The Challengers:
Philip Kelleway and Haydn Clifford were the two readers chosen by lucky draw from hundreds of entries for our World Cup betting competition which starts next week.
* Philip says he is "extremely passionate" about football, has "vast knowledge" and is really looking forward to watching the
All Whites. He's played football for 40 years, the game means the world to him ...
* Haydn says he has "sports betting prowess" and has former All White George Lamont (he scored against Manchester United; not many can say that) as a father-in-law. So watch out.
The Media:
They will face the two-man Herald on Sunday team of sports editor Paul Lewis and sportswriter Andrew Alderson.
* Lewis' main claim to betting fame is that he once backed a 33-to-1 outsider at Royal Ascot in the UK. Waiting to pick up around £50 on a £1 each-way bet, he noticed a large man in front of him being congratulated by all around him.
The man turned out to be Larry Hagman, the US actor of Dallas fame, who had backed the same horse as Lewis. Hagman had wagered £1000. So while Lewis was pleased to be picking up his winnings, that pleasure soured just a little when he realised Hagman was trousering a cool £50,000.
* Alderson has been free from his child gambling addiction for several decades. As a nine-year-old, he memorised his mother's TAB phone account number and, when visiting the Alexandra Park trots, would raise his head from a well-thumbed copy of Best Bets to get his uncle to put a few on the nose of some nag in the hope there would be some hot chips in it for him from the pie-cart on the way home.
He frittered away his pocket money then and he's looking forward to 'investing' someone else's cash now ... for a good cause.
Bets & Deadlines:
Players can bet a minimum of $5 and a maximum of $30 but must bet across all four matches nominated each week, including bets on events happening from Sunday-Friday so readers can track progress through the week.
