This week Gary Lemke has look at how the Premier League title race is in the final straight, while Heinrich Klaasen continues to smash sixes in an exciting IPL campaign.
EPL TITLE RACE INTO FINAL STRAIGHT
And then there were two. With Liverpool losing to Everton midweek, their odds with Hollywoodbets to win the English Premier League blew out to 28/1, with Man City the 11/20 favourites and Arsenal at 16/10. City’s 4-0 win over Brighton merely reinforced their status. At the other end of the table, Sheffield United and Burnley are doomed, and they’ll likely be joined in the Championship by either Luton or Nottingham Forest.
The picture at both ends will be a lot clearer on Sunday night. Forest host City, while Arsenal are away to Tottenham, while both Luton (away to Wolves) and Burnley (away to Man United) have tough assignments.
KLAASEN STILL SMASHING SIXES IN THE IPL
Come Sunday night we’ll be 46 matches through the 74 that comprise the Indian Premier League programme. Scores of 200 are now commonplace, although there were, for the first time, stories this week, that the next T20 World Cup will see “far lower” totals. Heinrich Klaasen held bragging rights going into the weekend as having hit the most sixes (26), which has helped propel his Sunrisers Hyderabad to 33/10 second favourites to eventually win the competition.
Rajasthan Royals are now the 9/4 favourites, while my original choice – which was as scientific as throwing a dart at the board – the Chennai Super Kings, at 8/1. On Sunday, the Sunrisers take on the Super Kings, so expect it to be raining sixes there too.
Another Milestone unlocked 🔓
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) April 26, 2024
We became the 1st team to hit 1⃣0⃣0⃣ sixes in #IPL2024 last night 🙌 pic.twitter.com/P9s6tPZBmz
BINDER FLIES SA FLAG IN SPAIN
The MotoGP season stops off in Spain this weekend where the fourth race on the season’s calendar takes place at the Circuito de Jerez on Sunday. South African interest remains focused on Brad Binder, but the big news of the week was the reports that Maverick Vinales is set to join Honda next season, where he would be paid up to $ 10 million a season. Fabio Quartararo is said to be the sport’s highest-paid rider, earning some $12m a year with Yamaha.
The world's best motorcycle riders attack Circuito de Jerez this weekend 🏍💥
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) April 24, 2024
Brad Binder won the Sprint and finished second in the #SpanishGP last season - find out what he can do in 2024 🤩#MotoGP pic.twitter.com/MoYW89XNV4
LIV GOLF HEADS DOWN UNDER
Golf’s big earners are in Australia this weekend, Adelaide to be exact, where the LIV circuit stops for a few days. You know, the 54-hole tournament featuring a limited field, shotgun starts and a $25-million course to be shared between individuals and teams. South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen is passionate about making the Stingers a brand and he’s had some interesting things to say about it.
One of them is that his vision is that it remains an all-South African team going forward, with the current quartet of Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Dean Burmester and Branden Grace currently lying fifth in the 13-team competition.
A very Australian welcome 🦘#LIVGolf #SeeSouthAustralia pic.twitter.com/CqA5Y9lji1
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) April 23, 2024
BULLS, STORMERS NEED TO BOUNCE BACK
All four South African teams competing in the United Rugby Championship are again in action this weekend. It was an odd last round, with the Bulls and Stormers both losing at home, which went against the grain in a competition where home-ground advantage counts for so much. The Sharks (13th on the table) are away to 14th-placed Scarlets and might secure an away win, the Bulls (4th) will expect to bounce back and beat the Ospreys, but both the Lions (11th, vs Munster) and the Stormers (6th, vs Leinster) will have that home ground theory tested to the limit.
WAKE UP, IT’S GAME DAY 🔊
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) April 26, 2024
⏰: 20H35 CAT
📺: SuperSport 201 & 211@Vodacom #URC #SCAvSHA pic.twitter.com/4dD8fNeECv
FOURIE CHASING THE MAGIC 300
You can feel the racing season starting to shift into KZN mode with a couple of Listed and Graded races at Scottsville on Sunday, but there’s a lot of action on Saturday at the Turffontein standside course, which wraps up the Gauteng season. There are four Grade 2’s, a Grade 3 and a Listed event on the 10-race card and championship-elect jockey Richard Fourie has another strong book of rides in both centres this weekend.
In the early betting he had five favourites at Turffontein and three at Scottsville as he looks to add to his tally, with the number 300 winners a firm target for the season, and having gone into Friday’s Fairview card with 265. Of course, Hollywood have offered him a R1-million jackpot if he breaks Anthony Delpech’s all-time record of 334.
Richard Fourie doing a post race rundown. pic.twitter.com/sg2pLgRrSL
— JC Photos 0833908945 (@JC_Photos1) April 25, 2024
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