The BBC Sports Personality Awards are always a favourite with TV audiences each year as we commemorate those sporting individuals/teams who have reached great heights of achievement throughout the year. Previous winners of this prestigious ceremony have included the likes of David Beckham (01), Andrew Flintoff (05), Joe Calzaghe (07) and more recently Ryan Giggs (09). The BBC have announced this years 10 sports men and women for the BBC Sports Personality 2010 award and looking through the list – this years winner is going to be a very tight call indeed and the Sports Personality betting hightlights this.

Current favourite for the BBC Sports Personality 2010 betting is champion Jockey, Tony McCoy, who has the small accolade of being the greatest jump jockey in history. Best odds on McCoy are 4/5 from 888Sport. Tony McCoy finished 3rd in the same competition back in 2002 with Paula Radcliffe lifting the Sports Personality trophy that year. It is interesting to note that no Racing Jockey has ever won the competition although there have been a couple of winners that participated in the Equestrian discipline (both Royalty, so take from that what you will).

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Once again the voting on the X-Factor last week surprised many with Cher Lloyd and wildcard, Paije Richardson, finding themselves in the bottom two. Cher, survived, just. However, according to a latest poll, currently running on the Ladbrokes site, things are not as straight-forward as they seem in the X-Factor betting stakes.

The poll suggests that longtime favourite, Matt Cardle will win the X-Factor with 29% of the voting public. But close behind on 26%, and growing every week, is Wagner Carrilho, the karate kicking Brazilian who sings like he’s in pain. Backing from the public, albeit thanks to online groups determined to get one over on Mister Cowell, has seen Wagner’s odds fall from 60/1 to 7/1 in the last few weeks.

Surprise, most of all from last week, was the rebirth of Katie Waissel, sporting a new hairdo and actually singing a decent performance without all the hullaballo of recent weeks. This ‘plain jane‘ approach seemed to work and Katie eased through in to the X-Factor Week 8 show. Will Miss Waissel be able to contain herself this week and once again prove she has a decent voice or will the fame-hungry monster from within reveal itself and put on another Marmite performance?

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Is there such a sure thing in Ashes betting that would make you wager a quarter of a million pounds on england regaining The Ashes down under? According to Sporting Life one punter is 100% sure that this will be the inevtiable outcome he has staked £250,000 – the biggest bet in Ashes history.

It seems that the punter is not alone in his thinking as most of the early betting money is being placed on England to come away with The Ashes on Australian soil for the first time since 1986/7.

The first Test gets underway on Thursday the 25th of November 2010. Surprisingly, the bookies fancy Australia to win the opening test. It just goes to show that not everyone is getting hyped under The Ashes fever. The memory of the 5-0 whitewash on Australian soil a few years back is still lingering.

Personally, I think The Ashes will be a much closer contest than some expect. England have grown in International cricket in recent years while Australia’s demise has run a parallel course. Most definetely the elements will play in to Australia’s favour but I still see the series finishing 3-2 for England and regaining The Ashes for the first time in over 3 decades.

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It’s to be Beatles night this Saturday for the X Factor final 8 contestants. If you cringed as to what some (majority) of the contestants did to Elton John classics in last weeks show then expect the same punishment to be measured out against Britain’s greatest ever pop export – The Beatles. No doubt, the X Factor will become the Katie & Wagner show after Saturday’s performance. Until these two are properly dealt with and booted off the show we won’t have a signing competition.

How is it possible that a singer can be in the bottom two, four times out of six, and still the judges keep her in. Because it is all about the ratings, that’s how. They spin it around and say it went to deadlock and that the public decided … yadayadayada! X-Factor is now so see-through because the thought of having both Katie and Wagner in the competition anymore is wearing thin.

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It’s back! I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here 2010 crept back onto our television screens on Sunday night and we are barely 2 days in to broadcasting and already we have controversy. Now, we all know the idea of the show, to take “celebrities” and place them in the Australian Jungle, get them to do tasks for food involving plenty of creepy crawlies, spiders plus a host of other unmentionables that would make your skin crawl. Seems fairly straight-forward, and it is, but it is normally this basicness that is enough to give the Celebrities a touch of jungle fever and make them behave in all sorts of weird ways to escape their botanic nightmare.

None, was more so present, than last night when that ‘wee wummin off the tele’, Gillian McKeith, a well known nutritionist, whom consistently said she suffers a phobia of insects and a fear of heights (what the heck she doing there then, I hear you say) freaked out on her Bushtucker Trial. Her task involved being plunged underground into pitch darkness in a chained and padlocked crate alongside all sorts of creepy things including rats. Gillian then seemed to take an almighty panic attack and then pass out – but was still concious enough during all of this to make sure her top was pulled down over her exposed belly.

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This is a crucial week for X-Factor finalist Katie Waissel after the debacle of last week’s live Sunday show. Many X factor betting punters were left open-jawed when Cheryl Cole refused to do the job she’s paid to do and judge. It let the show become wrapped amid new fixing claims controversy and of course that wannabe crooner, Katie Waissel, would survive another week.

Now, as the X-Factor becomes in danger of losing any sort of respect it has left with the viewing public, surely it will be looking to redeem itself in the eyes of the watching TV audience.

Katie Waissel and Wagner are the sideshow acts for the X-Factor. One is being devilfied as the public’s No.1 hate figure and the other is a jester with a microphone. Neither has a chance of winning the show, although Wagner could if support continues to grow in a bid to shove two fingers up at Mr Cowell.

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The biggest game of the Premier league betting season is about to explode on to our screens on Wednesday, the 10th of November! The Manchester Derby, red vs blue, call it what you like, but Manchester City vs Manchester United is a rivalry that has grown in intensity as City have grown in stature over the recent years. Of course Man City fans have always seen the Derby as a way to grab some bragging rights over their more esteemed neighbours, Man Unt. However, many will be observing this game to see if their is a real shift of power happening in Manchester – City have the money, the stadium, the players, the manager to look Man Unt in the eye for the first time in a long time and claim themselves to be the new Kings of Manchester.

Looking at the game, both teams have struggled to find that real killer instinct over the last few weeks. City went on a 3 game losing streak before eventually overcoming West Brom at the weekend. That sparked a mini crisis at the City of Manchester where there was actual papertalk about Roberto Mancini being replaced. new territory for the Eastlands club, but that is the price you pay when you beging to challenge the big boys for the trophies.

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On November the 13th at the MEN Arena in Manchester, Audley Harrison and David Haye will contest for the WBA world heavyweight title and it seems the bookies have this one nailed as a complete one-sided affair in the boxing betting stakes. David Haye, the current WBA champion, it seems is eager to annihilate his former friend in the all Britiish showdown. Haye has been stung by the criticism aimed at the 6ft 3in fighter for his choice of opponent. Haye stands accused of bypassing the publics choice of bout with either of the Klitschko brothers versus Haye.

The fight itself has been billed by Sky TV as the “Best of Enemies” and the satellite company are throwing some money at this fight as they prepare to screen the fight live in 3D – the first ever 3D boxing match – which led to Haye announcing he’s going to deliver a “three-dimensional beating” on Audley Harrison. Whatever gets the punters interested, eh?

I personally can’t see this fight going the distance. Looking at each fighters track record, I expect a 4th round victory for David Haye and a retirement notice from Audley Harrison.

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It’s Matchday 4 in the Champions League and things are starting to look a little bit clearer for a few of the British teams in the Champions League betting stakes.

Arsenal and Chelsea could put a lot of daylight between themselves and the chasing pack in their respective groups by going 6 points clear at the top, if they win their games tomorrow night.

Spurs have a tougher ask against last year’s Champions League winners, Inter Milan. The White Hart Lane club could really earn some respect from Europe’s elite if they manage a famous victory over the Italians tonight.

Manchester United and Rangers are both away from home in tonight’s other clashes. United have enough pedigree to see off Turkish challengers, Bursaspor, although you can expect the atmosphere to be white hot. Rangers have the toughest ask of all the British teams involved, away to Spanish cracks Valencia, and even bringing home just a point will be a major achievement for the team from Glasgow.

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