Daily ReportProfit on the Month £532.74Outstanding Bets £2577.06https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aia1Hxq-NDNWdFk3UmlTSXMzTjRBTVNfOWRndVFsZHc#gid=28A day that promised so much, which at various times held up the prospect of bounteous returns only for those to prove illusory, turned into a day which drooped like hot wax from a candle, with a loss of just under £200
The good news first, Graeme Swann was top Ashes series wicket taker at 11/2 and a return of £132. He ended with 26 wickets, two ahead of his nearest rival. All hail the new drainage systems...reference my post on 24th June highlighting the rationale for the bet
Anyway enough of the good news
At Spa it was dry. On lap 28 of 44 four cars approached the bus stop in close proximity and one was Maldonado. This looked encouraging. Guiteirrez made a mistake, Maldonado mis-judged the braking and harpooned Di Resta onto the kerb. "Yes!" I exclaimed to my living room. I waited, and then saw the picture of the tow truck lifting Di Resta's car away a couple of minutes later. That was as close as we got to a safety car for -£100, in a bet we took at 10/11 and went off 1/2
In the Golf I was relaxed. After 9 holes Kevin Chappell led by two and Bubba Watson was in an each way spot. Chappell was playing beautifully. He then double bogeyed the 11th and proceeded to drop six more shots on the home stretch. He was not alone as some of the World's best golfers were doing similar. Even Bubba Watson, tied for 6th after 17 and a money-maker for us, made mistakes down the last and ended outside the places
Through the carnage, a man who had received almost no TV coverage, Adam Scott, played the tidiest, with very few mistakes, and scooped the lot. We were left with Furyk dead heating for sixth for +£21 but overall the event was a £110 loser for the thread. I wouldn't have said that two hours earlier
Also in the cricket Clarke finished 37 runs short of Top Australian run scorer in the series. No hard luck stories there really, but it looked good for three tests, and worse at Durham and we were realistic goners before the declaration innings pyrotechnics. The Warner each way bet was never really a runner, and combined the two bets cost £110
At the DW, Middlesborough did not feel the weight of Mr Scotland Spellcheck on their shoulders and went into a 2-1 lead at Wigan, only to be pegged back. Still, the £5 loss was worth it to avoid another Ironside post.
So, onto longer term positions
Vettel won at Spa and is nearly two wins ahead in the points, short odds on to claim his third title and we have £60 on at c 6/4
Watford drew with Forest, two teams that should be top six by the end of the season and the £300 on Watford to finish top half is as near to a sure thing you can get
Cardiff beat Manchester City. Encouraging for the handicap bet that no one will enjoy going to the stadium opposite Les Croupiers this season. Of course the rationale for the Pellegrini bet
was sunk like The Bismarck in Montevideo harbour.
Tampa Bay lost to the Yankees in extra innings last night and the Red Sox beat the Dogers 8-1 to go one game ahead again in the AL East.
Coming up......
Nadal plays Harrison in the US Open tennis first round
Manchester United v Chelsea tonight
Spudy will remind us that we are on Napoli
Someone else will tell us we had a nightmare on the Golf
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