Top 3 winning bets on the weekend's football, snooker & Ashes cricket

What was the best Premier League game of the weekend?

Liverpool dew 2-2 at Spurs in a cracking encounter that both sides will fancy they may have won, but both were left having to make do with a point. The visitors played on the front foot and having conceded a Harry Kane opener, took control with goals from Diogo Jota and Andy Robertson. Robertson went from hero to zero by getting himself sent off for a wild challenge on Emerson Royal. England captain Kane should have already received his marching orders after a dangerous tackle on Robertson but escaped with a yellow, while Royal was also involved in more controversy when he pushed over Jota in the penalty area, the ref waving play on as Liverpool demanded a spot kick. Son put Spurs level and while both sides had further chances, both had to settle for a 2-2 draw.

Cross-Bookings (settled at 2600)

All the talk after this game was how lucky Harry Kane was to escape a red card, and while another sending off to add to Andy Robertson's would have been ideal for buyers in our bookings markets, they still made hefty profits in a Christmas cracker of a game that had plenty of meaty challenges keeping the ref busy. Cross-Bookings is made up of the bookings points of one team multiplied by the other, with 10 points for bookings and 25 for sendings off. Spurs players were shown four yellow cards, while Liverpool’s saw four yellows and that red for Robertson. The spread was set at 350-410, so buyers pocketed a profit of 2190 times their stake.

Who won snooker’s World Grand Prix?

Ronnie O’Sullivan won his 2^nd World Grand Prix title with a come from behind 10-8 win over Neil Robertson. After ending the first session of the final 4-4, the Rocket found himself 7-5 down in the evening session before moving up a gear, taking the crucial 18^th frame thanks for a break of 77. This was Ronnie’s first tournament win since last year’s World Championship.

Ton or Bust (settled at 128)

This was a top notch encounter between two of the best in the world, but the quality of the tactical exchanges wasn’t matched in the centuries column, with only one ton made in the 18-frame match, Robertson’s 128. The Ton or Bust market is made up of all the match breaks of 100 or over, so a break of 99 counts 0 towards this market, but 100 counts 100. Shrewd sellers, perhaps predicting how close this match would be and how difficult it would be to win frames with clearances given the quality of the safety play, made a nice profit in this market. The spread was set at 235-255, so sellers made 107 times their stake.

What happened in the 2^nd Ashes Test?

England suffered another heavy defeat to go 2-0 after two Ashes Tests and ramp up the pressure on captain Joe Root and his team. In the 139-year history of the Ashes, England have never come from 2-0 down to win a series, and the way this one has started, that doesn’t look like changing. With no hope of winning the 2^nd Test, it was all about whether England could bat out the final day to claim an unlikely draw. Having started day 5 needing to bat all day with six wickets in hand, the tourists at least showed a bit of backbone, with Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes all digging in. It was ultimately futile though, as, with just over 20 overs to go in the final session Jhye Richardson had James Anderson caught at gully to take his 5^th wicket of the innings and wrap up a 275-run victory.

1^st Innings Supremacy Aus/Eng (settled at 237)

Once again the batsmen failed, especially in the first innings, managing only 236 in reply to the Aussies’ 473-9 declared. The spread for Aussie supremacy in the first innings was set at 47-67, so buyers made a lovely 170 times their bet.