Please spare a thought for your friendly local bookmaker who is trying to eek out a meagre living despite the ravages of the British weather.

In September and October, racing was generally uncompetitive because it was dry and sunny and the ground was too firm for most trainers to run their horses.

In contrast, in November and December, the ground was so waterlogged that several meetings were called off and duck racing was the order of the day.

Now, in January, the ground is frozen solid and unless the horses are fitted with skis, they are unlikely to race.

I thought it was time therefore to consider some of the other betting options available for the coming year and to have a look, as I did last year, at some of the odds offered on events for 2003.

Sporting events

Evens: Michael Schumacher to win ten or more Grand Prix.

7-4: Michael Vaughan to become permanent England captain

9-4: Williams sisters to win all four tennis Grand Slams.

4-1: Phil Mickelson to win a Major golf tournament.

5-1: Wayne Rooney to score for England in a full international

6-1: Wales not to win a Six Nations match

7-1: Tim Henman to win a Grand Slam

tournament

8-1: David Beckham to leave Man United

16-1: Gary Lineker to move to ITV Sport

25-1: Unseeded player to win Wimbledon

Eastdalenation Street events

2-1: Peter Barlow's bookies to go bust

7-2: Peggy Mitchell to marry

9-2: Jack Sugden to marry Diane

5-1: Eric Pollard to serve a custodial

sentence

6-1: Ross Kemp to return as Grant Mitchell.

odds-on events

2-1: The small person manages to hurl his cricket bat farther that he has hit the ball.

5-1: Billy the Kid gets a proper job.

8-1: Arsene Wenger praises a referee friend of mine for a correct decision against Arsenal.

10-1: The Ayatollah gets blind drunk and runs naked around Grove Corner shouting God Bless the Tories

16-1: The chief scribe receives the Nobel Prize for Literature.

20-1: I tip the winner of the Grand National (or, come to think of it, the winner of any race)

I have asked the Ayatollah, my most successful tipster, to choose this week's football treble and he tells me he has thrown caution to the wind.

I presume this means that he made his choice while not wearing any underpants. Anyway, he has chosen Chelsea, Wolves and Hull to win at the weekend.

The US PGA golf season gets underway in Hawaii this weekend with the Mercedes Championship. I think that Chris diMarco and Retief Goosen could contest the

finish.

If any horse racing survives, Fondmort could win at Ascot, while Whitenzo has a chance at Warwick