You can bet on one thing...

Tactically astute, the bookies were able to lure the punters into dangerous areas and dispossess them at will. But the indefatigable underdogs never knew when they were beaten, never knew when to stop, writes Larry Ryan.

In another week of heavyweight sporting contests, there was no mistaking the match-up that topped the bill; the battle between ‘the bookies’ and ‘the punters’.

There were other lesser sideshows on the radar. ‘The Irish’ versus ‘The English’ at Cheltenham, spearheaded by our great countries’ spiritual leaders Hector Ó hEochagáin and Phil Tufnell, drew some interest.