Spread & Splutter

Since Last Post P/L: £28.80
Monthly P/L: £57.15

Another quiet week has come to an end and I have to admit I'm getting a little anxious. I'm starting to get the feeling that June will either fall into a 'big win' or a 'big loss' category as most of my scheduled trading activity is due to take place in the last week. Obviously, if things go wrong I won't have the time or trading opportunities to bail myself out which all leads me to feel a little nervous - I don't want this to be my first losing month!

This anxiety led me to have a look at the European Under 21 Championships on Thursday. England were up against an Italian side licking their wounds after a first match defeat to Serbia and the game seemed poised to be an all out attack affair. In the 2006 World Cup I'd identified a very good spread betting market that seemed to offer good returns in situations like these so I decided to take another look. The market revolves around corners and in this case I was interested in the number of England corners in the first half multiplied by the number of England corners in the second half. The spread was 5.50 - 7.00 and with England sure to try and take to the game to the Italians out wide I fancied there'd be a strong chance of at least getting 3 corners each half so I bought the spread at just over £7 per point. Things started well with the first England corner coming within the first 10 minutes and the game flowing from end to end, but then something unexpected happened.....England became ruthless in front of goal and slotted two chances away to give themselves a very early 2-0 lead! The normal outcome of the keeper getting a slight touch or the defender clearing off the line had deserted me so after 30 minutes with only one corner on my side I decided to close my bet early and accept a £28.80 loss. Italy were on the comeback and England were trying to close the game out which was not a good sign when you need them to be attacking from all angles!

So what's the plan to get me into profit? What events am I looking to trade to get me on the winning trail?

Here are the likely suspects:

Saturday 16th June
South Africa v Australia (Rugby Union)

Friday 22nd June
Leicestershire v Yorkshire (Twenty 20 Cricket)

Saturday 23rd June
South Africa v New Zealand (Rugby Union)
Nottinghamshire ve Lancashire (Twenty 20 Cricket)

Sunday 24th June
Surrey v Hampshire (Twenty 20 Cricket)

Monday 25th June
Gloucestershire v Worcestershire (Twenty 20 Cricket)
Wimbledon (Tennis)

Tuesday 26th June
Warwickshire v Northamptonshire (Twenty 20 Cricket)

Wednesday 27th June
Lancashire v Yorkshire (Twenty 20 Cricket)

Thursday 28th June
England v West Indies (Twenty 20 Cricket)
Wimbledon (Tennis)

Friday 29th June
England v West Indies (Twenty 20 Cricket)
Wimbledon (Tennis)

Saturday 30th June
Australia v New Zealand (Rugby Union)
Leicestershire v Nottinghamshire (Twenty 20 Cricket)
Wimbledon (Tennis)

So there's plenty of action still to come and the Twenty 20 normally offers some great opportunities but when it comes to cricket the weather becomes a major factor - here's hoping for a heatwave!
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