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As the tennis season enters the autumn, the one big question that remains as far as 2010 is concerned is 'who will make it to London?'

The ATP World Tour Finals hits the O2 Arena in a month's time, where the top eight players in the year-to-date rankings will battle it out for the £2.27 million prize fund.

Four men have booked their spots at the O2 already - Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, but the remaining four spots could go down to the wire with eight players in with a shout of making it.

There are just six events left over the next three weeks (other than this week's tournaments) in which to earn precious ranking points, with the final event - the Paris Masters - being the best opportunity to earn big points.

We know that neither of last year's ATP World Tour finalists, Nikolay Davydenko and Juan Martin Del Potro, will be with us in London - both have been badly affected by wrist injuries this year, so who's in the mix instead?

Well, last year's semi finalist and all-round indoor king Robin Søderling will almost certainly be there as the current number five in the race, but after him just 500 points separate the next four players in the race.

The guys in the box seat at the moment are Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer and Andy Roddick, with Fernando Verdasco just 155 points behind the American in ninth.

Behind the Spaniard but still in with a chance are Jurgen Melzer, Mikhail Youzhny and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the latter duo are in action this week in Moscow.

Tsonga, currently at number 12 in the race, is the lowest ranked player still in with what can be described as a realistic chance to qualify, although it is mathematically possible for others to sneak in should they win everything between now and Paris inclusive.

The upcoming events this month are all ATP 250 tournaments, which of
course means 250 ranking points to the winner, with only Valencia and Basel left of the ATP 500 events before Paris on November 7 (1000 points).

So, who's coming into the autumn with momentum and who's hanging on by
their coattails? And the short answer is they're all hanging on
really.

You would have to say that Roddick's recent spate of injury and illness has dented his chances of making the finals and he is next due to play in Basel, where he'll face three-time champion Federer, last year's champion Djokovic and fellow hopefuls Berdych and Melzer.

A-Rod's October form over recent years has been pretty average to put it kindly and I'm not convinced that he's that fussed about the year-end event in any case, so I'm tipping him to be one to miss out.

Fernando Verdasco made the finals last year (by default) and didn't win a match. His form in the second half of 2010 has been so poor that I can't see him making it either unless there's a significant improvement in the coming weeks.

The Madrid man has lost in the first round of all three events since the US Open and his season looks to be petering out. He could well have to win Valencia and make the last four in Paris to make it and on current form that seems most unlikely.

Berdych is at a career high of 6 in the world rankings and on his performances in Slams this year deserves his spot at the O2.

However, his recent form is almost as bad as Verdasco's and he has a 2-7 recent record, including a straight sets thrashing by Jarkko Nieminen in Stockholm this week.

Youzhny has just pulled out of the Kremlin Cup citing a week-long viral illness, while Tsonga is just coming back after injury and Melzer is as totally unpredictable as ever.

David Ferrer is one that I think will probably have the consistency to qualify, which leaves two spots up for grabs and it really is a lottery with none of the others showing any sort of form.

Berdych should just about scrape in, as he has the most points in the bank, while the last spot could go to a late surge from Tsonga.

The Frenchman is the only one with energy left after several months out this season and the others look knackered, ill, injured and generally clapped out at the moment. He's the kind of guy who can ride a wave over the next month, culminating in Paris, and I wouldn't put it past him doing enough to book his place at O2.

So, there you have it. My eight for London are Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, Murray, Soderling, Berdych, Ferrer and Tsonga, but there will be many twists and turns along the way first.

By Sean Calvert

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To celebrate the return of Thomas Muster to the courts at the ripe old age of 43, Sean Calvert looks at some of the stars of yesteryear who kept on going and kept on winning well into their forties...


It's been the month of the golden oldies on the ATP and WTA tours this October with 43-year-old Thomas Muster returning and 40-year-old Kimiko Date Krumm reaching a tour final.

With today's tennis stars reaching their peak and retiring at a much younger age than ever before, we take a look a dying breed and salute the veterans of the game.

Muster's bid to turn back the clock and relive the glory days of the 1990's smacks more of boxing than tennis, but there have been somenotable old 'uns who have walked away with the big prizes in the past.

The current record - and this is never going to be beaten - for oldest men's Slam winner is held by 1909 Wimbledon champion Arthur Gore, whose century old glory was achieved by winning the third of his singles titles at the age of 41.

To put that into a present day context, it would be like Jim Courier popping up next season and winning a slam!

With all due respect to Hampshire's Gore though, tennis in the early years of the 20th century was not overly competitive.

Indeed, Gore, as was the format back then, only had to play the one match as defending champion from the previous year, so the event was much easier on those middle-aged bones.

Once we head into the modern era, starting in 1968, there are far fewer older players who managed to win titles, with the odd notable exception of course.

Spain's Andres Gimeno won the French Open at 34 in 1974 and a revitalised Andre Agassi claimed the Australian Open in 2003 at the age of 32 and topped the world rankings at 33 - the oldest man to do so - but that's about it as far as veteran men's slam winners go.

The women's game has had its share of older winners, with Billie Jean King still to this day holding the record of oldest winner from when she won the Dow Classic in Birmingham in 1983 when just over four months shy of her 40th birthday.

That record was in severe danger last week though when Date Krumm lost out to 33-year-old Tamarine Tanasugarn in the final in Osaka, which unsurprisingly became the oldest WTA final in history.

Even in defeat Date had earlier in the tournament become the first player over the age of 40 to defeat a top-10 ranked opponent when she beat defending champ Sam Stosur.

Any discussion regarding determined old campaigners simply has to include Jimmy Connors and he gets recognition here for reaching the 1991 US Open semi finals at the age of 39.

Coincidentally, a much younger Connors defeated another 39-year-old twice in Grand Slam finals many years earlier when he hammered Ken Rosewall in both the Wimbledon and US Open 1974.

The old campaigner refused to let that finish him off though and Rosewall went on to win titles and reach finals into his 40's - the last one being the Hong Kong event in 1977 when 'Muscles' was 43 - the same age as Muster today.

But Muster still has time on his side in comparison to the legendary Richard 'Pancho' Gonzalez, who was still giving Connors and the young upstarts a run for their money in his 45th year.

Gonzalez won the title in Des Moines three months before his 44th birthday in 1972 and was still playing - and reaching the latter stages of events - the following year before playing what was supposed to be his final match in Los Angeles - coincidentally against Connors - in 1973.

Pancho clearly still had a bit of suppleness in his limbs a few months short of his 48th birthday though when he came back to play the event in Salisbury, Maryland in 1976.

He lost in the first round, but another fact to give Muster hope is that Gonzalez was seeded at Wimbledon in 1969 at the age of 41 years and 45 days.

Almost matching Gonzalez in the longevity stakes was Martina Navratilova, who was still beating top-100 ranked opponents in singles aged 47 in 2004. She still plays doubles to this day...

If the Austrian were to come anywhere close to matching that or any other of the above feats it would be the most remarkable comeback in tennis history.

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With the girls outnumbering the boys seven to four on Strictly Come Dancing, The Contrarian is confident that his last reality TV show tip - on Strictly having a female winner - is as good as won, and it's time to start thinking about the X Factor. He's not sure if a girl is going to win yet, but there's one thing for certain - it won't be current favourite Matt Cardle. Oppose him at 2.86 - here's why...


The favourite rarely wins

The first rule of reality TV show betting is to never bet on a favourite and that advice is particularly useful when it comes to the X Factor, as those who backed Rhydian Roberts in the 2007 final, which he went into as the 1.29 frontrunner, learned the hard way. Another fairly staggering trend to be aware of is that in each of the last three series, an act that led the market midway through October has failed to even earn a podium position, with Niki Evans in 2007, Diana Vickers in 2008 and Danyl Johnson last year all eventually forced to settle for fourth.


Cardle is too good, too soon

Simon Cowell described Cardle's week three performance last Saturday as "absolutely incredible" and he received similarly positive comments from the other judges. The problem is that by starting so well, there is no room for improvement, making it impossible for him to "go on a journey" to endear him to viewers. The last three winners were all criticised by Cowell early on, serving to create a game-changing moment later in the series when he was forced to backtrack. Last year, Joe McElderry was urged in week three to "prove that you're a recording artist and not a cutesy performer", while Alexandra Burke was accused of being "a little bit copycat" in week two after renditions of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey classics. Cowell was also initially hard on 2007 champion Leon Jackson, telling him in week two that "you're so afraid, that you're making the audience afraid".


He's too old...

Since Steve Brookstein won the first series, all five X Factor winners have been 21 or younger, with the swift slide into obscurity and cruise ship singing that Brookstein endured perhaps convincing producers that younger artists are likely to have more staying power in the charts and should be made the focal point of the show. Cardle is 27 and while the bizarre decision to raise the age of the overs category from 25 to 28 means that he's in with the kids, he's at least eight years older than the other survivors under Dannii Minogue's wing and surely too long in the tooth to triumph.


...and too southern

Another "since Steve" trend that's harder to explain is that each of the three male champs have hailed from north of the Watford Gap: Shayne Ward (Manchester), Jackson (Scotland) and McElderry (South Shields). Bizarrely, there have been four southern all-male acts in the top three since - Andy Abraham (London), Ben Mills (Kent), JLS (London) and last year's runner-up Olly Murs (Essex), who is arguably the guy with the most in common with Little Maplestead-based Cardle - yet no victors.


Cheryl Cole remains unbeaten as a mentor

True to form, the Contrarian prefers Dannii Minogue to Cheryl Cole but there's no question that the majority of X Factor voters, as well as the tabloids that give the show the most coverage such as The Sun and Daily Star are firmly behind the former Girls Aloud singer. The popularity of Ashley's ex is mirrored by her success, mentoring the winning contestant in her first two series and being the only judge with four still left this year. Two of those are in the top four of the winner betting: Rebecca Ferguson at 6.2 and Cher Lloyd at 13.5. Minogue has become almost an afterthought since Cole's arrival, with her only top-three finisher in the last two years being Stacey Solomon, who came third.


By The Betfair Contrarian

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Neil Warnock is probably the most colourful and outspoken manager in British football today. His brash behaviour has created numerous enemies within the game and antagonised thousands on the terraces. He loves nothing more than to rattle a cage so it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the serious and the mischievous. During a long career some of his more controversial outbursts have been forcefully made and accurately proved, but there have been times when his ranting has lacked substance and this has looked very unattractive.

His tendency to argue knows no bounds and many believe that he only sees injustice from his own perspective. Despite being a qualified member of the fraternity he displays an exaggerated and somewhat silly obsession with the decisions of referees and one wonders if he uses this siege mentality in the same way José Mourinho did? The problem is that an odious rant from a dour Yorkshireman does not sound as poetic as one delivered in sultry Mediterranean!

His innate capacity to divide opinion has made him public enemy number one at times and turned off some of the biggest clubs, thus forcing him to serve the longest apprenticeship in football history. In effect he has been deemed too 'high risk' to manage a top club though conversely he was once offered three times his then salary by Ken Bates to manage Chelsea. His refusal to accept remains one of the strangest decisions in football while others have cited self-doubt!

At first glance he appears a cavalier job-hopper but the 12 clubs he has managed so far has been over a 30-year period, many of which have been in the basement of English football. His latest club is unbeaten Queens Park Rangers (their 12th manager in four years) and they are current favourites to win the 2010/11 Championship at 2.86, nearest rivals Cardiff are 3.05. Betfair customers make the Hoops 1.76 to win promotion.

Of course it could be argued that Warnock is not suited to the Premier League. It has been suggested that he does his best work when lifting lower and troubled clubs beyond their potential. We know the Premier League is less about blood, sweat and tears and more about subtlety, blend and refinement, so would Warnock be able to make the necessary personal adjustments?

Warnock has gained a wealth of experience and in 1,188 games as a managerhe has gained 471 wins (39.65%) which is a high strike rate when you consider the means of teams he has managed. Furthermore he has a raft of promotions under his belt including taking Sheffield United to the Premier League in 2005/06 before being unceremoniously cheated back out of it!

One senses there is more in the tank. He clearly loves the game of football and he deserves another chance to manage at the top level. Despite displaying the occasional act of vulgarity and dishonesty a serious football man lurks below the surface. In contradiction he is not a fool, he can be both self-deprecating and brave and in quieter moments his observations on football are exceptionally astute and make for compulsive listening.

Those who enjoy watching car crashes want him to manage in the Premier League in the same way Ian Holloway of Blackpool amuses them, but some of us are genuinely interested to see what he has learnt outside the top flight. In previous tabloid copy his name has been linked with the England job and there is fun in that suggestion. But first, he needs to find success in the Premier League, no one can be sure if he has got the mojo but it would be a travesty if we never found out!

By Paul Moon

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Droopys Bradley has the staying world at his paws after a demolition job on his St Leger final rivals at Wimbledon on Tuesday - and the Betfair-sponsored Yorkshire St Leger could be on the cards. The Paul Donovan-trained flyer ran over six bends for the first time in the heats of the St Leger and never looked back and, for good measure, broke his own track record in the decider, live on Sky.
Doncaster and the Betfair-backed event next month could be on his agenda, but chances are he will also return to Wimbledon for a race on Oaks final night.

The sport as a whole is still reeling from the career-ending injury to Derby favourite Rayvin Giovanni at Wimbledon on Tuesday,Seamus Cahill's three-time puppy competition winner was returning to the south-west London venue for the first time since his Puppy Derby success and, while a red-hot favourite, was always struggling after missing the break. But getting himself back in contention, he looked set to chase home local hope Coolavanny Rock until disaster struck at the third bend as he bumped with Micky Robbie as he tried to cut the bend. Both hit the deck, but Rayvin Giovanni came off worst, breaking two bones in his front leg. Given immediate veterinary care, he was soon comfortable and pain-free, has since been operated on and will be saved for stud. Ironically, the dog who has now replaced him at the top of the Classic market is kennelmate Droopys Oscar, himself beaten at short-odds on Tuesday. He misses Newcastle but may return on Oaks final night at Wimbledon on Sky.

Conditions at Wimbledon have also come under scrutiny since St Leger night, and one leading trainer has called on the GBGB to become more involved. "The injury to Rayvin Giovanni has shocked us all. We know something like that can always happen, even at the most looked-after tracks. But Wimbledon has problems, everyone knows that. "They lost John Foster, one of the sport's best groundsman, last year. Why? We'll never know. But they are short on experience, and if the rumours are true, were short on numbers on Tuesday. "The track didn't seem at its very best. But you can't blame the track management, they are under extreme financial pressure, and it's showing. Injuries can happen at any time, but you still have to have the groundstaff and the track-preparing experience."

The Save Our Stow campaign is set to turn up the heat still further on site owners London & Quadrant. The housing association, reportedly reeling from the savage spending cuts announced by the Government last week, is being accused by SOS of hiding behind a survey of local residents which claims little interest in the track. "But it was a sham survey," said one leading SOS campaigner. "Greyhound racing wasn't even an option on the form. How can it be supported if it's not offered as a choice? The L&Q survey isn't worth the paper it was written on. "We have been to see the people, at local facilities, shopping centres, supermarkets etc. The huge majority want their stadium back, and are excited by the leisure plans which prospective buyers Bob Morton and Nick Budimir have in place."

Racing-wise, all roads lead to Newcastle this week for the start of the All England Cup, plus supporting competitions Northern Puppy Derby and next week's Great North Run. All three events conclude on Wednesday, November 10, live on Sky. Derby winner Bandicoot Tipoki is the star turn.

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Taking over the best team in Italy, many expected (certainly the market did) that Rafael Benitez would be leading Inter Milan to yet another Serie A title next May.

However, having been matched as low as 1.80 the five-time defending champions are on the drift. Four points behind early season pace-setters Lazio and two behind city rivals AC, third placed Inter now trade at 2.5 ... all of a sudden it doesn't look quite as straightforward as it first appeared for Benitez.

And should the Spaniard fail to land a record sixth consecutive Scudetto for Inter it's easy to list a number of possible reasons why (1) as just mentioned, no team, not even the great Juventus and Milan sides of the past, won the Serie A title six times in a row (2) in terms of players, the departure of players like Mario Balotelli don't make Inter look that much weaker than last year ... only other sides, notably AC, look appreciably stronger this time around.

Furthermore (3) having won an unprecedented treble last season can those players in the Inter dressing room push themselves as hard again this year (4) possibly of greater concern, will they perform to the same levels under Benitez, a perfectly good manager, as they did under the one and only "Special One"?

All valid arguments as to why the ex-Liverpool boss may find winning a league title just as elusive in Italy as he did in England but there's another interesting point to be made here ... the fact Benitez is from Spain.

Is it just a strange statistical anomaly that in the last 20 years, there have been no great and successful Spanish managers ... well, great and successful outside of Spain anyway. Not one Spaniard has won a major national title outside his homeland during this period.

Of course Benitez won the Champions League with Liverpool but that was a cup, we're talking league titles here - and how much credit Rafa actually takes for that team (not his predecessor, Gerard Houllier) is open to debate.

Look at the data for the last 20 years across Europe's major footballing countries.

Germany has seen the Bundesliga won 18 times by homegrown managers with only two foreigners, Giovanni Trapattoni (Italy) and Louis Van Gaal (Holland), breaking the domestic monopoly.

France shows 16 championships since 1990/91 for French coaches with only four wins for overseas managers - two titles for Artur Jorge (Portugal) and one apiece for Angel Marcos (Argentina) and Ivic Tomislav (Croatia).

Italy is no different, 16 Serie A titles for native coaches in 20 years. Only Vujadin Boskov (Serbia), Sven-Goran Eriksson (Sweden) and a brace of wins for Jose Mourinho (Portugal) upset the domination of Italian bosses ... which doesn't bode well for Benitez!

Then we come to England. Famously only one Englishman, Howard Wilkinson, has won the domestic championship since 1990/91 as the list of managerial winners in terms of nationality reads Scotland (12), France (3), Portugal (2) and Italy (1).

And this example of England is most informative here. Just as English managers tend to lack success at home they have similarly failed to win a great deal abroad ... and even Robson, Venables, Hodgson and McLaren are all flawed examples for one reason or another.

Now look at Spain.

Since 1990/91 no fewer than 13 titles in La Liga have gone to foreign managers. Johan Cryuff bagged four and fellow Dutchmen Van Gaal and Rijkaard bagged two apiece. Add to them Jorge Valdano (Argentina), Radi Antic (Serbia), Bernd Schuster (Germany) and two wins for Fabio Capello (Italy).

The point being, if Spanish managers, like their English counterparts, can't win in their own country ... how can they hope to win when going to work abroad?

Benitez at Liverpool, Ramos at Spurs even Del Bosque at Besiktas. All successful managers in Spain, all came unstuck when trying to work overseas. And we'd list more but there haven't been any!

So if you want a coach to win your team the title consider a German, Italian, Dutchman even a Portuguese or a Scot ... but don't choose an Englishman and certainly don't opt for a Spaniard.

By Matthew Walton

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The current Premier League campaign may still be in its infancy but, with the exception of Chelsea steaming ahead with ominous efficiency, there is something refreshing about the current campaign.

This Sunday morning the top four places were occupied by the Blues, followed by Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and, most eye-catchingly of all, West Bromwich Albion. Yes, perennial boomerang side West Bromwich Albion are in Champions League contention (and 50.0 for a top-four finish).

Of course, the Baggies are generally expected to return to the proper way of things, start compliantly getting spanked by those bigger, scarier Premier League prefects and ultimately return to whence they came with their tail between their legs. The question is, will they bend over in time-honoured tradition? Or can they challenge the established order as Ipswich did, when narrowly missing out on a top four place under George Burley in 2000/01?

The Baggies' unexpected success so far appears to have surprised even their coach Roberto Di Matteo, whose season got off to the worst possible start: a 6-0 defeat at Chelsea. Since that chastening opening day, however, WBA have won six and lost just once in all competitions.

It's not even as though they've had an easy run of fixtures, either. Di Matteo's men have held Manchester United and Tottenham to draws and beaten Manchester City and Arsenal. And having watched that 3-2 win from the stands at the Emirates, there is no doubt in this observer's mind that they were very worthy winners.

The most pleasing aspect to this fairytale sub-plot to the season, is that in the past newly promoted sides have tended to succeed in staying up by adopting the Sam Allardyce model (Bolton, Stoke, Birmingham, Wolves all laid down their top-flight roots with a no nonsense, direct and frankly ugly approach to the game). Di Matteo, though, has opted to try where Tony Mowbray failed before him: playing an open, expansive game perceived in the past as the footballing equivalent of climbing out of the trenches and walking very slowly towards no man's land.

And yet, hearteningly, Di Matteo is obtaining results. In fact so well has his side been playing that last season's star midfielder Graham Dorrans, for whom three bids from West Ham were turned down in the summer, cannot even get in the starting lineup.

"We keep believing in the way we want to win games," said Di Matteo after yesterday's 2-1 defeat of Fulham.

"There is no secret to our success. The players work very hard and we try to play football and win games. That's the philosophy that we have. We have a belief and that's the way we want to play."

Only time will tell whether it lasts. But it is telling that the two other sides that were plying their trade in the Championship last season have adopted a similar approach with respectable results. Blackpool (14th) are arguably even more gung-ho than West Brom and Newcastle (ninth) have also adhered to the policy of attack being the greatest form of defence. When you think about it, if you're not going to stop the likes Arsenal and Chelsea scoring against you, why not have a go yourself?

It could just be that these pre-season relegation shoo-ins have yet to get found out; that they have sneaked up on the rails because better sides have taken the result for granted and not done their homework on these so-called lesser lights. But maybe, just maybe West Brom, Blackpool and Newcastle are on to something.

With Liverpool and Everton floundering at the wrong end of the table and the top dogs side-tracked by European football or off-field distractions such as Rooneygate, the Baggies are a tempting 17.0 to finish in the top six and a great bet at 4.4 to win the Top Midlands Club in the Head to Head League market.

By Richard Aikman

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The F1 season reaches its climax in three weeks and while there are still five men in with a shout of scooping the big prize, it looks like the McLaren duo of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have been left with too much to do. McLaren won't give up until it's mathematically impossible to win the world title but it looks to be a straight fight between the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber for the Drivers' Championship, with Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari ready to capitalise on any infighting from the blue cars.


A good Korea move?

This weekend the teams ship back East for the debut race in Korea. Up until last weekend there was some doubt as to whether this event would even take place, given the circuit's apparent lack of readiness. Nonetheless the track was given the green light and, while that gives the McLaren duo an opportunity to stay in the hunt, if they fail to take a significant number off points off Webber, realistically their title chances are shot.

No-one has run on the circuit in a 2010-spec F1 car but, given the strength of the Red Bull, it's hard to see anything other than pole position and a win for either Vettel or Webber. I'm going for Vettel to continue heaping pressure on his teammate - he won in dominant style in Japan and right now there's no reason why that shouldn't be the case in Korea.


Brazil or bust

Interlagos was the scene of Button's title triumph last season after a mesmeric drive through the field from a lowly 14th place on the grid. This season's champion could also be crowned at the Sao Paolo circuit but I see it as a Ferrari track and am tipping Fernando Alonso to keep the dream alive here.

Built on reclaimed marshland, the track is bumpy and short, two traits which do not favour the Red Bull. Yes, they won in style with Webber last season, but Brawn had dropped the ball and were limping over the line, while Ferrari and McLaren had all but given up on the season after less than stellar campaigns. Webber's closest challenger in 2009 was Robert Kubica and the Pole is a good outside bet to get amongst the championship contenders on the podium.


All over in Abu Dhabi

The season finale sees the F1 circus back in Abu Dhabi at the Yas Marina circuit for a race which starts in the daylight and finishes under lights. A fast circuit which ought to play into the hands of Red Bull, its proliferation of tight, slow corners may also bring the driveable Ferrari into play. McLaren might be a contender but I suspect their drivers will be out of the championship picture with the team switching all their focus onto the 2011 car. If that happens, the pace of development in F1 is such that it'll be a straight fight for glory between Alonso, Vettel and Webber.

So, who's going to win the big prize? Alonso has brought himself back into contention with a series of wins and strong performances, while the Red Bull duo have come on strong after learning to harness the awesome pace of the RB6. Webber has a 14 point lead and can't afford to follow Vettel home at each race, but as we saw in Singapore with the Hamilton crash, Webber's not afraid to put it all on the line and see where the dice fall. That willingness to gamble, allied with the luck of the draw, should see him crowned champion this year.

By James Frankland

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An all-British Heavyweight title fight is always going to generate buzz and David Haye's showdown with Audley Harrison is beginning to do just that. Last time out we saw Frank Bruno take on Lennox Lewis for his third attempt to win the crown. Bruno was up on one card (59-55) and tied on the other two cards (57-57) before Lewis stepped up to finish the contest in the 7th.

They were two very evenly matched pugilists and that was a true pick 'em fight. This Haye v Harrison is not the same. WBA Champion Haye is by far the better fighter and Harrison has done nothing in his career to deserve a title shot.

For the past year Haye has running his trap, calling out the Klitschko brothers at every opportunity. When Wlad stepped up and offered him a fight on 50-50 terms with no clauses it seemed as though it was all set. Instead Haye ducked and mouthed off some more saying that the terms were unacceptable.

So we are left with a fight the boxing world in general doesn't care about. Audley Harrison has been one of the most disappointing sportsman of the past decade. After he won gold at the Sydney Olympics the future looked bright. However he turned down the overtures of the top British managers and went alone. In retrospect, it was a disastrous decision. He hasn't been loved - or even respected - by the British public since.

Harrison is 38 now and will be 39 by the time the fight comes around. He has four defeats on his resume, Danny Williams, Dominick Guinn, Michael Sprott and Martin Rogan. None of them can be called world-class. Why does anyone think that he can beat a legit Heavyweight title holder in Haye?

The answer is simple - one thing we do know about the Hayemaker is that his chin is a massive weak spot. He went down against Jean-Marc Mormeck and even against Monte Barrett he was wobbled a couple of times. The one thing we know about Audley Harrison is that his left-hand has real power and if lands one plush on Haye's chin the Bermondsey-born brawler will be in trouble.

All common sense and logic points towards a short fight. Harrison can't go deep with a fighter of Haye's calibre. Throw the points decision out of your betting thoughts as neither are going to happen. Haye should win by knock-out by the mid-rounds at the latest but the odds for that are insanely short.

If Audley can hit the champion with straight left then he has a chance. A puncher's chance. The markets have the challenger at 6.8 and that is where the value is. Haye should always be favourite to win this fight but should he be as short as 1.16 against Audley's left hand?

Early Betting Tip: Back Audley Harrison for the upset at 6.8 or longer.

By Neil Monnery

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Westmead Guru has the Eclipse and, ultimately, the Derby as major targets after Kelly Findlay's heavyweight plundered something of a home victory in Thursday's Primus Telecom Henlow Derby at the Bedfordshire venue.

Findlay, the sister-in-law of Gold Cup-winning owner Harry, sent out the Bob Morton-owned runner to grab gold in the £20,000 decider. Morton, of course, owns the Henlow track and had three finalists in the Sky decider.

It was the first visit of the Sky cameras to Henlow and, while a no-race in the opening puppy event was not the greatest of starts, Morton has vowed to get the event on the Sky schedule on an annual basis as part of huge plans for the track.

This could include the re-shaping of the track, famous for its extra straight. The unusual contours almost cost Jimmy Lollie yet another victory on the supporting card as he swung off wildly at the last bend and almost handed the race to the chasing King Lee before straightening up for victory.

He remains a serious contender for Greyhound of the Year honours, while his trainer Seamus Cahill will certainly be crowned champion trainer after another high-profile Sky treble with Jimmy Lollie joined by ****ss Time and Raving Black in the winner's enclosure. Ironically, his puppy Lethal King was also in front when the hare was stopped in the puppy race!

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Sky's next port of call is Wimbledon on Tuesday for the St Leger final. Droopys Bradley is a red-hot favourite for the stayers' Classic after blitzing his rivals to win his semi-final on Tuesday as he bids to provide local handler Paul Donovan with the biggest win of his career.

Among the opposition is Shaws Dilemma, who is bidding for her own slice of history as she aims to grab Classic glory again after winning the Oaks last year.

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Meanwhile, Sky is expected to announce its list of dates for 2011 imminently. The first seven months will be covered, which will include a June 11 day for the English Derby final and, possibly, a trip to Ireland for a brand new event. The Scottish Derby will also be moved to a slightly later date after bad weather in recent years has forced rescheduling.

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The All England Cup is shaping up as a cracking event at Newcastle in a fortnight's time.
Derby champion Bandicoot Tipoki is heading for the north-east venue for Charlie Lister, where among his rivals he will taken on favourite for next year's Derby, Rayvinn Giovanni, of Seamus Cahill's.

The All England Cup will share the spotlight with the Northern Puppy Derby, which has switched from its former home at Sunderland, and where star pup Droopys Oscar is also heading.

Vying with his kennelmate Rayvinn Giovanni for Classic glory in 2011, Droopys Oscar made a successful return to the track at Nottingham last week, and after Newcastle could return for the Eclipse back at Colwick Park before Christmas.

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Matt Dartnall's kennel is very much a range in form just now. After last week's final-night wins at Romford (Farloe Skywalker) and Crayford (Me Buddy), the young handler was in double-winning form at Hove on Thursday with Blue Bee and Farloe Skywalker.

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Lottes Girl and Baran Pimlico are among the star stayers lining up for the Betfair Yorkshire St Leger at Doncaster in a few weeks time.
The pair were unfortunate to be eliminated from the Wimbledon St Leger in last week's semis and will now seek compensation in the Sky-covered fixture at Doncaster which concludes on Tuesday, November 19.

(read more at betting.betfair.com)