Team Sky are a formidable outfit. Nice colours too.Lottery funded cycling and team Sky are perfect marriage.

The best spectator event in track cycling is the elimination round of the Omnium – a multi discipline event. This is cycling's version of the track and field Pentathlon and totals six events.

Laura Trott's thrilling ride in the Omnium was a glorious showcase to a wonderful track World Cup and showed that the British team has tremendous strength in depth.

Lottery funding for sport has always been a contentious and thorny issue. Why pour money into sport when there are so many other needy and deserving causes?

Whatever the merits and politics of it all track cycling has been a major beneficiary and it made for fantastic viewing. Those lucky people who have Olympic tickets for later this summer must be rubbing their hands together gleefully in anticipation.

Team Sky deserve a lot of praise. Whatever you think of Murdoch and his hard headed business ways, putting 30 million of sponsorship money into one of the least celebrated of UK sports has given us a fantastic cycling team that can excel at the highest level.

Wiggins to take the Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France anyone?

Sky do things properly. They think things through and prepare properly. Whether it's adding channels to your TV package, playing poker or sports betting when SKY do something they do it well.

Can you imagine if Virgin tried to pull the same stunt? We'd end up with a base in India and team support would be provided remotely via patchy skype link.

No. Branson can do a lot of things but my experience of Virgin Media has been absolutely horrendous and they wouldn't get started in this game.

Team Virgin? Don't make me laugh.

Team Sky's marriage with cycling Lottery funding has made a powerhouse of a sport.

19 year old Trott is proof in the pudding. She will surely go on to a fantastic cycling career based on this performance. Time and again she timed her sprint to perfection and showed a maturity beyond years to win this event taking a standing ovation from an enthralled crowd for her efforts.

The London Velodrome is a superb venue for this Olympic discipline. Coming in at a cost of £105 million it's futuristic design is something to behold and the engineering processes used mean that many track world records will fall at the Olympic games later this year.

I may do a lot of moaning about footballers and their diving, cheating and conniving ways but when credit is due I give it. This was a breath of fresh air.

Talking of football I caught the second half of Barcelona V Valencia last night and what a player Messi is. You run out of superlatives to describe this incredible magician of a player. Four goals and a mesmerising performance from Barcelona who flattered Valencia with the scoreline. They look like a shoe in for the European Cup.

Andy Carroll gained a man of the match award for his efforts against Brighton who were harshly adjudged to have scored three own goals.

Carroll looks like he is beginning to settle at Liverpool although I thought his first half performance reminded me more of Bambi on ice than a strapping 6'6" striker.

I may be doing him a disservice as the Brighton defence tried man handling tactics to keep him quiet at set pieces but his appealing to the referee made me groan.

Just get on with the game you fairy and shave that bloody pony tail off.

Skrtel and Johnson have now progressed from a crew cut to a head shave and both are in the best form of their careers so take a hint. Jay Spearing has taken his cue and is now getting regular starts for the first team. Skrtel is beginning to resemble a fearsome Orc from Lord of the rings and looks a menacing presence in the Liverpool defence.

Liverpool to win the League cup and FA cup double? Have you not noticed the Dalglish factor?

Another home draw puts them in good position for that. Get on whilst you still can.

Skybet have the double at 18/5 so £10 returns £46.36