Torque

Final results are in for the weekend and here are the finishing positions for season 1 of 20/21.  We've had some massive wins along the way and some very consistent results.  Well done to members of Divisions 4 and 8 who communally produced a profit for their Divisions.
Thank you to everyone who took part and for continuing through the season. How this competition is set up and runs is a testament to the organisation of @BillyHills and I am honoured to have picked up the reins to continue it. 
We'll take a break for a week due to lack of suitable fixtures and continue with another 8 week season from games on Friday 20th.
I'll post instructions on Monday night for how the winners can contact us to claim their winnings, so if there are any queries on my calculations please post urgently. 
Just got to say, what an awesome result @MrJol
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

great work @avongirl  thanks

Well done all the winners, especially Mr Jol with a magnificent total. 
Another great competition. Sadly Billy Hills last one. Also congratulations to Avon Girl for picking up the reins in grand fashion.

Harrogate v Skelmersdale (1) 1.14
Rangers v Hamilton (1) 1.12
Atletico Madrid v Cadiz (1) 1.44
10pt treble

I'm only afraid of the Wawrinka X-factor that we all know still exists. He's way worse on the basic level than Rublev these days though, Rublev is one for the future.

Having had one of my best ever days punting on 4th qualifying round day hopefully I can repeat the dose now we reach the 1st Round. I like 7 bets throughout the weekend where plenty of games will be covered via the BBC or BT Sport.
Harrogate V Skelmersdale
The 1st match of the weekend sees the 1st bet in a game live on BT Sport. Skelmersdale were one of the sides I put up in the last round and they duly beat Stafford 4-1. Stafford play in Step 3 and have only picked up 1 point in the league so playing a Harrogate side 3 levels higher and having a decent start in their first season in the Football League. Skelmersdale play at Step 5 of Non-League football and whenever a team from that level reach the 1st Round they always get outclassed. Granted they might have had this game on their minds, but they have lost their 2 league games since the Stafford victory 3-1 and 4-0. As Harrogate have just come from Non-League I can't see them under estimating their opponents and I fully expect them to take it seriously and win the game comfortably. The -2 handicap is now odds on, but I am going to go for the -3 which is 11/4 with Betfair.
Boreham Wood v Southend
It might seem odd putting up a team who are evens to beat a team from a higher level, but when Southend are bottom of League having picked up just 2 points it is easy to see why Boreham Wood are the price they are. They have scored just 5 goals in the league, but one of those was an own goal and another a penalty. I think Boreham Wood are better than their league position suggests and they have conceded just three times in their 5 league games so far. You would think they could keep Southend quiet and that Boreham Wood certainly have the forwards capable of causing Southend no end of problems.
Cheltenham v South Shields
South Shields were another team I put up in the previous round when they caused an upset in beating Halifax. Granted Cheltenham are having a good season in League 2, but I think South Shields could pull off another upset. They have a very good side for their level and are essentially a Step 2 side at Step 3 level. If they play at the top of their game I make their chances of causing an upset better than an 8/1 chance so am happy to take a chance.
Colchester v Marine
Marine caused an upset in the previous round beating Chester, but I struggle to see the Step 4 side doing much against League 2 Colchester. They have won 3 of their 5 league games, but 2 of them came against 2 of the weaker sides in the division and they should be easily outclassed in this. Colchester are in solid form in League 2 this season and I think they can cover the -2 handicap here.
Dagenham & Redbridge v Grimsby
Dagenham are currently bottom of the National League and have really struggled this season. Their only win came against Wealdstone who were poor that evening and Dagenham did enough to deserve the win without looking that great themselves. Grimsby are doing well enough in League 2 and have done well away from home so far this season. They are better than Dagenham and odds against quotes look good value to me.
Hayes & Yeading v Carlisle
Hayes were another side who won for me in the previous round when they caused an upset by beating Wealdstone. This game will be much tougher though and Carlisle are currently in 5th position in League 2 having beaten top of the table Newport on Tuesday night. The fact there are no fans will help the away side as the home fans can't create a hostile atmosphere and attempt to make things tricky for the Football League side. I think Carlisle will win this with ease and they can cover the -1 handicap.
Scunthorpe v Solihull Moors
Another solid National League side taking on a poor side from League 2 in this tie. Scunthorpe were hit with Covid and that means they haven't played for 2 weeks. When they were playing though they only managed to pick up 4 points in 8 games, scoring just 3 goals in the process. I was a bit surprised Solihull lost 3-1 to Maidenhead last Saturday, but prior to that they had only lost one of their 1st 5 games. They should be in the play-off picture this season and given how bad Scunthorpe have been so far this season they could easily cause an upset here. 
Acca
I have put together an 8 fold acca where I think the Football League side will knock out the Non-League. I am putting in Harrogate, Colchester and Carlisle as per the bets above. I am then adding Bradford to win at Tonbridge, Port Vale to beat Kings Lynn, Doncaster to beat FCUM in the live BBC2 game, Oldham to win at Hampton and Blackpool to win at Eastbourne. The acca pays 11.4/1 with Betfair.
Harrogate -3 1pt @ 11/4 with Betfair
Boreham Wood 2pts @ Evs with Bet365
South Shields 1pt @ 8/1 with William Hill
Colchester -2 2pts @ 9/5 with Betfair
Grimsby 2.5pts @ 11/10 with Bet365
Carlisle -1 2pts @ 11/10 with Betfair
Solihull Moors 1pt @ 13/5 with Bet365
Harrogate/Bradford/Port Vale/Colchester/Doncaster/Oldham/Carlisle/Blackpool 1pt acca @ 11.4/1 with Betfair

Yes. You add/subtract the handicap from the final count of games/sets.
Ex 1: Lopez +5.5 games
Final result was: 4-6, 7-6, 6-4. Rafa games: 4+7+6 = 17. Lopez games: 6+6+4 = 16.
Result after handicap +5.5 on Lopez: Rafa games = 17. Lopez games 21.5. 
Because the bet was on Lopez and he's got more games after the final math, the bet won.
 
Ex: 2 Nadal -3.5 games
Final result was: 4-6, 7-6, 6-4. Rafa games: 4+7+6 = 17. Lopez games: 6+6+4 = 16.
Result after handicap -3.5 on Nadal: Rafa games = 13.5. Lopez games 16. 
Because the bet was on Nadal and he's got less games after the final math, the best lost.
 
The same is with sets handicap.

As for Billy Hill, I was told that he started out as "a bit of a lad" taking bets during the tea breaks off blokes he was working with at the BSA motorbike factory in Birmingham.
He got a taste for illegal betting, but with the Police breathing down his neck he moved to County Cork until the heat was off. Then to London where he opened an illegal gambling den, he never looked back from that, mind you he didn't see the sort of money in his lifetime that his namesake betting shops take now in a day.
At one time Bookmakers were characters, they put their judgement and money on the line, but the days of Turf Accountants are long gone. When the "Elite" noticed how easy it is to relieve the working class of their money Betting Shops flourished and pretty soon chains of them became Ltd companies traded {by the Toffs} on the FTSE.
At that point they dropped the word "Turf" and became nothing more than "Accountants" a Greek word for parasites with sharp pencils. There's no character's now, no Billy Hill, no Gus Demmy, no "Polish Joe" Kagarlitski {name changed to Joe Coral}, it's just figureheads now like Bald Fred, Paddy Power, Bet Victor and the like, Ltd Companies.
There's no risk involved to Bookmakers any more, the dice they roll were always loaded in their favour, if that's not bad enough they now use algorithms to figure out betting patterns and who they DON'T want on their books. Most punters say "they bet for the fun of it" Pas Moi, I see no fun in donating my money to parasites. 
My strategy to avoid that was passed on to me by Gus Demmy, 50 years ago at Salford dog track, "The less often you bet, the more often you win". The logic being, if you bet every 20 minutes as MANY punters do, you have to divide your money into small amounts, amounts so small that even if you have a 10/1 winner you've won feck all, and your other losing bets of the day will ensure you go home with the best part of **** all.
But IF you have the DISCIPLINE you save the 20 quid you were desperate to donate on Monday, you look for a chink in the Bookies armour on Tuesday, but NOW you still have Mondays money, chances are you have 40 quid.
The worst thing to do is to divide your bank into miniscule bets, bets that couldn't possibly do any harm to the Bookie. If nothing REALLY stands out on Tuesday, leave it until Wednesday, keep your powder dry, DON'T fritter your bank away, keep adding to your bank until you are as sure as you can be that whatever caught your eye is worth ALL or most of, what you've been "saving" day to day, even week to week.
That way you look at a bet and wonder is it really worth me putting 60 quid, or maybe 300 quid on the bet, if you aren't sure keep hold of YOUR CASH, don't be RUSHING to GIVE it to a parasite. So the less often you bet, the more you look into the bet, you aren't putting 2 quid on this, 2 quid on that, 2 quid on another and 2 quid on what yer mate said he's backed in the next race, whittling away your money simply because you need your "fix" every 20 minutes.
If EVER you need to cool your heels, remind yourself that "Bookmakers don't live in Council Houses", millions of punters do. Don't go to war with the Bookies with 2 quid pea shooter bet in yer hand, roll yer cash up until it's at least as damaging as a hand grenade, the more you can salt away the better your chance of really hurting the Bookies.
I used to bet with Gus at Salford dogs, didn't take him long to figure out that I was a lucky young beggar. He used to say "I want you on my side" we spent a couple of years with banter like that between us. By the time I was in my early 20's I'd had my fill of riveting Canberra bombers and Lightning fighters together for DeHavilland Aircraft, so I jacked it in, went to see Gus, told him I was looking for a job, he took me on as a "Settler" in one of his central Manchester Offices.
Those were the days, a Board Man chalking the odds and the results up, a girl taking bets on one side, a girl paying out on the other and a Settler in the middle calculating the winnings. You had to be good and fast reckoning bets out, you needed to be accurate to a penny in 100 quid, if you weren't the Punters would soon let you know, get it wrong the other way and Gus would have things to say. Try working out an 11/- Yankee with a 15/8 an 11/4 a 17/2 and a 100/8 winner, we had to do it with pencil and paper in those days, no calculators, but we did have the Block Method, a very clever way of working out any multiple bets...
That shop I worked in, near The Rising Sun pub, would be packed with Jewish business men, I noticed how the ones who bet least often, won more bets than they lost, that was something I never forgot. What worked for them 50 years ago serves me well when I have a bet. The hardest part is developing DISCIPLINE, betting IS an addiction, let the addiction control you and yer KNACKERED, you'll never pull out of the nose dive, but if you've a strong enough mind you'll develop discipline, a bit like bench pressing it aint easy for the first few months, but it makes you a wiser / stronger man once YOU are in control rather than falling for all the flashing lights, bells and whistles, EXCITING race commentaries all targetted to mesmerise you.
Here's one for you, how Bookies play with yer head, next time yer in a Bookies listen to the horses racing, you can see the horses a mile away, but, oddly enough you can hear their hooves, how the **** is that !!! Well, it's NOT their hooves, it's a sound track they play to keep the mugs excited, the same sound track in Heavy as it is Good to Firm. That's the extent they will go to just to "excite" you, to keep your head spinning and the money falling out of your pockets...
Betting is a hard game, especially when the "enemy" is hell bet on hoodwinking us.     You can't sink the Bookies ship with 2 quid pea shooters, but you can put a dent in it with a cannon ball...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I hope you don't mind me saying my point of view about the Nadal - Lopez matchup.  Nadal 2-0 is at 1.33-1.35 odds, which is an awful bad bet in my opinion, considering the factors: its indoors, Nadal always hated indoors, I don't think he's any special on it either, besides his obvious good level of tennis. Lopez showed yesterday, that even though he is at his end, he still gives it - Krajinovic is incosistent yes, but having only 2 breakpoints shows that  Lopez's serve is working well at the moment. 
I do feel like Lopez's serve + coming at the net can upset Nadal in many ways, so If I had to bet on this match(but I don't), it would be +5.5, or over 19.5 games, good odds both. Now I'm not saying Nadal won't win this 2-0, all I'm saying the odds of Nadal winning this 2-0 is not 1.33-ish, its way higher in reality.

Yep, betting sites offer the match streamed live. PDC does also, but you have to pay with them.
Many thanks for the English lesson but I have a million things to do here and the last thing i am worried about is punctuation  

Some players check out at this stage of the season, to the point that it's hard to understand why they even bother to play. I've noticed over the years that if a player has lost their last three or four matches and the season is about to finish, then there's a good chance they'll continue their losing streak until they're done for the season. Goffin has lost his last four or five matches or whatever it is, so it wasn't a massive surprise to me that he lost - the way he lost the second set tie-break sums it up really, it was as though he'd just had enough and wants to go on holiday.

Some players check out at this stage of the season, to the point that it's hard to understand why they even bother to play. I've noticed over the years that if a player has lost their last three or four matches and the season is about to finish, then there's a good chance they'll continue their losing streak until they're done for the season. Goffin has lost his last four or five matches or whatever it is, so it wasn't a massive surprise to me that he lost - the way he lost the second set tie-break sums it up really, it was as though he'd just had enough and wants to go on holiday.

Some players check out at this stage of the season, to the point that it's hard to understand why they even bother to play. I've noticed over the years that if a player has lost their last three or four matches and the season is about to finish, then there's a good chance they'll continue their losing streak until they're done for the season. Goffin has lost his last four or five matches or whatever it is, so it wasn't a massive surprise to me that he lost - the way he lost the second set tie-break sums it up really, it was as though he'd just had enough and wants to go on holiday.

Fatigue would be my concern @Robinnho It's a quick turnaround from the Nur-Sultan final on Sunday. That said, having won that tournament Millman should be full of confidence and could very well roll on.

I'd avoid goffin for now, I don't remember where I've heard or read that he was kind off shook by the whole Corona situation.

He's in awful form. Best left alone.

He's in awful form. Best left alone.

Ok, though I'd suggest that's too long and weekly is the minimum that is appropriate given the number of selections you're posting.
To be frank, there's not going to be much interest in entirely unreasoned tips from a new poster who can't be bothered updating the results for their selections more than fortnightly. Add to that the link to "more predictions" and the whole thing starts to feel a little "spammy".
Best of luck, I'll leave you to it now. At least you've had some feedback! 

Djokovic just gave another example of why he'll never be as well regarded as Nadal and Federer. Up until this match the number one ranking was on the line, and there's no way if that was still in play he'd have lost 6-2, 6-1 to Sonego. He couldn't have made it any clearer that he wasn't interested in winning if he'd put a big sign on his head that read "I'm not bothered about winning this match because I've done what I came here to do" - and as I'm writing this he's admitted as much. If Nadal or Federer were in that position there is no way they'd have treated their opponent or the tournament with such contempt. Sonego can't celebrate the win as much as he should do because he'll know Djokovic wasn't trying. 

Agree. Krajinovic has never been much for consistency.

I've not even looked at the draws yet, but after the fun and games of last week I think a blanket strategy of going against any player that's due to play the tour finals would pay dividends.

Koln v Bayern Munich (2) 1.18
Kilmarnock v Rangers (2) 1.28
10pt double

if i am right djokovic career is on the downhill now. the way he lost to sonego yesterday has no explainations. it was a no show from djokovic. i think that is a big difference between nadal and him. rafa never plays for points but because he loves the games. novak came here only for his greed and paid a price. greed of remaining on the top. rublev is a clear winner now and if he messes up he is not going to get future chances. there is no way he is winning in paris masters with the king of clay playing

Djokovic just gave another example of why he'll never be as well regarded as Nadal and Federer. Up until this match the number one ranking was on the line, and there's no way if that was still in play he'd have lost 6-2, 6-1 to Sonego. He couldn't have made it any clearer that he wasn't interested in winning if he'd put a big sign on his head that read "I'm not bothered about winning this match because I've done what I came here to do" - and as I'm writing this he's admitted as much. If Nadal or Federer were in that position there is no way they'd have treated their opponent or the tournament with such contempt. Sonego can't celebrate the win as much as he should do because he'll know Djokovic wasn't trying. 

Djokovic just gave another example of why he'll never be as well regarded as Nadal and Federer. Up until this match the number one ranking was on the line, and there's no way if that was still in play he'd have lost 6-2, 6-1 to Sonego. He couldn't have made it any clearer that he wasn't interested in winning if he'd put a big sign on his head that read "I'm not bothered about winning this match because I've done what I came here to do" - and as I'm writing this he's admitted as much. If Nadal or Federer were in that position there is no way they'd have treated their opponent or the tournament with such contempt. Sonego can't celebrate the win as much as he should do because he'll know Djokovic wasn't trying.