James Moore is an experienced journalist, punter and Sheffield United supporter, who was a key writer for the ill fated Sportsman. Now with The Independent, he explains, in convincing style, a colourful system to which he has been introduced. There is nothing worse for the experienced punter than watching the odds on banker, which was supposed to offer a get out of jail free card in the last, go down by a short head to 33-1 outsider.
That horrible sick feeling is made much, much worse if you are unfortunate enough to be standing next to a hen party screaming with delight having all had minimum £2 each-way bets on the seeming no hoper that beat your selection by a head because the bride-to-be ‘liked the colours’. It is scarcely less irritating when the person next to you is not from a hen party but is Scott White, who has seemingly represented the PR interests of half of Scotland’s financial services companies when he is not furiously punting at racecourses up and down Britain (and France, and Ireland).
White, it should be said, does not scream with delight. He simply nods sagely and says knowingly, ‘Colours,’ when his 33-1 shot comes in, before re-attaching his sunglasses and heading off to pick up a fistful of fifties.