This Weekend I’ll be Laying Cheryl Cole

Now here’s a headline I never thought I’d write! Unfortunately it won’t be in the biblical sense but in the betting sense.

Tomorrow night sees the final of the X Factor with the result announced on Sunday evening. Heading up the betting is Cheryl’s protege, Joe McElderry (he is, isn’t he?). The Geordie lad has breezed though the previous rounds without facing the vote-off scenario and has got better and better as the weeks have gone by. He’s now clear favourite at 4/9 (Bet365, Betfred, Blue Sq) ahead of Stacey Solomon (5/1 Betfred, SkyBet) and Olly Murs (5/1 Canbet) to win this year’s karaoke contest.

For those of you who’ve got a life and haven’t been following the series, Stacey is mentored by that other fine filly, Danni Minogue. The dipsy Dagenham diva is such an airhead that apparently she can only be filmed face-on, otherwise you’d be able to see right through her head from ear to ear. That said, she’s got a cracking voice (and set of pins for that matter) but for me is the weakest of the three.

Olly is the Fred-Perry-wearing-Essex-boy-next-door. A Shane Ritchie for the Noughties if you like. But he is incredibly likeable and could be Geordie Joe’s biggest threat. With Simon Cowell as his mentor, expect a few barbed comments from the high heid-yin’s chair. Olly has got a real stage presence and has shown he can handle different types of songs and performances. He could indeed have the X-Factor.

If history has told us anything it’s that these contests don’t always go with the flow. Diversity caused a huge shock (16/1) when beating the hairy angel herself, Susan Boyle, in this year’s Britain’s Got Talent and in previous years Leon Jackson and Will Young have been second in the betting ahead of taking their winner’s prizes. So I’ll be steering well clear of Cheryl’s boy Joe at odds of 4/9 and instead I’ll be looking to lay her (OK him, but her sounds better) on Betfair at 1.49.

Let me know if you’ll be having a punt on the X Factor in the comments below.

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