March Madness Betting Online Will Dwarf The Super Bowl

An exiled 'Pom' living in Penrith in New South Wales, Australia whose partner and two children are all Australian and who emigrated from Dagenham in 1971, has placed the biggest bet struck so far on England winning the Ashes Series, with William Hill.

Mike Nunn, 57, who says that during his 35 years in Australia he has 'lost the equivalent of a year's GDP of an average size country' by backing England to beat the Aussies at various sports, has staked 2700 Aussie dollars - just over £1000 - on England to win the Series.

But few of his compatriots share his optimism and the second biggest bet on England is just £500, whilst William Hill have taken bets of £21,000 and £20,000 on an Aussie triumph and predict that the Series will produce an industry-wide betting turnover of up to £30million - a record for an England away series.

"England punters seem to be keeping their financial powder dry until they know who is fit and in the team" said William Hill's spokesman Graham Sharpe. "But if England get off to a halfway decent start the patriotic money will start to pour in."

England are 5/1 outsiders to win the First Test with William Hill, who also make them 5/1 to win the Series. Australia are 4/9 favourites for the First Test and 2/9 to win the Series with William Hill who offer 3/1 a drawn First Test; 13/2 a drawn Series - and 3/1 England to retain the Ashes.

William Hill have opened a book on who will win the toss and whether they will bat or bowl when the 1st Test starts in Brisbane. They offer 6/5 that England win the toss and bat; 15/2 that they win the Toss and bowl. Australia are 11/8 to win the toss and bat and 15/2 that they win the toss and bowl. William Hill also offer 9/2 for any combination of total tosses won e.g. England 5-0 or England 3-2.

Ricky Ponting is 4/1 favourite with William Hill to be top series run-scorer who also offer 11/2 Hayden; 7/1 Pietersen; 15/2 Hussey, Langer; 9/1 Strauss; 10 Martyn; 12 Bell, Cook; 20 Clarke; Collingwood.

Shane Warne is 5/1 favourite to win the Compton-Miller Medal for Man of the Series with William Hill who also offer 7 Ponting; 10 McGrath; Lee; 12 Flintoff; Gilchrist, Hayden, Langer, Pietersen 16 Martyn; 20 Harmison, Hussey, Strauss; 25 Hoggard, Panesar.