Welcome to the ALL NEW weekly sporting round up we call Circling the Drain. Each week we hand pick the sporting tidbits that tickle our fancy and provide our commentary along with some factual information. That and our best bets featuring the ever popular Super Multi and the new Ticket to Ride.
BIG BASH DONE AND DUSTED
Another series of the ever popular Big Bash T20 is over, and despite a plethora of one sided games during the early stages, they saved the best for last , in of all places, Canberra.
Not since Mike Valetta and Merv Hughes lit up Canberra as part of the massively popular Canberra Comets of the ING Cup in 90’s has Manuka Oval had some much buzz.
The final had a bit of everything, including an ending that looked like going either way all the way up to the last ball. Brett Lee showed his class by almost winning the game single handed by attempting to defend 1 run over the last three balls. Doug Bollinger and Moises Henriques showed less, with two brainfades that cost a win.
More importantly was the continued brilliance of Brad Hogg. showing enough to cement his place in the tournament next year. Not only still bowling deliveries as unreadable as a certain local newspaper during an election, but is the crowd’s number one man, and he knows it, and gives the punters what they want. Australian selectors missed the World Cup boat by not including a little GBH in their squad.
EVERYONE HATES MICHAEL
Clarke that is, and not quite, but stories have surfaced over the last week or so about the unpopularity of the current skipper.
The stories are surprising to a degree if true, but also not given how long it took Joe Public to warm to the anointed one. And, with the Channel 9 commentary job in the back pocket and training from Michael Slater will continue to be Mr Luke Warm for the cricketing world.
Still has to prove fitness for World Cup by the third game. Leaves the door open for a left arm chinaman spinner perhaps.
FOOTY SHOW FIGHT NIGHT
At last the perfect combination is here. The Footy Show, Rugby League players boxing, and Channel Gem. It’s all waiting for you this weekend.
A shame that it isn’t rugby league boxing each other, instead it is some of the least likeable players like Paul Gallen fighting people good enough to fall over for them after a few rounds.
Still, up against the Asian Cup Final and Election coverage, good luck to them. It will no doubt provide that few seconds for the Sunday morning news and a few words here next week.
AUCKLAND NINES
Looking forward to the first taste of League for the season in a perfect bite size introduction to the season. Sure most of the stars won’t be there, but it’s a good way to see some of the young guns early, and allows for early Supercoach study.
DRAWN STRAWS
Over to the African Cup of Nations where the end results of Group D are quite extraordinary. Going into the last two games of the group all four previous games had ended 1-1. This meant that another full deck of 1-1 draws meant that the two to progress would have to be drawn instead of earned.
Thankfully Ivory Coast bucked the 1-1 trend by beating Cameroon by 1 – 0, which saved the all four draw draw as Ivory Coast progressed and Cameroon waived an early goodbye.
Not to disappoint the draw fans out there Guinea and Mali played out the inevitable 1-1 draw to ensure that 2nd and 3rd would be exactly the same points, for and against. This means that one nation will progress without winning a game, and the other will be knocked out despite being unbeaten. Fair? Probably not. But trying to imagine the most creative way of drawing straws does interest.
THIS WEEKS SUPER MULTI
$1 gets you 424
CRICKET – ENGLAND to beat India
TENNIS – DJOKOVIC to win Australian Open
ALEAGUE – BRISBANE to beat Wellington
ALEAGUE – WESTERN SYDNEY to beat Melb City
ASIAN CUP – UAE to beat Iraq
ASIAN CUP – DRAW – Australia v South Korea (reg time)
SUPERBOWL – Seattle to win Superbowl
TICKET TO RIDE
Our bid to take a $1 bet into 7 consecutive weeks hit it’s inevitable snag for the first attempt with another draw in the African cup of Nations not being quite as good or payable as the Senegal win would have been.
So this week we start off with a $1 bet again.
THIS WEEK’S SELECTION:
$1 on Australia to win Asian Cup in Extra time = $9
Stayed tuned for more sporting updates and tipping results.
