then select at random. The handsome devils at chickendinner, however, tend to use things such as facts and logic to conjure up a winner. They’ve whittled it down to one horse, and are kind enough to share the secret with you:

» The last time a horse won with odds longer than 33/1 was in 1995 (Royal Athlete, 40/1). Eliminating all those with longer odds than 33/1, and we’re left with twenty-three horses in contention.

» The winner must have won a three-mile plus race - that counts out King John’s Castle, Royal County Star and Patsy Hall. Twenty left.

» Experts insist that the winner should be carrying between 10 and 11 stone. That eliminates Slim Pickings, Simon, Butlers Cabin, Snowy Morning, Mr Pointment, Chelsea Harbour, Hedgehunter, Lami, Vodka Bleu, Knowhere and Turko. Nine remain.

» Only six favourites have won since 1960 - that eliminates Cloudy Lane. Eight left.

The Grand National, Saturday, 4.15pm, BBC One, bet here

Monday morning - not the traditional moment for the week’s heavy lifting, but that hasn’t stopped film star and theatrical dream weaver Kevin Spacey fearlessly going for the jugular of one of the great threats to the nation’s integrity: reality television. Mr Spacey’s objection is to the BBC’s support of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Oliver” thing. “Where’s my thirteen week promotion?” he whines. “Come again?” tops the list of responses. But reality has lost its gloss: Celebrity Big Brother - appalling. The new American Idol - boring. I could go on, but an antidote is at hand: the Grand National. Forty horses, thirty fences, just jump over them and keep on running. No gimmickry, no cod

Cheltenham Gold Cup, Friday, 3.30pm, bet here

People are always debating this thing against that thing, often forgeting that there are loads of other things in between which are great too. For example, everyone knows that gingers are better than blondes or brunettes, and that amongst the many legs and breast men lurks a secret society made up of discerning bottom men. So, at the races this weekend, it mightn’t be all about Kuato Star and Denman - flying out of leftfield comes option 3: Exotic Dancer. But can he do it?

Betting on the Cheltenham Festival? Get a free £10 bet with Paddy Power or Ladbrokes when you open an account.

Why bet on Exotic Dancer

» Exotic Dancer is the favourite in the market without Kauto Star and Denman.

First Test, 9pm, Sky Sports 1, bet here

As an antidote to the heart-frying drama in Milan last night, a journey to the other side of the planet, to New Zealand, no less, where the England cricket team have travelled in search of their self-esteem, which they no sooner find than it runs away again. England’s test form has been bland over the last five years - played 60, won 30, lost 15, drawn 15 - and New Zealand are already well on the way to posting a decent first innings score in the first test, which suggests that this is perhaps not the game to best help England feel better about themselves. Indeed, their biggest impact on New Zealand is likely to be their gigantic carbon footprint. But perhaps some good can come from this spectacular eco-vandalism. Just last week the big brains discovered that Prozac is no more effective than Smarties at curing mental illness, and it is only a matter of time before other similar mood-altering drugs are outed as more useless than buttons. So where is the hooded youth to go for his tranquilisers now? How about a subscription to Sky on the NHS, and daily exposure to the tranquilising effect of the England XI’s fruitless labours? It won’t reduce the ozone hole, and the England team will still be deep in gloom, but it should really help with the ASBOs.

The statistics

* England have won just one of their last fifteen away test matches.