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Sporting Predictions 2025
No points could be awarded this weekend but we're a tad closer to when we can start handing out the last few.

Across the Pond in the CFL, two very tight games in the Canadian Egg chasing with only 3 points deciding both games.

Montreal Alouettes travelled to the bear pit that is Steel City Canada, Hamilton and came away with a 16-19 win at Tim Horton's Field. Those Tiger Cats will be licking their wounds all winter. Coffees and Doughnuts all round. I'd prefer a blueberry muffin with my coffee please Tim. Smile

Over on the west side of the Provinces, Saskatchewan Roughriders beat British Columbia Bears by 24-21, which means the Grey Cup Final will be played in a Little House on the Prairies. A pretty impressive little house in Regina, Saskatchewan that has a capacity of 33,350 expandable to 40,000. It's highest attendance for a sporting event is 34,243 (Aug 31, 2025 vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers) whilst of other events it's 39,500 (Aug 9 or 10, 2019, The Garth Brooks Stadium Tour, y'all - estimated).

[Image: 1024px-Mosaic_Stadium_-_Regina%2C_Saskatchewan.jpg]

While we're over there lets head south to Sao Paulo, Brazil and drop in on the F1 folks. It's been another weekend with a Sprint Race and a full F1 race and it's fair to say Lando Norris has made it his weekend while his team mate Piastri continues to inflict more self inflicted wounds and the door is still ajar for Crash to spoil the party.

In the Sprint race, Norris won from Antonelli, who had a great weekend too, Russell and Crash. Piastri spun out on the 5th lap (he wasn't the only one) and had a DNF, handing another 8 points to Norris and 5 to crash. Antonnelli finished 2nd and George Russell 3rd.

In the main race qualies, Crash didn't get out of Q1 .... yeah, it's been a long time since that happened. On top of that his team mate was last. Red Bull suddenly can't set a car up? Hmmm. but, but, The Racing Bulls qualified 5th and 7th. When was the last time the junior team out performed the senior team?

Rather than start 16th or worse in a car that Noddy in his pedal car would have given a race, Red Bull went for the new engine and a load of other fixes that other teams aren't allowed due to parc-fermé rules. He started from the pit lane. The advantage he had with a new engine (they lose about 5% performance each race), the help of a few safety cars/yellow flags and a few others pitting when it helped him, meant he finished 3rd behind Norris and Antonelli again. Not saying he isn't a good driver but he didn't shuffle anyone into the barriers to do this either. Piastri on the other hand was found guilty of doing this (yet again) and a 10 second penalty shuffled him down to 5th.

As a result, Lando is now 24 points ahead of his team mate, Crash is 25 points behind him. Given Piastri was all over this like a rash half-way through the season, his form in the 2nd half of the seaon is nothing short of crap. The Hamster struggled to get any kind of speed all weekend. His team mate lasted a few laps before crashing out. The Hamsters wheels completely seized up by about half-way, give or take. Ferrari clearly need to change the nuts they are feeding him.

[Image: KbiVBDP.png]

They head to a big car park in Las Vegas in two weeks.

In stuff we ain't predicting, the Aussies stuffed England again in the RL Ashes Egg Chasing. It was (maybe) close at half-time. It wasn't by full time.
In the Autumn International Money Grab, England beat Fiji when they eventually realised passing the ball was a better idea than watching Fiji pass the ball. Scotland almost gave New Zealand a game but then lost again - see RL Ashes for the model.

Wher the 'ell are you from?
I'm from Wolveramperton.
Wolver, Wolveramperton.

Special thumbs up to Wolvo born golf pro Airon Rai who beat Tommy Fleetwood in a play-off at the Ahbu Dhabi Doo Championship on the 1st play-off hole. Wouldn't recognise him if I fell over him. Doubt he ever plays the courses I do given he now lives in Florida and uses TPC at Sawgrass as his practice course. I guess the par 3 at Three Hammers won't miss him.
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SCO in with a shout of a point this weekend as Montreal go to Saskatchewan for the Grey Cup Final on Sunday. Thumb up
Sunday's in sports bars in the USA are typically wall to wall NFL Egg chasing so the chances of finding the CFL Egg Chasing final on a TV somewhere, unless the bar is run by or full of Cannucks, I'd say are slim.

Golf's Race to Dubai concludes this weekend with the top 50 available golfers on the DP World Tour Championship bringing the '25 European Golf Season to a close. It starts up again at the end of the month with the Autralian PGA, in case you were wondering.

The Leaderboard in this final tournament as the 3rd round comes to a close is pretty darned tight with $10 million up for grabs. The winner is not just based on this tournament, but how you've performed over the season across 42 separate tournaments. Rory McIlroy has beeen top of the overall Leaderboard since winning The Masters way back when. Another one for next years post-it notes.

[Image: f9Q9sLB.png]

The RU Egg Chasing continues over the weekend with England v The All Blacks the pick of the weekend for those that like this kind of thing.
The MotoGP is in Valencia but that's already done and dusted for the season bar picking up the scraps.

World Cup Soccerball Qualifying continues with England looking to go unbeaten and not concede a goal, Scotland and Welsh Wales still have a chance of qualifying, though it may have to be through the play-off's. Norn Iron can't get into the top 2 of their section after Friday night's 1-0 loss to Slovakia. A 2-0 win for the Republic of Ireland over the Pork Chops means they have a muck or nettles match to come against Hungary.
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We all drew a blank in the Grey Cup Final. Saskatchewan 25-17 Montreal was the final score. A last minute Hail-Mary for Montreal was fumbled over the line to give the Roughriders the points.

4 points still up for grabs F1 and three that start next month but finish in January (Ashes Cricket, Darts and Africa Cup of Nations).
Matt Fitzpatrick won the season ending tournament in a 19th hole play-off against Rory McIlroy but 2nd was more than enough to win his 7th Race to Dubai Trophy, one behind Colin Montgomery's Order of Merit titles.

England qualified for next Summer's World Cup unbeaten and without conceding a goal, though a combination of good goalkeeping by Henderson and some poor finishing by Albania made sure of the blank again. Despite losing to Greece, Scotland still have a chance to top Group C as Denmark stumbled to a draw against Belarus, who previously hadn't picked up a point. The Jocks host Denmark in a winner takes all final game at Hampden on Tuesday., though the Danes can also win the Group with a draw. Wales and North Macedonia meet in Cardiff on Tuesday for another muck or nettles scrap for 2nd place in their Group. Belgium only need a point against pointless Liechenstein to secure top spot.

I read yesterday that the current RU Egg Chasing "Autumn International Money Grab" is going to be turned into a tournament from next year. It will be somewhat drawn out however as the "first half" of the games will be played in the Northern Hemisphere in November and the "second half" will be played in the Southern Hmisphere in June. Nothing like keeping those airmiles down, eh? It will also be played every other year so it doesn't clash with major tours and World Cups.
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Despite finishing 3rd in their Groups, Norn Iron, Sweden and Romania get a World Cup play-off spot after topping their Nations League groups.
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They had a minute's applause at Windsor Park last night to mark 20 years since George Best died.

Twenty years! Where does the time go? Sick
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[Image: 1970-terrier.jpg?w=1086]
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Have to say the same Snoots. Didn't realise it was so soon after I came back from Canada.
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