Sport

Championship 2001: Place your bets

Both Kilkenny and Kerry are favourites to retain their All-Ireland titles this year

By SEAN MORAN
Thu May 03 2001 - 01:00

Both Kilkenny and Kerry are favourites to retain their All-Ireland titles this year. According to bookmakers Paddy Power the defending champions are also odds-on to retain their provincial titles. Kilkenny are a suffocating 13 to 8 to win the All-Ireland.

Kerry's price of 4 to 1 reflects the additional difficulty that will be involved in winning this year's football championship with defeated teams re-entering the championship at all stages up to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

Kilkenny's All-Ireland predecessors Cork are second favourites at 7 to 2 with National League finalists Tipperary next at 6 to 1. Last year's defeated All-Ireland finalists Offaly are available at 11 to 1, the length of the odds presumably influenced by their draw against Kilkenny in next month's Leinster semi-final.

There is better value in the football odds. Last year's finalists Galway are second favourites at 9 to 2 but 1999 champions Meath at 7 to 1 and Armagh, who came so close to defeating Kerry last year, at 9 to 1 are more tempting. Last Sunday's league winners Mayo are 10 to 1. Defeated league semifinalists Sligo and Roscommon can be got at 66 to 1 along with Division Two winners Westmeath.

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All-Ireland SFC: Kerry 4/1; Galway 9/2; Meath, Kildare 7/1; Cork, Armagh 9/1; Mayo, Dublin, Derry 10/1; Tyrone 14/1; Offaly 20/1; Donegal 25/1; Down 33/1; Roscommon, Westmeath, Sligo 66/1; Laois, Cavan, Fermanagh 80/1; Clare 100/ 1; Louth, Monaghan 150/1; Limerick, Leitrim, Tipperary 300/1; Antrim, Wicklow 500/1; Carlow, Longford, Wexford 1,000/1; Waterford 1,500/1; London, New York 5,000/1. Each way, 1/2 odds on 1-2.

Provincial title odds, win only - Connacht SFC: Galway 4/6; Mayo 9/4; Sligo 6/1; Roscommon 9/1; Leitrim 20/1; London, New York 200/1.

Leinster SFC: Kildare 9/4; Meath 5/2; Dublin 11/4; Offaly 5/1; Westmeath 12/1; Laois 14/1; Louth 25/1; Longford, Wexford 100/1; Carlow, Wicklow 150/1.

Munster SFC: Kerry 2/5; Cork 9/4; Clare 10/1; Tipperary 20/1; Limerick 25/1; Waterford 66/1.

Ulster SFC: Derry 9/4; Armagh 10/3, Donegal 7/2; Tyrone 5/1; Down 8/1; Cavan 12/1; Fermanagh 16/1; Monaghan 22/1; Antrim 33/1.

Top scorer SFC: Dara O Cinneide (Kerry) 11/2; Oisin McConville (Armagh) 7/ 1; Padraig Joyce (Galway), Colin Corkery (Cork) 8/1; Trevor Giles (Meath), Padraig Brennan (Kildare) 12/1; John Donnellan (Galway), Maurice Fitzgerald (Kerry), Anthony Tohill (Derry), Maurice Sheridan (Mayo) 16/1; Peter Canavan (Tyrone), Declan Darcy (Dublin) 20/1. Each way, 1/4 odds on 1-2-3.

All-Ireland SHC: Kilkenny 13/8; Cork 7/ 2; Tipperary 6/1; Galway 7/1; Clare 8/1; Offaly 11/1; Waterford 14/1; Wexford 20/1; Limerick 25/1; Dublin 80/1; Laois 150/1; Antrim 200/1; Derry 400/1; Down 1,000/1; Meath 5,000/1. Each way, odds 1/3 on 1- 2. Provincial title odds, win only.

Leinster SHC: Kilkenny 1/2; Offaly 7/2; Wexford 4/1; Dublin 14/1; Laois 33/1; Meath 250/1; Kildare 500/1.

Munster SHC: Cork 2/1; Tipperary 9/4; Clare 3/1; Waterford 9/2; Limerick 10/1.

Ulster SHC: Antrim 4/9; Derry 15/8; Down 8/1; London 33/1.

Top scorer SHC: Henry Shefflin (Kilkenny) 7/2; Joe Deane (Cork) 9/2; DJ Carey (Kilkenny) 8/1; Nicky Horan (Meath), Eugene O'Neill (Tipperary), John Dooley (Offaly) 9/1; Paul Codd (Wexford) 12/1; Mark Keane (Limerick), Eugene Cloonan (Galway), Paul Flynn (Waterford), Niall Gilligan (Clare) 20/1. Each way, 1/4 odds on 1-2-3.