2009: We pick our sporting winners

As we get into our stride in 2009, it promises to be a fascinating sporting year. The Belfast Telegraph sports writers have gazed into their crystal balls and come up with some predictions. Why not cut out and keep these pages and check out in December who got it right and who was completely wrong?

Steven Beacom

SURE THING: Andrew Murray to win a Grand Slam tennis tournament. He has joined the company that looks after David Beckham and already this year he is smiling a lot more on court.

Roger Federer will be out to prove he is still the top man while Rafael Nadal will be keen to show he can repeat his heroics of 2008.

For me, though, Murray is going to come of age in the Slams. The French Open may prove a bridge too far, but he’ll be extremely competitive in the other three and is a great bet to win the Australian Open or US Open.

Paddy Power odds: 6/4

DECENT BET: Ireland to win the Six Nations tournament. Declan Kidney had the midas touch with Munster, guiding them to two Heineken Cup triumphs and now he can work his magic with an Irish side that has underperformed in recent years.

Surely, with the quality of players in this generation, the Irish should have won a Six Nations title under Eddie O’Sullivan.

Kidney will hopefully put that right. Beat France at Croke Park in the opener next month and it’s game on.

Paddy Power odds: 100/30

LONG SHOT: Rory McIlroy to win a major golfing tournament.

Yes, I know the boy from Holywood has yet to win a tour event, but he has gone close and those experiences will stand him in good stead when he competes in the US Masters and Open this year.

Tiger Woods is returning from injury and will be desperate to win more majors, but if he and Rory were to go down the 18th at Augusta as joint leaders on the final day, I doubt the gloriously gifted McIlroy would be daunted by it.

Paddy Power odds: 20/1

John Campbell

Sure Thing: Kilkenny to win the All Ireland Hurling title - again. Brian Cody’s side look simply invincible and in winning a third successive All Ireland crown last year they offered confirmation that they are a truly great team.

The hunger, zeal and commitment for even more success is still very much there and this being the case, expect their reign at the top to be extended.

Paddy Power odds: 4/6

Decent Bet: Tyrone to win the Ulster Senior Football Championship. They may be All Ireland champions but in landing two of their three Sam Maguire Cup triumphs, the Red Hands have been forced to negotiate the potentially hazardous Qualifier route.

Manager Mickey Harte has made no secret of his desire to challenge Armagh’s dominance as provincial kingpins and given the talent he is likely to have at his disposal this year, he could achieve this.

Paddy Power odds: 9/4

Long Shot: Ballymena United appear to have captured a rich vein of form and although they will not win the Premier League, they might just prove their worth in the JJB Irish Cup.

Manager Roy Walker is deploying his resources cleverly and given the growing confidence which his side is displaying, they might just go the distance and lift the Cup.

Paddy Power odds: 20/1

David Kelly

SURE THING: Tony McCoy to land his 14th successive Champion jump jockey title.

Few - if any - are more dominant in their own sport and he remains a class apart.

Ever since landing in England he has never failed to be champion and there is nothing to suggest he will not continue an amazing reign as the No 1 jump jockey.

This may also be the year that he caps another title win by claiming his first Grand National success.

Paddy Power odds: 1/6

DECENT BET: Paul McCloskey to land the European light-welterweight title.

The unbeaten Dungiven man produced an outstanding performance to win the British title last month when forcing former European champion Colin Lynes to retire, a broken man.

McCloskey has the skill and speed to defeat the current European champion Guanluca Branco with ease.

Whether or not it is Branco he faces for the title, McCloskey can be European champion by the end of 2009 and then a world title shot will await.

Paddy Power odds: 4-1

LONG SHOT: Andrew Bree to win a medal at the World Championships in Rome this summer.

Bree was outstanding at the Olympics in Beijing, finishing 12th fastest overall in the 200m breaststroke, by far the best performance by a male Irish swimmer.

A medal would seem out of reach but having lowered his Irish record by three seconds to 2:10.16, a further cut would see him make the World final and then, who knows?

Paddy Power odds: 16-1

Robert Fenton

SURE THING: Calling any horse a certainty for Cheltenham is either brave or foolhardy.

But one horse that looks a stand out bet is Binocular to win the Champion Hurdle.

There are some detractors of course, who will recall his defeat in the Supreme Novice Hurdle last year, in the belief that he won’t come up the hill if involved in a battle.

Well, I don’t expect him to be in a battle as his extra gear should see him clear at the last and with Tony McCoy on board, coasting home.

Many months ago, Tony told me this horse would win the Champion Hurdle and so far this season, there is nothing to suggest that he will be wrong.

Paddy Power odds: 5/4

DECENT BET: Willie Mullins, not unexpectedly, holds a strong hand for Cheltenham’s Champion Bumper race with no less than six contenders, the latest of them being Quadrillon who dotted up at Naas on Sunday.

But the one to be on is Quinola Des Obeaux who at 7-1 is a decent each-way shout.

The manner of his victory at Cork recently had to be seen to be believed. He won’t run again until March and that says it all.

Paddy Power odds: 7/1

LONG SHOT: Staying with the Festival, one horse that long-odds punters should consider, is Somersby in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Trainer Henrietta Knight has been having a very quiet season by her standards but this is one fellow she likes and has ear-marked him for this race.

Somersby is a future chaser but has plenty of speed as shown when winning his opening hurdle race at Kempton.

He was due to run in the Grade 1 Tolworth at Sandown last Saturday but that meeting fell foul of the weather. But the fact that Henrietta was pitching him in at such a level, speaks volumes. Odds of 33-1 or better can be had.

Paddy Power odds: 25-1

Graham Hamilton

SURE THING: They say lightning never strikes in the same place twice . . . don’t you believe it!

It was Usain Bolt who lit up Beijing in the Olympic Games, winning gold in the 100m, 200m and the 4x100 relay with an astonishing display of running that earned him Olympic and World records.

It’s the world championship in Berlin in August and all eyes will be on the Jamaican again. And it’s a sure thing he’ll simply sprint clear of the opposition and claim gold, gold and gold again.

Paddy Power odds: Evens

DECENT BET: The last intermediate team to win the Irish Cup was Carrick Rangers back in 1976 when, as a B Division team, they beat Linfield in one of the competition’s biggest shocks.

Stand by for a similar scenario this May . . . with IFA Championship side Portadown defying all odds to land the trophy and earn a place in Europe.

Yes, it’s a long shot, but the Shamrock Park men are still smarting after being relegated to intermediate football over an administrative failure and believe me they have a point to prove. Don’t forget they’re a senior team in everything but name . . . and they’ve already beaten the Blues home and away in the Co-Operative Insurance Cup this season!

Paddy Power odds: 20/1

LONG SHOT: The Irish men’s hockey team will finally come of age and win THREE important competitions in 2009.

First up is the new Champions Challenge II competition in July, and although three of the teams are ranked above them, they have home advantage and could earn promotion at the first attempt.

Second up is the European Nations Trophy in Wrexham in August, and new coach Paul Revington will be disappointed if his team don’t measure up to their top ranking and regain promotion to Europe’s elite.

And finally it’s the World Cup Qualifier towards the end of the year, probably the biggest task facing the Irish. But the younger players will have matured that bit more and could land a rare appearance in the world finals, which are scheduled for India in 2010.

Paddy Power odds: 500/1

Peter Hutcheon

SURE THING: Australia to retain the Ashes. They may have just lost Test series to both India and South Africa (two extremely good teams) but nothing gets the Aussies fired up more than the battle for the urn. England are nowhere near the side which just about prevailed four summers ago, and far too much rests on the shoulders of Kevin Pietersen and Freddie Flintoff. The Aussies batting looks infinitely superior and rumours abound that Shane Warne will come out of retirement for one last tilt at the urn.

Paddy Power odds: 8/15

DECENT BET: Sergio Garcia to finally win a major. Tiger Woods will be back to make it even more difficult but the Spaniard has three runners-up finishes (two of them to Padraig Harrington) and nine other top ten major finishes. Like it or not greatness is measured in these titles and the best usually end up with more than one. Unlike Colin Montgomerie, Garcia really is too good a player not to have won one by now.

Paddy Power odds: 7/2

LONG SHOT: Arsenal to win the Champions League. Undoubtedly they are not a patch on the Invincibles side of 03-04 with Thierry Henry in his pomp but Europe has been a happy hunting ground for the Gunners, beaten finalists in 2006.

Their pleasing style suits European competition more than the Premier League and they should have some key men like Tomas Rosicky and Cesc Fabregas due back from injury about the right time. They’ve beaten both Manchester United and Chelsea already this season and can do it again in the final.

Paddy Power odds: 14/1

Graham Luney

SURE THING: Ronnie O’Sullivan to win the World Snooker Championship. The defending champ is going for his fourth world title at the Crucible in May and expect the genius to display his supreme talent once again. It’s fair to say the Rocket has had a difficult upbringing but we are talking about the most talented player in the history of the sport.

Paddy Power odds: 5/2

DECENT BET: Crusaders to win the JJB Sports Irish Cup this season. While you sit down and recover from the shock of this prediction, it should be noted that the super Crues have only lost to Linfield and Lisburn Distillery at home in the league since April last year. Manager Stephen Baxter has transformed his side into unlikely title challengers and their first Irish Cup win since 1968 is written in the stars. Remember where you heard it first!

Paddy Power odds: 7/1

LONG SHOT: Padraig Harrington becoming the first golfer in 53 years to win three Open Championships in succession. Give someone else a chance at Turnberry Padraig! You have to take your hat off to Europe’s number one but Tiger Woods is back on the prowl with his knees in fine working order. Harrington knows how to make a major impact when the heat is on, but there will be many hungry opponents he will have to get the better of again, such as Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, Robert Karlsson, Justin Rose, Lee Westwood, Ernie Els and of course the rejuvenated Tiger.

Paddy Power odds: 10/1

BILLY WEIR

SURE THING: Phil Taylor to win the Premier League. After The Power surged to a faultless victory in the PDC World Championship Final last week, the only way they’ll stop him in the Premier League is is they only let him throw two darts - blindfolded. He was being written off after four weeks of last week’s tournament but in typical Taylor style came back to win at a canter. If you’ve got tickets for the Odyssey, then you’re in a for a treat - go and watch a master at work. Fourteen world titles and still no knighthood? Shame he doesn’t ride a bike.

Paddy Power odds: 4/7

DECENT BET: James Toseland to win the British Grand Prix. The Manx rider struggled to make an impact in his debut season in MotoGP last year but by the end of it showed he was getting to grips with the new challenge, especially in an epic duel with the imperious Valentino Rossi at Philips Island. No British rider has managed to top the podium at this level since the late, great Barry Sheene. While repeating his world crown successes of the Seventies, Toseland could make it a fairytale for the home fans at Donington.

Paddy Power odds: 16/1

LONG SHOT: Mark Allen to win the World Snooker Championship. The Antrim cueist is now a firm fixture in the World Top 16 and on his day is a match for anyone. Provisionally he is up to No.10 and having made it to the semi-final of one ranking tournament already this season, he could repeat his World Amateur success.

Paddy Power odds: 33/1

Belfast Telegraph