oddsman

Match oddsMan Utd 1/5, Draw 9/2, Coventry 10/1 First goalscorer: Luis Nani 13/2, Daniel Simpson 22/iDle Adebola 14/1

I HAVE been a football oddsman for more than 30 years and, to aid me, I use five experts whose knowledge of the game make up the five books of what I call my statistical "bible".

MADISON Wisconsin ADONISM (Bloomsbury Thesaurus), AMIDONS (pl of amidon, Web2), ASMONDI (Asmondi, a demon, OED father 1916q), DAIMONS (OSPD), D-AMINOS (pl of damino, OED peptidoglycan 1975q), DAMIONS (Damion's [or plural] OED round-house 1958q), DAMONIS (Damonis = of Damon, OED Latian 1879q), DAMOSIN (OED damson), DIAMONS (= diamonds, OED pointed 1575q), DIMONAS (pl of Dimona, author OED yacht 1974q), DOMAINS (Mathematical Glossary of Exciting, Enervating, Scintillating, and Vibrant Terms [privately published], and many other sources), DOMINAS (pl domina), MAIDONS (OED head 1400q), MANDIOS (pl of mandio, OED manioc), MANIDOS (ST: pl of OED manido = Manitou), MONDIAS (pl of m ondia, a genus of dicotyledon), MONIDAS (pl of Monida, town on Montana-Idaho border), ODISMAN (OED oddsman)

"Ronnie has four potentially difficult matches to win," said Tim Pickering, snooker oddsman at Totesport, who were biggest at 13-8 yesterday.

They make Britain sixpoint outsiders with oddsman Mike Oxley determined to take on the home side.

Much as it pains him to say it, oddsman Jess Smergel, the company's South American expert who hails from Argentina, can't see Uruguay getting turned over by Australia in their World Cup play-off in Montevideo tomorrow.

Oddsman James Farley commented: "A number of the bigger names have not been seen on the course for a month or more and punters are